This is a helpful guide to help you clean up your own EMF environment prior to a home inspection or just a guide for a do it yourself type of person.  Anything that you can do to alleviate stress to your body is a good thing.  Control what you can control, minimize anything you can’t control.

First and foremost is to get rid of anything wireless that you can do without.  This will include anything that sends or receives information wirelessly.  Items included would be: Wi-Fi, many models of cordless phones, baby monitors, anything that connects via Bluetooth or wirelessly (such as tablets, laptops, and cellphones).  Many of these items you will have to disable the wireless features in the device settings.

There are many people that no longer have a home phone but for those that do many have a type of cordless phone.  Many of these cordless phone bases will emit a signal even if not in use.  It is this constant emission that is harmful.  Finding a phone that only emits when in use is a better option however finding these types of phones is more difficult.  Buying a phone that uses a cord is your safest and cheapest option.

For many people getting rid of their Wi-Fi is a hard sell.  However, if you are not willing to stand in a microwave oven then you should really rethink your Wi-Fi usage.  Both of these devices operate in the same wave spectrum, which is in microwaves.  A temporary fix until you can have your internet hard wired would be to have your Wi-Fi router on a timer so that it turns off at night, and then turns back on in the morning or during the times that you would need it.  These timers are inexpensive.  There is no reason to have your Wi-Fi on when you are sleeping.  Any device that connects to your router will also emit a signal, you should either shut off that device or deactivate the wireless option when not in use.  If you are using a hand held device, use it in airplane mode as much as possible, if you must use it at all.  Wireless pollution poses the most risk to children; please keep that in mind.

Everywhere that you go you see many items that are advertised as energy efficient which range from light bulbs to all sorts of electronics.  All of these items will create high frequency voltage transients, otherwise known as dirty electricity.  For some of these items, an alternative item could be chosen, and for others using a type of filter would be helpful.  Such items that create dirty electricity are the following: compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL or “cork-screw lightbulbs”), dimmable LED lights, dimmer switches, most electronic devices, and anything that has a variable frequency drive (example is a treadmill).  All of these devices will create high frequency voltage transients (referred to as dirty electricity or dirty power).

Dimmer switches should be replaced with regular convectional switches with just a simple switch that has an on/off function.  CFL not only create dirty power they also emit a radio frequency so you get two forms of EMF pollution from one device.  These should be replaced as soon as possible.  Suitable replacements would be your old incandescent light bulbs which don’t create either dirty power or radio frequencies but they do use more energy.  Another suitable replacement is LED lights.  However most LED lights that are sold now are dimmable and these all create dirty electricity like CFL light bulbs.

Almost all of your electronics will create dirty power.  I am not advocating getting rid of all your electronics and living like an Old Order Amish, but if you are going to use electronics, use them as safely as possible.  There are filters that will ‘clean up’ part of the pollution that these devices cause.  Installing them where you have electronics makes the filters most effective.  In order to receive the max benefit from the filters you should install them in your whole house.  One filter will not fix all of your house.  This is something that is analyzed during a home inspection and installed at your request as part of the service (the cost of the filters is extra).  The number of filters you will need will be dependent on how many electronics that you have and size of your home.  The average home needs about 20 filters.  High frequency voltage transients can cause many health problems and have been linked to many health problems, most notably cancer.

Variable frequency drives, like a treadmill, should be avoided at all times for they cause an enormous amount of dirty power.  It doesn’t even have to be turned on to create dirty power either, just plugged in.  Running outside is always better and it is free, though admittedly it is much hard during the winter months.

In a perfect world there would be no ground current.  It would all travel in the wires buried in the ground and the poles that we see everywhere.  We don’t live in a perfect world and know that there is ground current everywhere and more than likely it is traveling through your home as well.  There are steps that you can do to minimize these effects, however knowing how much you have is the best way to approach this.  With contact current, every time that you touch something you will receive a charge as current travels through you.  Over the course of the day, all of these charges add up.  There are small things that you can do to minimize this, like using a laptop on battery instead of plugged into the wall.  Another is to get into the habit of “discharging” at night.  What this does is equalize the polarities in your system.  This will help bring you body into balance.  This can be done two ways.  One is simply standing on a piece of aluminum foil at night before you go to bed for minute or two.  All you have to do is stand there don’t touch anything else.  My family and I do this while we brush our teeth before bed.  You can use any type of conductive metal—I use aluminum foil because it is the cheapest.  Another more time consuming, though more relaxing, way to accomplish this, is an Epsom salt bath.  Epsom salt baths have many other beneficial effects that people enjoy and you can add discharging to that list.

Finally, there are number of small things that you can do to improve your environment.  There are many items that we would not think of that can create a rather large magnetic field.  By large I am referring to >100mg.  Some of these items would include digital alarm clocks (that plug into the wall), hair driers, electric toothbrushes, small fans, anything that has a small motor, anything that converts electricity to heat (blankets, car seats, heating pads), and anything else that will take 120v from an outlet and transform it down to a lower usable voltage.  The key with all of these devices is to keep your distance.  They will all create a magnetic field.  This doesn’t mean that you have to get rid of all of them just do not be constantly in the field or near the objects.  The father away that you get the more the magnetic field will dissipate.  This is very important when it comes to the items that you have around your head at night when you sleep.

 

In summary, key points to consider:

• Put your Wi-Fi on a timer so it goes off at night
• Place all of your Wi-Fi devices on “Airplane” mode when not in use
• Remove your CFL (corkscrew) light bulbs and replace dimmer switches
• Do not use a treadmill-enjoy the great outdoors!
• Replace electronic toothbrushes
• Do not use heating blankets or heated mattress pads, especially when sleeping
• Place your alarm clock across the room-not so close to your head
• “Discharge” at night-using aluminum foil or taking an Epsom Salt bath
• Consider installation of filters in your home