How to Detoxify Your Home, According to an Integrative Rheumatologist

Dr. Aly Cohen shares her home essentials to lower toxin exposure and protect our health.

Toxins can be cleared out of one's living space, starting with the choice of furniture. 10'000 Hours/Getty Images

When Dr. Aly Cohen’s beloved 4-year-old golden retriever suddenly became very ill, her personal and professional lives collided painfully. Truxtun was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, a rare condition for his breed. “The fact that it was an autoimmune disease”—Dr. Cohen’s area of expertise—“was bizarre,” she said.

She started looking into what might’ve triggered the immune system of her otherwise healthy dog. She first wondered whether he could have been drinking contaminated water. Then she thought about his flea and tick collar, and then the red rubber toy he was inseparable from.

“As I was reviewing his little life, I started coming up with information about humans and the lack of regulation [around] all the chemicals that go into cosmetics, cookware, cleaning products—it started to blow my mind,” she said. Following her instincts, she began investigating the toxins lurking in our lives—and their negative impacts on our health.

She found dozens of studies linking common chemicals found in food, water, personal care products, and household items with disruption of the body’s endocrine system. As she dove deeper, she realized that was just the tip of the iceberg: These endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) also interfere with the immune system, triggering abnormal immune responses and increasing the risks of a long list of chronic health conditions. The evidence was so compelling that she coined the term immune-disrupting chemicals (IDCs) to describe them.

Truxtun sadly passed away in 2008. Since then, Dr. Cohen has become a passionate environmental health expert and self-described “anti-toxin warrior,” dedicated to educating both doctors and consumers about her findings.

She is triple-board certified in rheumatology, internal medicine, and integrative medicine, and works in private practice in Princeton, New Jersey. When she’s not seeing patients, she lectures around the country, develops curricula for schools and physician training programs, and hosts The Smart Human podcast. This month, she publishes a new book, “Detoxify: The Everyday Toxins Harming Your Immune System and How to Defend Against Them.”

While the information can seem overwhelming, Dr. Cohen wants to emphasize this: “It’s so fixable.” Even small lifestyle changes can lead to big health improvements.

“When you reduce these exposures [to toxins], when you change behaviors, when you choose better products, you are lowering toxic levels in your body in real time, which lowers your potential risk for developing a whole host of illnesses,” she said. Over the last two decades, she has watched her chronically ill patients quiet their autoimmune responses, tolerate medications better, and even lower the dosages they need.

Dr. Cohen encourages smart, sustainable shifts over extreme, budget-breaking measures—or living in fear. “There’s no failing,” she said. “Every little thing you do to reduce exposure to toxins is only moving in the right direction.”

3 Groups of Chemicals to Avoid

1. Bisphenols (BPA, BPS): Found in plastics, canned food and drinks, and some medical equipment, including IV bags. Associated with endocrine disruption, increased risk of autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and infertility.
2. Phthalates: Found in plastics, vinyl flooring, food storage containers and packaging, fragrances, cosmetics, and personal care products. Associated with developmental changes in newborns, autoimmune disease, high blood pressure, weight gain, early menopause, allergies, and asthma.
3. Flame-retardants: Found in some work uniforms, fire extinguishers, and couches. Associated with immune system and hormone disruption, increased cancer risk, and respiratory problems in newborns.

Kitchen

Water: Switching to filtered drinking water is “my first priority,” said Dr. Cohen. She believes that drinking water is “probably the most underemphasized contributor to acute and chronic health conditions that no one thinks about,” and drinking filtered water is the number one way to detox the body. She strongly recommends installing a reverse osmosis filtration system, because it removes the greatest number of contaminants, but “a carbon filter is better than nothing,” she said.

Food: After water, the food we consume is our second biggest exposure to toxins by volume. Dr. Cohen recommends USDA-certified organic frozen fruits and vegetables as the cheapest, most accessible, and most nutritionally dense options for produce. They’re free of pesticides, frozen at the peak of nutrient density, and safely packaged and not exposed to toxins while in transit.

Cookware: Some cooking utensils and pans can leach chemicals into the food we cook. Swap plastic spatulas for bamboo, and nonstick pans with high-quality stainless steel or cast-iron. For food storage, glass containers are safer than plastic—and easier to clean.

