🍳 6 Steps to a Nontoxic Kitchen 🍳
For many families, the kitchen is the centerpiece of our home! It’s where we gather, share our meals, listen to the pots and pans symphonies of our children, and make memories that will last a lifetime! Unfortunately, the kitchen can also be a sneaky spot for toxins found in our food, cooking utensils, pots, pans, storage solutions and more. This has been a great place for us to start the ditch and switch process of detoxing our home.
So, let’s jump in and look at 6 ways to detox your kitchen and create a safe, healthy space for your future!
1. CHOOSE TOXIN-FREE COOKWARE
First of all, if you haven’t watched Dark Waters, go watch it RIGHT NOW. Ya’ll teflon contains chemicals that your body can never get rid of and build up and cause a whole slew of diseases. Get rid of the teflon! Both aluminum and teflon will both leach dangerous chemicals into your food (and thus into your body) over time, from wear and tear, and under high amounts of heat! Say buh-bye and replace them with a safer option like cast iron, stainless steel, glass, or ceramic!
Harsh chemicals have no place in your kitchen. You breathe them in, they get in your food, they get in your skin and they cause serious problems! There are plenty of safe alternatives out there and even using vinegar, baking soda, and alcohol can work GREAT on a budget! We use Thieves Cleaner at our house and I love that the bottle says, if ingested, drink plenty of water. That’s how I KNOW I’m not poisoning myself or my family!
3. TOXIC-FREE FOOD STORAGE
Plastic containers may be easily accessible and cheap, but most also contain bisphenol A (BPA) or it’s evil twin BPS which can still be labeled (BPA FREE). Plastic containers will leach chemicals into your food and into your body. They can also scratch and trap mold! GROSSSSS!
Swap out your plastic containers for glass food storage containers or stainless steel! Paper bags and beeswax wraps, or Stasher silicone bags are also great alternatives to plastic wrap and ziplock bags. Yes, these are all plastic too!
4. NATURAL PEST CONTROL
We’ve all had creepy crawlies in our kitchen and we’ve probably all reached for the toxic pest control substances on the shelf! But. What if I told you there was a better (and cheaper) way! One easy way to get rid of kitchen pests is to spread diatomaceous earth around the kitchen. You can buy this stuff in BULK and it’s also super healthy to ingest.
If you can’t get your hands on Diatomaceous Earth, then common household spices, essential oils like lavender, peppermint & water, and even red wine do a great job at repelling pantry pests!
5. WATER FILTRATION
Again, go watch Dark Waters and you’ll understand exactly how much you need a quality water filter! The water we drink is legally allowed to contain a “safe” amount of toxins and chemicals. Don’t believe me? Just ask your local water treatment plant!
Luckily, it’s fairly easy to remove toxins from your tap water with a basic filtration system! Personally, I recommend a Berkey water filter, but there are plenty that will do fine! Just make sure you do your research to see what can and can’t be filtered with each system!
6. CLEAN OUT YOUR CABINETS
Did you know that both food and drink cans are lined with BPA? Have you checked the expiration date on the spices in your spice drawer? Even pantry food and spices have expiration dates and expired products should be discarded to avoid mold and pests!
OK! There you have it! A complete guide to a toxic free kitchen! What will you be doing first?!?
