The Conception Plan: Detox your home
Could simple household items be hindering your chances of getting pregnant? Women's health and fertility expert Dr Larisa offers her top tips for detoxing your home; to hopefully make a lasting difference to your wellbeing, fertility, and baby’s health too.
The bathroom
Did you know that an average bathroom product contains multiple hormone or endocrine disruptors? And did you know that this could potentially affect multiple systems in our body and contribute to lower sperm counts, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, metabolic problems and obesity? So what can you do to help?
Simplify your products and clear out any clutter you don’t need. Focus on the essentials and replace the synthetic fragranced ones with natural, plastic free versions that are better for you. Try and also get products that use an alternative to plastic packaging. This includes moisturisers, perfume, shampoo and conditioner and body wash.
Go for a natural deodorant, that is free from toxic metals
Did you realise that your period protection could also be affecting you? Replace your current pads or tampons with organic pure cotton ones, or use silicone menstrual cups. You can also try washable and reusable period pants and pads.
Go for Epsom bath salts which are natural, rather than fragranced bubble baths, and reap the benefits of a nice long soak. Magnesium also relieves muscle tension and stress, important when looking to conceive. Also use a dry body brush before bathing, to help draw out impurities and toxins from the body.
Try and avoid nail polish and buff and file your nails instead
There are many great clean and green beauty brands out there. Try out a few and see what suits you, and have fun doing it!
Try making your own deodorant, face mask and soap
The kitchen
This is such an important place in the house because it’s where we prepare our meals and come into contact with anything that can add chemicals to our food, like plastic. Be mindful of that and start with some basic changes...
Ensure that as soon as you enter your home, you take off your shoes, to prevent any contaminants from the street spreading around your home.
Use naturally based cleaning products or make your own. You can create your own cleaner with nothing more than just water, sodium bicarbonate and vinegar, with a couple of drops of essential oil added for fragrance. If you don’t fancy that, there are so many great eco ranges out there.
Replace your washing powder and fabric softener for eco friendly natural alternative ones
Get rid of plastic containers and replace with glass ones
Avoid aluminium pots and pans
Avoid plastic utensils and non stick pans that are coated in nasty chemicals
Replace products with glass, wood or stainless steel
A water filter is a good idea. Water contains multiple residues and chemicals when not treated, so investing in a filter, ideally one that’s glass, is best. You can even go further and invest in a filter for the whole house, to ensure that the water you shower with is also toxic free.
Stop using plastic bags when shopping
If you can’t avoid buying products in plastic, make sure you buy the large versions, as quite often, the container can at least be recycled and you’re minimising waste from this
Ditch the cling film and replace with beeswax or silicone wraps or covers
Opt for natural wooden flooring
Clean your house regularly
Dust with a natural fibre micro-cloth
The bedroom
We spend so much time in the bedroom, and it's the most important room for baby making, so it’s really worth investing in. Here are some tips...
Choose a wooden bed frame with natural stains and waxes
Invest in a mattress made out of natural latex or other natural materials, or get a natural mattress topper if you can’t afford a new mattress
Opt for natural fibre bed linen and sheets, and wash weekly
Pillows and quilts should be wool, latex or cruelty free feather down, also newer versions are buckwheat and hemp fibre
Declutter your bedroom, making way for purified air to flow
Get all electronics out of the room, includingTVs and phones
Dust every week
Open the window regularly to allow fresh air to flow into the room
Make sure you have effective blinds or curtains to achieve complete darkness in the room
Consider investing in an alternative to the regular alarm on your phone or radio, that allows you to wake up to natural light and is much healthier on your body
Ditch all the synthetic candles and air fresheners from the house and use candles made out of natural ingredients, with a non-toxic wick. Replace air fresheners with essential oils or plants in the house, which will help to keep the air pure.