Bamboo or wooden cookware have less toxins in them. fcafotodigital/Getty Images

Coffee and tea: One easy strategy for reducing toxin exposure is to “clean up some of your daily habits in a sequential way,” Dr. Cohen said. Start with your morning beverage of choice: “I like tea, so I use a ceramic tea container, filtered water, and loose-leaf tea to eliminate the teabag.” For coffee drinkers, a glass and stainless steel French press is a better alternative to plastic single-serve pods. If you frequent a local cafe, take a personal stainless steel mug instead of using a disposable Styrofoam cup. “It’s the little things that you layer in over time, and each one is a success,” Dr. Cohen said.

A French press won't leech plastic into your coffee. Tony Anderson/Getty Images

Living Room

Home fragrances: Avoid incense, scented candles, and air freshener plug-ins that contain synthetic phthalates. Dr. Cohen doesn’t use any of these products, but recommends cleaner versions for those who do want them, such as beeswax candles with 100 percent organic, phthalate-free essential oils.

Windows: Instead of using fragrances to freshen the air in a home, Dr. Cohen recommends opening windows once a day to let the air circulate. “A lot of chemicals end up in dust and air particles, and you don’t realize they’re there,” she said.

Couch: Before she began investigating harmful environmental chemicals, Dr. Cohen sprayed her couch with a stain-guard: “We had two kids and a dog, after all!” She later discovered that these treatments contain chemicals linked to cancer and liver disease, among other health problems. Consider eliminating carpet sprays and stain guards and opting for all-natural cleaning solutions. Couches are also often treated with harmful flame-retardants that leach into the air, whether or not you can smell it. “When you’re ready to switch out your couch for a new one, you can find one without flame-retardant chemicals,” Dr. Cohen said. “Wool, for example, is naturally flame-retardant.”

Houseplants: Houseplants not only improve the air quality, but also provide surfaces to catch dust and chemicals. Just periodically wipe their leaves with a damp cloth. Dr. Cohen’s favorites are low-maintenance dracaena and spider plants.

Houseplants help to improve air quality. ULTRA F/Getty Images

Bathroom

Personal care products: Phthalates are the key chemicals to watch for in bathroom products, and especially perfumed products. Dr. Cohen recommends switching out antiperspirants that contain aluminum and fragrance phthalates. She and her teenagers consult Environmental Working Group’s database of nontoxic products for their beauty and personal care buys (EWG.org/skindeep).

Shower: Dr. Cohen uses a shower head with a carbon-block filter, which is affordable and available at most major hardware stores. Switch out the filter every six months.

Bedroom

Bedding: “The main thing to think about in the bedroom is your bedding,” said Dr. Cohen. “Wrinkle-free usually means [it was treated with] formaldehyde, believe it or not.” She uses 100 percent cotton bed sheets, which are affordable and widely available.

Pure cotton bedsheets won't have toxic chemicals in them. Breslavtsev Oleg/Shutterstock

Utility Room

Cleaning products: According to Dr. Cohen, most cleaning products contain harmful and unnecessary chemicals. Products labeled as “antimicrobial” can actually lead to antibiotic resistance, making people more susceptible to infections later on. Dr. Cohen uses vinegar, lemon juice, and soap and water for cleaning, and 70 percent isopropyl alcohol to kill microbes. When she’s too busy to mix up DIY cleaning solutions, “I look up EWG to see the products that are safe so that I can make a better choice,” she said.

Filters: Switch out furnace and water filters regularly. “Also clean the lint out of the dryer,” Dr. Cohen said, “especially if you have a gas dryer—carbon monoxide can build up there.” Smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors need to be checked regularly to ensure they are fully functional, and it’s a good idea to have a fire extinguisher in working order.

Garden

Lawn: Lawn herbicides and pesticides can be carcinogenic to the human body. Shoes and pets’ paws can track the chemicals into the house, and pets risk ingesting them when licking their paws. Instead of spraying weeds, Dr. Cohen recommends simply cutting the lawn low.

It's best to avoid using herbicides and pesticides on the lawn, to prevent the chemicals from getting onto children and pets. Standret/Shutterstock

Dr. Cohen’s Daily Wellness Nonnegotiables

Time to Sweat: I exercise every day. I’m a runner. I like to run in extra layers to sweat more—it’s a great way to clear stuff out of your body.

Time With Pets: I love my dog and cat, and I think pets are underrated in terms of mental health. It can be incredibly soul-supporting to be with your pet. Don’t forget that your mental health has an impact on your physical health and resilience.

I would not be doing what I’m doing if it were not for such a personal experience with my dog. We were not able to save Truxtun, and it was a while before we got another dog. I start every one of my talks with a photo of him, so he’s still with me wherever I go.

This article was originally published in American Essence magazine.