Today more than ever, staying healthy is on everyone’s mind. Typically, the first things to pop to mind are your diet and exercise. Stay away from processed foods and refined sugars. Although avoiding them altogether is difficult, keeping the consumption of these types of foods to a minimum, is an important goal.
Have you stopped to consider how healthy your home is? Your home can play a part in your overall health; both good and bad. When you think about how much time you spend in your house, it’s reasonable to conclude you want to make it as healthy as possible.
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Air Quality
Breathing in poor air quality or dust can affect your health. The addition of an air purifier will help to make your home healthier to breathe. You can also incorporate houseplants to improve indoor pollution issues. English Ivy, Aloe Vera and Spider plants are a few of many plants that even the most inexperienced gardener can keep alive. Plants remove toxins and carbon dioxide and replenish oxygen.
It’s a well-known fact that pets improve your overall happiness and mental health. They also help to alleviate stress. If you have a cat, you also know the dust created by the litter you use. Staying on top of dust is an important task to keep the air inside your home the best quality it can be. To significantly decrease litter box dust, change your type of cat litter. A crystal cat litter, for example, is virtually dust-free.
Most people love to walk into a nice-smelling room. If you use candles to make your home smell more inviting, opt for healthier soy-based varieties. Petroleum-based candles made of paraffin wax can emit harmful chemicals into the air. Choosing to use a plant-based candle (soy) reduces the risks of severe allergies and respiratory problems.
If you don’t like to burn candles, you can also diffuse essential oils. Even though they have a higher initial cost, essential oils last considerably longer than candles. They are derived from the oils of various plants and can help with relaxation, stress and overall well-being. Plant-based products are made from renewable resources which also lower your carbon footprint.
Mold
Mold can literally make you sick; stay on top of it by keeping an eye on damp areas of your house like bathrooms and the basement. Use an extraction fan in the bathroom when you shower. In fact, leave it running until the steam dissipates. Have a strategically placed dehumidifier in your basement. Your basement can be a breeding ground for mold and bacteria. Spot clean faucets and known damp areas to prevent mold from getting out of hand. If you notice you have mold you can’t tame yourself, you can call a professional to remove the mold you can’t. The most common form of mold inside the home is mildew. It’s recognized first by its gray and powdery appearance.
Declutter
Clutter happens. As the years go by, you’ll notice you have more stuff than you need. A couple of times a year, go through and thin out things you have that you no longer need or use. Take those useless items to your local charity. Not only will they find their way to someone who can put them to good use. Besides freeing up space in the house, you’re taking away places where dust accumulates.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do everything at once. Make a list of the chores you need to get done and do them one at a time. With a little planning, you can easily make your home a happier, healthier place to be.
