A healthy home means a healthy and happy family. The fewer allergens and irritants floating around, the better. Making it so comes with the fact that you need to make regular efforts to reduce unwanted and sometimes unseen guests into your home. And, it might take a multipronged effort in the form of regular cleaning, air filtration, and changing habits to keep a home healthy. Following are some tips to help you keep your home feeling like a great place to live.
Get Dust Under Control
Image via Flickr by mdid
Dust is something you’ll never be able to eliminate completely, but it is something you can control through regular cleaning and vigilance. Vacuuming is the most effective way to reduce dust as is wiping surfaces down whenever dust becomes visible. Make sure to change the filter and bag or clean out the container before you vacuum. Vacuum cleaners exhaust some of the dust they collect as part of their operation. The less dust in the vacuum before you start, the less you’ll have flying around in the air. When it comes to surfaces that collect dust, use antistatic sprays to prevent more dust from collecting.
Maintaining Air Quality
This seems like it should fall under the dust category, but air quality is much more than dust alone. Pollutants come in from the outside and mingle with the interior air, dirt tracked in carries contaminants such as mold, and pollen has a way of sneaking in when least expected. Pets also add to the mix when they shed hair and dandruff. You’d be excused for wanting to hermetically seal your home to prevent anything ever getting in from the outside. Since that’s not possible, you need to take steps to minimize what flies around in the air.
Make sure that the filter on the HVAC system is changed regularly and look into adding a home air purifying system to trap additional contaminants. If you can’t go this route, look into room air cleaners as a way to keep the air clean in high-traffic rooms. Another option is to schedule an appointment with an HVAC technician and have them clean out the ducts, vents, and inspect blower fans for dust buildup.
Switch to Nontoxic Cleaning Products
Household cleaning products do a great job of getting surfaces free of dirt, but they also come at a price in the form of chemical inhalation. You might make the assumption that they’re safe for use by people because they’re on the shelf, and you’re right to a point. However, you still inhale those chemicals and irritate sensitive linings in your respiratory system. The effects may be temporary, but why suffer in the first place? Green cleaning products are nontoxic and far less likely to make your home smell like chemicals and won’t irritate your body.
Keeping your home healthy isn’t an easy task, but it’s one that’s worthy of the effort. A home that smells and feels good is one that keeps you healthy and comfortable.
