It’s no doubt that times have changed, and we now find ourselves spending more time in our homes. Any space you spend a lot of time in should be visually pleasing to look at with clean air circulation. These upgrades are a great start to a healthier living space.
Air Quality
Pollutants in indoor air quality can be up to five times higher than outdoor air quality thanks to things like carpets, paint, furniture, household cleaners and pesticides. Poor air quality gives way for dizziness, fatigue, eye, nose and throat irritation. The easiest way to clean your air is to simply open your windows. It sounds easy, but you’ll be surprised how much our lifestyles have adapted to living without fresh outside air in our homes. Doors and windows are always sealed and kept shut while the air conditioning runs all day. An easy fix is to open multiple windows and doors to allow outside air to circulate throughout the house for hours at a time. Another simple way to freshen your air is to keep plants around the house. Plants like philodendron, the spider plant and dracaena, are excellent air purifiers that can help to absorb chemicals like formaldehyde that’s found in paint, cosmetics, and detergents.
Radiation
Radiation is all around us, and it’s not just coming from the x-ray or airport screening machines, it’s also coming from microwaves, televisions, phones and different electronic devices we own. Consistent overexposure to radiation and radioactive substances can make us vulnerable to cancers like leukemia, lung cancer and skin cancer. Simple changes like keeping phones and bedside clocks as far as possible from your bedside, keeping computers an arm’s length from your body, placing televisions at least three feet away from you, using the handsfree feature on your phone, making sure the microwave door closes properly and replacing the microwave every few years can reduce overexposure to radiation.
Kitchen
The kitchen, although a hub for many of our healthy habits, can also harbor many unhealthy ones. Nonstick pans release toxic fumes when heated at high temperatures and unhealthy chemicals like Bisphenol-A (BPA) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) from plastic containers can be found in food products.
Make easy fixes like using pots made with stainless steel or cast iron and bake with pans made of glass. Store food in glass containers, cover food with paper towels when microwaving, store food at the right temperature to prevent bacterial growth and use it within the proper time frame.
Cleaning Products
Cleaning products even while containing so many potentially harmful chemicals are barely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Simple household ingredients can get the cleaning job done. Adding equal parts of vinegar and water can create a solution that cleans and disinfects surfaces while remaining safe enough to consume. Hydrogen Peroxide is great with cleaning mold and stains in the bathtub. Baking soda helps lift dirt and grime from surfaces like the stovetop and can also be a great deodorizer for carpets by sprinkling it all over the carpet and allowing it to sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming.
Small changes like this can make big improvements to your everyday lifestyle in the spaces we value so much.
