Toxin Free in 30 Days: Take the Challenge

Ready to make your life toxin free? All you need to do is make one simple change to your diet or lifestyle every day for the next 30 days. These simple steps will make a big impact on your overall health and your daily life in only a short amount of time. 

We are exposed to more chemicals than ever before and our bodies are struggling to deal with the volume. More than 80,000 chemicals are in use today, many of which have never been tested or proven safe for use. There’s also no testing to look at the effects of combined toxins in the body.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to reduce your exposure to toxic chemicals. We’ve searched high and low, and found the best tips from nutritionists, natural health experts and clean living bloggers. Every one of these simple tips adds up and by the end of the challenge, you will have made a significant ‘dent’ on your (and your families) toxic body burden and be enjoying the benefits of a clean, chemical free lifestyle. 

Are you in? Let’s get started with Day 1…

Simple Steps to Reduce Your Toxic Body Burden and Exposure to Harmful Chemicals in 30 Days

Day 1: Purify Your Water
Contributed by: Red and Honey
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Tap water has become increasingly more polluted in recent years, and there’s a good chance your water supply contains heavy metals, pesticides, fluoride, chlorine and other chemicals.

It’s important to ‘detox’ your water in order to prevent exposure to the vast amount of toxins found in drinking water.

Purchase a good quality water filter which has been shown to remove harmful bacteria, chemicals and other contaminants from water.

Day 2: Avoid Non-Stick Cookware
Contributed by: treehugger
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Chemicals can seep into our food from the pots & pans we use to cook it. Toxic chemicals can be transferred from cookware into our meals.

Non-stick cookware is appealing because it helps prevent food from burning while you prepare it. However, non-stick pots and pans contain a class of chemicals called poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), which have been linked to a long list of health problems. Avoid non-stick cookware whenever you can. 

Day 3: Buy Organic for the Dirty Dozen
Contributed by: Dr. Weil
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Eating produce is an important part of staying healthy, but the pesticides and chemicals found on the skins of many fruits and veggies are extremely toxic.

The Dirty Dozen are the foods you should always buy organic as they have the greatest risk of being contaminated by toxic chemicals and pesticides. Starting today, buy organic apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, peaches, spinach, peppers, nectarines, cucumber, tomatoes, snap peas, potatoes, hot peppers, and blueberries.

Day 4: Choose Good Meats
Contributed by: Elizabeth Yarnell
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Many of the meats available at the supermarket are filled with toxic chemicals. Hormones and antibiotics are used in the mass production of meats all over the world. It’s crucial to spend time when purchasing meat to ensure you buy the healthiest option.

Always choose grass-fed, antibiotic-free and hormone-free meats. By choosing your meat wisely, you avoid ingesting unwanted toxins. 

Day 5: Avoid Processed Foods
Contributed by: Healthy Eating Politics
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Processed foods were created to lengthen the shelf life of food, allowing more and larger amounts to be sold over time. These foods are usually packaged and contain hormones, additives, preservatives, or have undergone chemical treatments. Many also contain refined ingredients and vegetable oil which are loaded with toxins.

Aim to eat healthy, whole foods which don’t come in a package. By avoiding the processed options in the supermarket, you choose the most nutritious options for your body and avoid eating unwanted chemicals.

Day 6: Avoid the Scary Seven
Contributed by: Freshly Grown
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One place we wouldn’t expect to be exposed to toxic chemicals, but often are if we don’t pay attention, is our food.

The Scary Seven are the seven worst ingredients that can be found in our food. By avoiding these toxic chemicals, you can prevent you and your family from being exposed to unhealthy, harmful ingredients in your meals.

Day 7: Keep Bugs Away Naturally
Contributed by: Real Food Enthusiast
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Bug spray usually contains a ‘toxic soup’ of nasty chemicals. DEET, a common ingredient in many products, is effective at deterring pesky bugs but also may cause long-term side effects if absorbed into the bloodstream (through the skin or air).

That’s why we love this DIY all-natural bug repellant. This is an effective and safe alternative to other bug spray products.

Day 8: Swap in Stevia
Contributed by: Whole New Mom
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Use Stevia, instead of your artificial sweeteners, as an awesome, sweet alternative to sugar. Artificial sweeteners contain loads of chemical which are harmful to your health.

Stevia can be used to sweeten drinks or in cooking meals. It comes in multiple forms, from drops to powder. Check out this awesome, healthy alternative to fake sweeteners. 

Day 9: Skip Fake Fragrances
Contributed by: Thriving Home
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Harsh perfumed candles and fragrance sprays contain lots of chemicals that are harmful to breathe in.

