6 Steps To Freshening Up Your Home

Dec 28, 2018 by apost team

You’re breathing a tremendous amount of outdoor air pollutants, such as secondhand smoke, factory smoke, traffic emissions, landfill debris, and so forth, every single day.

Given the frequent and copious exposure to outdoor air pollutants today, it’s more important than ever for your home to be your safe zone and give your body rest from exposure.

However, you may be creating an even more toxic environment in your home than exists outdoors if you have certain habits and practices within your home.

WHO, or the World Health Organization, estimates that some 3.8 million people die annually from exposure to household air pollutants. If it doesn’t kill you, it certainly increases your risk of disease and sickness by leaving you more prone to everything from eye irritation and asthma to cancer and insulin resistance.

• Did you know that the great smelling air freshener plug-in or spray you’re using is likely full of cancer-causing volatile compounds you’re inhaling daily?

• Do you have antibacterial hand soap at your lavatories, and did you know that many contain an ingredient called sodium lauryl sulfate that’s also used to degrease engines?

• Did you know that studies have shown antibacterial soap actually increases your risk of developing antibiotic resistance, which means that some oral antibiotics may not be effective when you develop an infection?

• Do you have carpeting in your home? If so, it’s likely full of flees, dust mites, pet and human dander, and other bugs and toxins.

Not only do these unnecessary chemicals add expense to your household finances, but they’re also actually raising your level of exposure to harmful toxins. While there’s a lot of attention today on detox diets, supplements, and drinks for your body, there’s not a lot of attention to detoxing your living space.

Lifestyle isn’t just about what you put into your body through diet and how you exercise. It’s also about your living space and what you expose yourself to on a regular basis. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to rip up your carpeting, turn your home into a makeshift greenhouse, nor leave your home free of smell goods. It just means that you should consider making some very simple changes to improve your home’s health, which in turn improves your own health. Want to know six easy changes you can start making today?

Six Changes You Can Make Today To Detox Your Home:

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Stop for a moment and consider what all your shoes traverse daily. Do you really want to bring the germs and filth from these encounters into your home on your shoes?

Place a basket outside your door or in your entry mud room for outdoor shoes to go into, and keep a separate basket for your indoor-only shoes that you’ll change into. It’s also a good idea to keep a pair of new slipper socks or flip flops by the door for visiting guests so that they’ll know outdoor shoes aren’t welcome in your living space.

Believe it or not, outdoor air is often less polluted than its indoor air counterpart. According to the EPA, there are some exceptions, such as if you live near a manufacturing plant or close to an interstate.

Otherwise, routinely open your windows to allow fresh air to circulate through your home. If you have an HVAC system, turn the fan on to boost circulation.

Adding green space to your home can help with stress, anxiety, and mood disorders, but it also helps to naturally purify the air in your home by filtering out toxins and boosting oxygen levels. A NASA study actually showed that houseplants were capable of removing up to 87 percent of indoor air toxins in a single day.

Do remember to pick your indoor plant wisely. Read the label for the plant’s needs and benefits. Terrariums and bonsai trees are relatively low maintenance options. Avoid flowering plants, since they’ll require the most care and can contribute to allergies.

Many don’t realize that air fresheners don’t cleanse the air. Instead, they use more pleasing odors to mask less pleasing ones. Sounds fine, but using these can bring you a plethora of health problems.

From benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene, commercial air fresheners are loaded with toxic, microscopic particulate chemicals that can be dangerous to your respiratory system; irritating to your skin, eyes, and sinus passages; and cause an array of disturbances to your central nervous system, hormones, and heart.

The chemicals slowly invade and lodge in your body, meaning it can take years before you even see the symptoms of damage. Headaches and migraines from the fragrance part of the air freshener is commonly the first sign that your air freshener isn’t so great for your lifestyle.

If you want your home to smell good without such unwanted side effects, try using essential oils and aromatherapy diffusers. An added plus is that many essential oils have natural healing and balancing properties, such as Lavender for stress and insomnia.

By now, most people realize the effects of first and second-hand smoke. But, in your home, you have a third concern. The tar, nicotine, and other byproduct matter from cigarettes becomes entrenched on your walls, fabrics, floors, and other household items. It can even attach to dust. The particles are then free to continually re-emit back into your air supply.

Once attached, opening windows and cleaning won’t help cease the re-emit problem.

There’s are no harmful chemicals in most DIY cleaners, and they’re less expensive than their commercial counterparts. Here are some examples to get you started:

Use a tsp of tea tree oil with a cup of water to get rid of mold. Spray the area before you wipe away with a damp rag.

Use citrus fruit peels to scrub dishes.

Sprinkle carpets with baking soda for a natural deodorant. Use a vacuum to remove the baking soda after it’s set for a few minutes.

Use one part vinegar, three parts water, and a few drops of tree oil as a cleaner for almost any surface.

See those steps aren’t that hard, right? Which lifestyle change are you most excited to try? Let us know your thoughts and questions, and be sure to pass these tips along if you found them helpful.

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!