The basic principles of healthy building, remodeling and non-toxic household products are the same. If you know and understand healthy for one area of your household, you can apply it to other areas of your household.
Using this method is far easier than looking at each ingredient and seeing if it’s among the over 4k toxic chemicals out there!
That is why, by following a few basic principles of healthy building, you’ll be able to “short cut” your learning curve by more than ½ the time.
Keep reading to find out what these principles are and where you can apply them. Let’s jump right in.
What are 3 Basic Principles of Healthy Building and Household Products?
Ceramic. It’s one of the healthiest of materials available to us in building, remodeling, and non-toxic household products.
Made of clay, and usually a combination of sand, feldspar, quarts and/or water, ceramic is a fully natural product.
It’s held together by a process of heat, pressure and drying in order to form the actual tile. There are no glues, adhesives or resins used (thankfully!).
Then, a glaze is applied that gives the ceramic color and a glass-like finish. The glaze, if made of low lead amounts, is also non-toxic.
Wood. We’re talking about solid hardwood here – not composite wood or solid soft woods like pine, cedar, and the like. The latter off-gas chemicals into the air. Composite woods off-gas human-made chemicals (called VOCs) and soft woods off-gas natural chemicals (also called VOCs).
The effect on our health is the same whether from human-made or natural VOCs.
In contrast, solid hardwood has the lowest amount of off-gassing of any wood product.
We’ll need to be conscious of the type of finish used, but that’s for another article.
For now, just know that solid hardwood is the healthiest wood out there right now.
Metal. Metal such as iron and stainless steel are among the top healthy options for materials.
Too much metal absorbed in our digestive system or on our skin can lead to a metal toxicity, but when used in moderation or in building products, chemical wise, it’s a great choice.
If your metal is coated with oils from manufacturing, you can clean it off easily with rubbing alcohol (found in a grocery store or pharmacy) and an old cotton rag.
Separate from chemicals but often a concern of readers is EMFs, electromagnetic fields, which have been shown to damage or kill cells in all of creation.
While the metal itself does not give off EMFs, it does amplify them. Be conscious of how much metal you have in your home, and where it’s placed.
Additionally, if you’re building or remodeling, you can be conscious of the type of electrical wiring you use and where it’s placed.
Areas of Our Home Where We Can Choose Healthy Building + Non-toxic Products
Ceramic.
Healthy Home Building and Remodeling
- Flooring
- Countertop (porcelain is a type of ceramic)
- Lighting fixtures
- Plumbing fixtures
- Shower and tub surround
- Backsplash
Non-toxic Household Products
- Drinkware (mugs)
- Plates and bowls
- Picture frames
- Coasters
- Decorations and artwork
- Serving bowls (food or decor)
- Trivets and hot plates
- Cookware (pots and pans)
Wood (solid hardwood).
Healthy Home Building and Remodeling
- Cabinetry
- Flooring
- Trim, window casing, baseboard
- Interior doors
Non-toxic Household Products
- Furniture
- Decorations
- Trivets and hot plates
- Cutting boards
- Cooking utensils
Metal.
Healthy Home Building and Remodeling
- Casing around electrical wires
- Framing
- Siding
- Roofing
Non-toxic Household Products
- Coffee pot
- Cookware (pots and pans)
- Cooking utensils
- Table (glass and metal, or metal)
- Outdoor furniture
Bottom Line
It’s so much easier to start with the basics of healthy building and household products than to try to remember the names of over 4k chemicals and check each product with that list in hand.
When you focus on looking for ceramic, solid hardwood and metal products, it can cut your healthy product search time in ½ (or more).
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