These helpful tips on removing toxins from your home suggest turning to essential oils to keep your home smelling good without the use of chemicals. By diffusing scented oil for just 15 minutes a day, you can have enjoy a safe, toxin-free fragrant home.

Day 10: Take Your Shoes Off
Contributed by: EcoKaren
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When you’re out and about, your shoes pick up chemicals, pesticides, and unknown chemicals.

That’s why it’s important to leave them at the door. If possible, it’s best to take them off in a garage and leave them before even coming into the house. This will help keep the indoor air cleaner and make cleaning that much easier.

Day 11: Clean Your Air
Contributed by: Wellness Mama
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Indoor air can sometimes contain more toxins and chemicals than outdoor air.

We love these simple tips to clean your indoor air, from beeswax candles to salt lamps and bamboo charcoal. These are easy ways to purify your breathing air in your home and promote a toxin-free environment.

Day 12: Wash Your Clothes
Contributed by: Mommy Potamus
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It’s pretty hard to find a truly non-toxic laundry detergent, especially when many so called ‘eco-friendly’ products contain hidden toxic ingredients.

That’s why we’re fans of this homemade natural laundry detergent. It’s so simple to make and is one of the best non-toxic options for washing your clothes we’ve come across.

Day 13: Read the Labels
Contributed by: She Knows
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Understanding what’s in your food is crucial to eliminating toxins from your life. By reading the labels on all the products you buy, you can start to understand what you’re putting in and on your body.

Food labels are especially important to pay attention to. Portion size, sugar, and sodium levels are all key factors to look for. If anything sounds like a chemical or is too hard to pronounce, you probably shouldn’t eat it. 

Day 14: Clean the Natural Way
Contributed by: Nourishing Joy
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Cleaning products are often loaded with toxic chemicals and it can be hard to find truly all-natural, toxin-free products to clean your home (especially with misleading labels and clever advertising campaigns which make you believe products are ‘cleaner’ than they really are).

Luckily, this awesome guide on cleaning products offers over 21 recipes for various types of cleaning products. With great alternatives like these, there’s no reason to clean your home with toxic chemicals anymore.

Day 15: Ditch Toxic Soaps
Contributed by: The Holistic Mama
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Many soaps contain harmful chemicals that can dry out your skin or worse. Anti-bacterial soaps are usually the worst offenders, with about 75% of liquid soaps containing triclosan, a chemical you definitely want to avoid. Even ‘regular’ soaps can contain a cocktail of chemicals including fragrances, parabens & sulfates.

That’s why we love this recipe for for a simple natural hand soap (that actually works!).

Day 16: Minimize Grilling
Contributed by: The World’s Healthiest Foods
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When you can, minimize using a grill or char-broiling your food. Both methods cause heterocyclic amines (HAs) to form, which are well-documented carcinogens. 

By keeping HAs at a minimum in your diet, you help keep your body toxin free.

Day 17: Keep Toxic Beauty Products Out
Contributed by: Growing a Green Family
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There are very few regulations on body care products. This is a scary reality.

Many products that you may assume are safe might not actually be (and manufactures often use packaging and wording that can mislead you into thinking products are more natural than they really are!).

One of the best ways to live a toxin-free life is to keep toxic beauty and body care products out of your home. One of the safest options is to make your own non-toxic body care products at home.

Day 18: Swap in Glass
Contributed by: Follain
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Plastics are one of the biggest sources of toxic chemicals in our daily lives, and even if you are doing the right thing and avoiding BPA (which which mimics estrogen), the alternatives companies are using could be just as bad (or even worse!).

Switching to glass containers in the home can help prevent chemicals from reaching you and your family. Glass is a safer, more environmentally friendly food storage option which don’t contain the toxic chemicals that plastics do.

Day 19: Stay Away from Air Fresheners
Contributed By: Toxin Detective
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Air fresheners contain numerous harmful chemicals, many of which often haven’t even been tested to know their impact. Phthalates are found in most air fresheners and are a known carcinogen. They are also found in the production of plastics.

Unplug any artificial air fresheners and switch to more natural options, such as essential oils or all-natural candles. By eliminating air fresheners in your home, you’re promoting cleaner, non-toxic breathing air for you and your family.

Day 20: Read Up
Source: Strocel
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If you start reading and learning about living a toxin-free life, you will be more likely to take action.

There are a number of authors and bloggers who have written great material on living an all-natural, clean lifestyle. By educating yourself, you empower yourself to live a better, healthier life.

