You're standing in the doorway to your house, gazing around with slightly glazed eyes. You know you want to cut back you and your family's chemical exposure. You know that by doing so, you're reducing your risk of developing cancer and other health problems associated with virtually all of the body's systems. You know you have work to do.

The problem? You don't know where to start.

"Maybe it feels overwhelming," says Sarah Winterton, Program Director of Environmental Defence, "but you can do one or two things that you know are going to reduce your exposure. We think that will help."

Studies in 2005 and 2006 by Environmental Defence, a Canadian environmental watchdog group, suggest that pretty much all Canadians, including children, have chemical residues in their bodies.

"We have to look at what we can control," agrees Sara Kinnon, naturopathic doctor with the Bellevue Natural Health Clinic in North Vancouver, who frequently counsels her clients to reduce their toxic load and purchase "greener" alternatives. "Prevention is more powerful than anything. It's much easier to be proactive than reactive."

Keep these 3Rs in mind, and you'll be on your way.

Read the label.
Canadian chemical and product labeling regulations are not as strict as they could be, argue many environmental groups. Still, labels can provide us with some valuable information.

If a label contains a long list of hyphenated words or "-ates", chances are, there's something in there worth avoiding.

Toxic phosphates, for example, which were removed from laundry detergents years ago for environmental reasons, are sometimes still in dishwasher soaps, at amounts of up to 30 to 40 percent.

A general rule of thumb: The more ingredients you can pronounce and recognize, the better. Compare, for instance, familiar ingredients like borax and washing soda to triclosan (in antibacterial hand and dish soaps; creates carcinogens when mixed with chlorinated water) or ethoxylated nonyl phenols (endocrine distruptors still used in Canada even though they're banned in the European Union).

If you had to guess, which ingredients do you think are safer?

Rethink your brands.
It's tempting to stick with Mom's favourites, which are grabbed at the grocery store without a second thought. But our all-time regulars can be big offenders. Two products, White Bright Sunlight Laundry Detergent and Sunlight Ultra Laundry Detergent, are offerings from the last manufacturer in Canada (Unilever) to contain trisodium nitrilotriactetate, an environmental pollutant and cancer causer.

Brands that are generally less toxic include Seventh Generation, Nature Clean, Oxyclean, Arm & Hammer and Simply Clean.

For the latest information about the chemicals to avoid-and the brands that avoid them-the new CancerSmart Consumer Guide 3rd Edition (Toxic Free Canada, 2007) is an excellent resource and makes detoxing the home a less nerve-wracking process.

Do you know the difference between Downy Liquid Fabric Softener and CLR Grease Magnet? A CancerSmart chart reveals that the latter contains both nonyl phenol and 2-butoxyethanol, chemicals that are endocrine-disrupting and cause blood, liver and kidney damage, respectively.

Reduce your use.
Cleaning is rarely a favourite household chore. But it is a regular chore. And since cancer risk increases with routine and longterm exposure to chemicals, it makes sense to find non-toxic substances for those regularly used cleaning products.

Do your health a favour and appropriately dispose of those ancient, half-used and likely noxious products stuffed under the sink. Then gather this ingredient list for a non-toxic multipurpose cleaner:
1 tsp. borax
1/2 tsp. washing soda
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. liquid castile soap
2 cups very hot water
(Source: lesstoxicguide.ca)

Add the first four ingredients to a spray bottle, then slowly add the hot water and shake until dry ingredients are dissolved.

For more suggestions on less toxic replacements, check out the Environmental Defense website (www.environmentaldefence.ca). The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) is also a wealth of info on personal care products, another area you could target to help reduce your daily exposure.

So, are you psyched yet? Take a deep breath, step inside your soon-to-be detoxed home, and start shutting the door on needless exposure to cancer-causing household chemicals.

To purchase a copy of the CancerSmart Consumer Guide ($13), call 604-435-0512. HANS (www.hans.org) is Canada's premier natural health network. Annual membership starts at $35.

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