Simple ways to live cleaner and greener

Every day we are surrounded by chemicals that heavily impact and influence our health. INSERT ARTICLE HERE Reducing our exposure to these chemicals is not only great for our health but is also fantastic for the environment. We've all seen the eco-friendly and zero-plastic products splashed all over social media but there are simple things you can do at home without needing to spend a lot of money.

- Reuse plastic ziplock bags

Plastic zip lock are super handy around the house, but they also contribute to the millions of tonnes of plastic that ends up in landfill where it stays for millions of years. Whilst there are excellent biodegradable and reusable options now available, you can also help save them ending up in the rubbish by extending their use by simply washing them out and drying after use. They can be washed and dried time and time again and you can also reuse ziplock bags that groceries come in (think of resealable dried nut bags). This is something you can do without costing a cent!

- Use indoor plants to clean and purify air

Breathing is the essence of life, and the quality of the air we breath is just as important. The air quality in our homes can become polluted from chemicals, bacteria and more very easily decreasing our immune function, contributing to autoimmune diseases and more. One of the simplest ways to improve the air quality in your home is to introduce indoor plants which filter the air for us and provide high quality oxygen. Indoor plants are relatively cheap and quite easy to look after, just take into account the amount of natural light in your house.

- Turn off wifi at night

It is absolutely critical for our health to reduce the amount of exposure we have to harmful EMF'S. (INSERT LINK TO MORE INFO). There are many devices you can use to reduce the impact of EMF's on your health in your home (we personally use a Blushield Tesla Plug-in) but nothing can 100% protect you from harm apart from simply turning off your wifi at night and putting all your devices onto aeroplane mode. Not only will it help protect your body from harm but also helps give you a good nights sleep.

- Buy only good quality items

Last year I had a pact to only purchase good quality items for our family and home as I was sick and tired of wasting money on cheap items that broke quickly and ended up in the bin. Because good quality items tend to cost more, I bought less 'things' but the things I did buy have lasted well and I won't need to buy more in the future. Spending more on less items is an excellent way of really prioritising what is important to you and your family and is great for the environment as less items end up in landfill. I have found I also take better care of things because I spent more money on them. Some examples of 'things' I bought include linen sheets (I was sick of sheets pilling), stainless steel pegs (they are amazing and don't break like those crappy plastic ones) and a cotton canvas picnic blanket (Nothing gets stuck to it, its easy to clean and we use it ALL THE TIME.)

- Simplify your skincare

For our children, I've only ever used two products for bathing, coconut oil in winter (it is lovely and moisturising whilst also a great cleanser) and Dr. Bronners Castile liquid soap in summer (both for washing body and hair). Reducing the amount of chemicals you put on your skin is something you can easily do to improve your health as skin care products are notoriously full of harmful chemicals known to cause cancer and other chronic illnesses.

For us adults, we use either a simple natural bar soap or liquid castile soap, a natural deodorant and hair products (although I am yet to find a good natural hair conditioner that tames my frizz!)

Simplifying your skincare routine not only improves your health but it also saves you time and money and thankfully even the supermarkets are getting a great range of natural products in stock

- Get outside with no shoes

Earthing is a legit thing. Our body needs the natural electromagnetic fields in order to function properly (our heart pumps because of electricity!) and the only way we can access this good energy is by getting outside with no shoes on (most shoes have a rubber sole that blocks the electric current). It is also great to regularly get out to a beach or river as the running water produces negative ions, which are also excellent for our health. We need nature and by making it a priority to get out and about in it as much as possible is probably the simplest and more cost effective way we can instantly improve our health (Learn more about the benefits of earthing in our resources tab).

So there you have it, some really simple ways to help improve your health, life, mood and the planets. What are some of your favourite tricks to live cleaner and greener? We would love to know!