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by Martin Wiggins and Sophia Ruan Gushée

Many homeowners consider the bedroom the most sacred room in the house. This is the place where everyone goes to recharge after a long day, which is precisely why it should be the first area to detox.

For a healthy bedroom environment, always remember to avoid placing toxic furniture and bedding with chemicals such as formaldehyde, PDBEs, and flame retardants. Since Practical Nontoxic Living has already covered detoxing tips for the...

by Sophia Ruan Gushée and her editorial team

On April 3, 1973, the first mobile phone call was made by a Motorola employee, Martin Cooper. Ten years later, in 1983, Motorola released its first commercial mobile phone, which sold for $4,000.

Another major milestone in the life of mobile phones came in 2007, when Apple unveiled its first iPhone.

By 2017, cell phones have become accessible to most Americans: about 95% of Americans owned a cell phone, according to a press...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

There are over 82,000 chemicals registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, with one in seven being used in personal care products.(1)

That means over 11,700 chemicals are used in personal care products. Whoa! That’s a lot of chemicals.

So many personal care products are applied to our skin: deodorant, makeup, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, feminine care products, perfume or colognes. Chemicals in personal care products can...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

Painting walls brings out inner-creativity, even in the most non-creative people. With paint chips taped to the wall, we act as interior designers and choose the color that will look best with our flooring, furniture, and art work. In addition to color, it’s important to choose a nontoxic paint versus a conventional one. Why?

Conventional paints often have higher amounts of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

Zero- and low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) labels are popping up on paint cans throughout the U.S. in response to growing consumer demand for paints with minimal toxic chemicals.

Standard wall paints can contain VOCs that may be causing short- and long- term health problems ranging from dizziness to central nervous system damage. (1)  About 40 to 65 percent of paint, or coating, is made up of VOCs, according to the...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

The cleaning products we use affect not just those who clean, but also those who occupy the space of the cleaned areas. In our homes, that includes adults, children, and unborn children.

Adults who clean are exposed to chemicals in household cleaning products more directly every few days. Areas such as toilets and floors might be cleaned once a week, with kitchen prep surfaces like counters and cutting boards being cleaned...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

PVC (polyvinyl chloride), also known as vinyl, is used to make countless products that fill our closets, shelves and homes. As a durable, strong, waterproof material PVC has become hugely popular in furniture, clothing, shoes, sports equipment, bags, medical equipment, building materials, credit cards, balls, bouncy castles, wall decals, window clings, packaging and so much more. It’s everywhere. While products made from...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

Wood furniture—such as couches, chairs, bed frames, box springs, tables and many more products—can be made from composite wood or solid wood. If you're hoping to choose the healthiest wood furniture for your budget, then consider the three key ideas below. 

1. Adhesives & Resins

Composite wood is made from wood pieces or wood dust that are held together with adhesives or resins. Resin is a material that is...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

Showers and baths are meant to get us clean. Yet, when we step out of the tub and onto the bathmat, our wet feet are collecting bathmat fibers.

Those fibers, as our feet dry and we walk through our homes, become part of the household dust. Depending on what our bath mats are made of, materials can break down over time, releasing chemicals that will become part of our house dust. Dust re-circulates throughout our homes, settling in...

by Angela Cummings and Sophia Ruan Gushée

Kids spend a lot of time on the floor. From infant’s “tummy time,” to toddlers crawling, to young kids racing cars and playing dolls, the floor is a major space in the life of young children. So parents should pay special attention to whether the floors may pose health risks to children.

Most parents don't know that children are more vulnerable to chemicals than adults, even at tiny exposures.(1) (2)...