3 Easy Swaps to Reduce Toxins in Your Home
Looking to detox your home? Start with these 3 simple swaps to reduce harmful toxins: ditch synthetic fragrance, filter your tap water, and improve indoor air quality. Easy, effective changes for a healthier home environment.
When you start looking into reducing your toxic load at home, it can feel overwhelming. Trust me, I’ve been there. But if you’re wondering where to start and what swaps actually make a big difference, these are the first three I recommend. These changes are simple but powerful, and they have a ripple effect on everything from hormone balance to immune health. Let’s dive in.
1. Ditch Synthetic Fragrance
This is always my first recommendation, because synthetic fragrance hides in so many everyday products: skincare, body wash, shampoo, candles, air fresheners, laundry detergent…you name it.
Why swap it out?
Fragrance is considered a trade secret, which means companies don’t have to tell you what’s in it. That one word “fragrance” can represent a cocktail of hundreds of undisclosed chemicals, many of which are known hormone disruptors, allergens, and even carcinogens. No thanks.
What to do instead:
Choose fragrance-free products whenever possible.
If you want a little scent, go for ones that are scented with essential oils only. You even still have to be careful here! Sometimes they will sneak unwanted chemicals into the essential oils. I use essential oils for everything, like helping my children fall asleep naturally and making my own first aid kit with them.
Consider DIYing your own body butters, room sprays, and cleaners. It’s easier than you think, and you get to control exactly what’s in it. Here’s my favorite place to get your own essential oils.
2. Filter Your Tap Water
Unfortunately, our tap water isn’t as clean as we’d like to believe. Even if it tastes fine, it can contain a cocktail of contaminants like fluoride, chlorine, chloramines, pesticides, and even pharmaceuticals.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a tap water database you can use to search your zip code and see exactly what’s in your water supply. Spoiler alert: most of us are drinking way more than just water.
What to do instead:
Invest in a high-quality water filter, preferably one that filters out fluoride, chlorine, heavy metals, and VOCs. There are great options for both countertop and under-sink setups, depending on your budget and needs.
Here’s my favorite water filter!
3. Clean Up Your Indoor Air
This one surprises people the most: indoor air is 8–10 times more polluted than outdoor air. That’s because we’re constantly bringing in toxins: off-gassing furniture, cleaning products, synthetic candles, and dust that carries everything from mold spores to pesticides.
Why it matters:
We breathe all day long, and indoor air pollution can impact allergies, sleep quality, hormone health, and immune function. Long-term exposure has even been linked to chronic respiratory issues.
What to do instead:
Invest in a quality air filter, even one per floor can make a big difference.
Open your windows daily (yes, even in winter!) to let fresh air circulate.
Add a few air-purifying houseplants, like peace lilies or snake plants, for a natural boost.
Start Small, Swap Smart
Reducing the toxic load in your home doesn’t have to be all or nothing. These three swaps are foundational. They touch every area of your life, from what you breathe to what you absorb through your skin. Start with one and go from there.
Got questions? Drop them below or find me on my Instagram @kellycarpenterwellness
Here’s to a cleaner, healthier home - one swap at a time. 💛
