Make your living space, your home healthy with some tried and tested methods from health experts and homemakers
1. Clean/Change Air Filters
If it is summer and then your air-conditioners are working overtime. Often, they may be on all through the day and night to ensure the room temperature stays to your liking. But what about the dust accumulating in the filters…do you make time to clean or even change the filters as recommended by the manufacturer? With summer overworking the air conditioners, you have all the reasons to begin your healthy home concept by changing or cleaning the filters. This will not only make it work effectively, but it will also improve the air quality in your home. Alternately, you could invest in an air purifier to reduce airborne pollutants.
2. Ensure Ventilation
All homes have windows, but they are there not only to fill your home with sunlight and offer you a view of the outside world; they are your source of ventilation, which is a major health requirement a part of a healthy home. Even if you feel that your home is well designed to ensure natural light and indoor air, you require regular airing of your home to clear out the stagnant air within and let the outside into your living space. You could, of course, install a good ventilation system, but there is nothing more convenient and easier than opening those windows for whatever time that is possible to get in some fresh air. This is all the more important if you tend to dry your laundry inside. Besides, when there are many people in a confined room, the air within can become hot and stuffy, requiring good ventilation to clear up the air and even remove unpleasant body odours.
3. Declutter and Downsize
A healthy home begins with an organised home. Although clutter is not necessarily a health impediment, a seamlessly arranged home can infuse pleasant vibes and even reduce the stress that unorganised areas tend to cause leading to a healthy home. Clutter can come across as disharmony and thereby add to the stress of the occupants. Besides, what can be more irksome than cleaning the heavy dust on those boxes? This is especially true if you have boxes packed with unopened home accessories lying under the bed or on top of cupboards and kitchen cabinets. They collect dust easily; if they are lying in the kitchen, they can also collect grease from your stove. You could consider donating clothes and even kitchen items and accessories that are in working condition to get a more organised and healthier home.
4. Get Greens
Whether you live in a small apartment or a large one with a neat balcony, incorporating some greens to add to the vibrancy of your home should come as a necessity than a décor element in a healthy home concept. Indoor plants can improve air quality and also help reduce stress. Apparently, greenery makes us feel more at ease with our surroundings, state experts. According to some research, interior landscaping can even improve the overall well-being of the members. Most indoor plants are easy to maintain and will stay with you through all seasons if you chose them wisely.
5. Keep Footwear Out
Go traditional and follow the ‘no shoes inside the house rule. This will not only keep your house clean, but it will also ensure a healthier space, as research has shown that your footwear can bring in a whole lot of germs and toxins along with dirt. If there are toddlers in the house, the no shoes indoors policy should become obligatory on visitors too. A study found that even people who walk in cleaner outdoor environments tend to bring garden pesticides into the homes on their shoes. These are essentially bad for children who play with their toys on the floor. Place a shoe rack near the door so that taking the footwear off before entering the room becomes an automatic practice.
6. Dust, Sweep, Mop
A cleaner home is, generally, a healthier one. Even when the windows are shut and the outside door is locked, dust can get in and settle on the tables, the floor and all the little gadgets and accessories in your home. This demands regular cleaning – at least two times a week – involving dusting, sweeping and mopping. Alternately, if you are relying on vacuuming to keep the house clean, it is imperative that you clean the vacuum bag and the filter every time so that dust in it isn’t ejected back into the air.