Day 21: Protect Your Skin with a Natural Sunscreen
Contributed By: the Marathon Mom
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It’s always nice to spend some time in the sun, but we are always told to wear SPF to protect our skin. However, most sunscreens contain some pretty scary chemicals – like the hormone disruptor oxybenzone.

It’s important to keep your skin covered from harmful UV rays, but you don’t want to expose yourself to toxic chemicals in the process. That’s why we’re obsessed with this all-natural sunscreen recipe. It’s safe, easy to make at home, and most importantly, toxin-free.

Day 22: Clean Your Carpets Naturally
Contributed By: The Ordinary Chaos
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Carpet cleaners are some of the worst offenders when it comes to toxic chemicals (such as perchlorethylene and ammonium hydroxide) and contribute to poor indoor air quality (which can often be dirtier than outdoor air).

Instead of loading up your rug with harmful products, check out this all-natural carpet cleaner. We tried it out and it is truly a great alternative to toxic products. And with only two simple ingredients, it couldn’t be easier to make!

Day 23: Ditch Your Toxic Face Wash (and make your own instead)
Contributed By: Real Food RN
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Cleansing your skin every night before bed is important to maintain a healthy, vibrant glow. However, many face wash products contain toxins that definitely aren’t healthy to rub into your face.

We love this bedtime face wash routine because it’s thorough and all natural. These easy to follow steps will leave you with silky soft skin, and it’s completely non-toxic.

Day 24: Choose Organic Bedding
Contributed By: Good Girl Gone Green
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We spend a lot of time sleeping (children especially) which gives plenty of time for toxins in your mattress and sheets (petrochemicals, flame retardants, pesticides and others) to be absorbed through your skin.

Purchase organic sheets and mattresses to prevent the inhalation of toxins while you sleep.

Day 25: Sign a Petition (& Keep Companies Honest)
Contributed By: Groovy Green Livin
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Once you start living a more toxin-free lifestyle, you will feel empowered to help promote the same opportunities for others.

By paying attention to local and international petitions to promote toxin-free living, you can promote clean living in the future, and use ‘people power’ to encourage manufacturers to stop using harmful chemicals in their products.

Stay aware and help promote clean products with your signature:

Support Leaping Bunny Products
Clean Up Cruelty Petition
Support Clean Water

Day 26: Upgrade Your Art Supplies
Contributed By: Mindful Momma
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Art supplies are a common product that most people wouldn’t consider to be toxic, however, there are many harmful chemicals in most art supplies.

Fortunately there are healthier options out there. This awesome list of alternatives offers great suggestions and safer options than the conventional markers, paints, and crayons we usually use.

Day 27: Beware of Mold
Contributed By: Experience Life
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Mold can be devastating in a home. From plumbing leaks to drywall infestation, mold can produce toxins which can have a significant impact on your health and is often hard to detect.

It is recommended to clean mold with simple soap and water and let it dry completely (after you’ve dealt with the cause of the problem of course).

By eliminating any mold in your home, you can limit your exposure to toxins in the air.

Day 28: Make Your Own Toothpaste (and avoid fluoride, sodium fluoride, triclosan and sodium lauryl sulfate)
Contributed By: Happy Healthnut
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You brush your teeth two or three times a day, but did you know toothpaste has some pretty toxic chemicals in it, some of them carcinogenic?

Many popular brands include ingredients you probably don’t want to ingest like fluoride, sodium fluoride, triclosan and sodium lauryl sulfate.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to avoid exposure to these toxins: Make your own toothpaste!

We love this simple, easy to follow recipe. Keeping your teeth clean really only takes a couple ingredients.

Day 29: Green Your Décor with No VOC paints and Safe Floors
Contributed By: Safe Mama
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Most people wouldn’t think that the décor in their home could be toxic, however paints and carpeting can contain harmful fumes that are toxic to you and your family. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can ‘off gas’’ for many years.

Use no-VOC paint, especially in bedrooms where you spend hours each day breathing in the air. Also, try to avoid carpeting where you can, and if you must use it, air out rooms for as long as possible before use & ensure good ventilation at all times.

Day 30: Swim in the Sea (not in a chlorinated pool)
Contributed by: Natural Health Blog
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Swimming in a chlorinated pool exposes your body to loads of toxins. The byproducts of chlorine, called haloacetic acids (HAAs), are a dangerous chemical that has been restricted from drinking water for years.

Instead of diving in the pool, venture out to the nearest natural body of water, whether that’s a lake, sea, or ocean. Swimming in all-natural water is much better for your body.

Conclusion

By making these small simple changes, one day at a time, you can make a significant impact on you, and your families exposure to harmful toxins and impurities.

Which tip is your favorite? How do you stay toxin free? Let us know in the comments below.