Please welcome guest writer, James Smith.

Simple Affordable Ways to Make Your Home Healthier

While our lifestyles make a significant contribution to ensuring good health, we often overlook the important role that our homes play in it too. Homes are the places where we spend most of our time and it’s supposed to be a safe haven for us after a long tiring day. The environment inside our houses should be clean, healthy and green so that our families can enjoy healthy lives.  Clearing away dirt, harmful toxins, and other unhealthy substances from our homes can not only improve long term health but also make us feel good in the moment.  

Each living space is different and there may be things that we cannot control about our homes however making some easy adjustments like these can still bring a big difference in making our homes cleaner and healthier.

1.Avoid chemical products. To keep the air inside houses clean and toxin free, strong chemical based products like cleaners, stain removers, pesticides, and washers should be avoided as much as possible. Pesticides may help kill roaches, mice and other creatures that roam our rooms but overexposure or chronic small exposures to it can cause brain development problems, asthma, and learning disabilities. Instead of using these harmful and expensive products, simple habits like cleaning everything properly especially food residue will generally keep most insects away.

Harsh chemicals in our everyday cleaning products like floor cleaners, detergents etc. should also be avoided as they can cause a range of health problems from cancers to hormonal misbalances. Nontoxic cleaning products can be bought from natural shops or can be easily made at home using vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and borax.

2.Use soy candles instead of the conventional ones. Scented candles make our rooms smell great and help tremendously in uplifting our mood, however, because they are petroleum based, common paraffin wax candles pose health risks like common allergies, cancer, and asthma. On the other hand, unscented soy candles or candles made from vegetable bases are much safer to use.

3.Control the dust. House dust is everywhere, sometimes obvious and sometimes hidden, but it’s very important to conduct vigorous seasonal cleaning and do regular bi-weekly clean-ups to keep it all out. Dust buildups not only cause allergies and asthma according to the American Lung Association, but they may contain other harmful chemicals like lead, pesticides and flame retardants that can build up inside the body. Carpets and other fabrics like bedding, curtains, sofas and pillowcases must be cleaned often as well as dust mites can live in them.

4.Have plants around. If you have a front or back yard, plant trees around your house, otherwise have indoor plants like aloe-Vera, spider plant or any other varieties that are available. Plants help improve the quality of the air by purifying it through cleaning toxins and creating pure oxygen. Greenery also comes with other health benefits as studies show that people who live in green areas have lower levels of stress, faceless crime and tend to be happier.

5.Reduce plastic usage. Use glass instead of plastic when putting away leftover food, using for water or baby milk or storing dry foods like nuts, cookies or condiments. Plastics of a different kind may contain toxic chemicals that get released into the food if it is stored in plastic containers causing problems with hormones or it can be related to cancer. Avoid buying food or drinks in plastic containers and do not use plastic for heating in a microwave.  

6.Filter tap water. If you use water from the tap directly, or if you use bottled water you may want to shift to filtered tap water as it is the better choice. A recent study by the Environmental Working Group showed that both bottled and tap water have the same chemicals which included bacteria, fertilizer, and industrial chemicals. Filter on tap water can help remove lead, E Coli, pesticides, and chlorine before you drink the water and it’s much cheaper than safer than plastic packed bottled water. This makes it an easy but effective way to care for your health.

7.Eliminate Teflon. Nonstick cookware like pots and pans come with Teflon coating which makes the non-stick element on the surface. However, the perfluorinated chemicals of the nonstick attach to the foods and can accumulate in the body and are known to be human carcinogens. So ditching the Teflon coated pans for stainless steel, copper coated pans, anodized aluminum and cast iron is a much the healthier option.

These simple but easy to apply steps will make your homes instantly healthier and that will go a long way in sustaining your and your family’s good health.