Your home is your sanctuary, a place where you should feel safe. However, many household substances can easily endanger the well-being of your family. An average American house is estimated to contain 62 toxic chemicals, and eliminating these domestic pollutants will improve your loved ones and your health. Here’s how you can create a healthier living environment inside your home:
Eliminate the dust
If dust keeps accumulating in your house, it can exacerbate asthma and allergies. You can suffer from breathing problems and coughing and sneezing. Dust may also contain several other toxins, such as lead, so you should regularly clean your entire house.
A deep-cleaning session a few times a year isn’t a bad idea. Vacuum twice a week to keep the home clean. Also, don’t forget to clean the vacuum bag after cleaning. Invest in a vacuum with a powerful HEPA filter. This simple strategy makes the house significantly safer than usual.
Check for asbestos
Asbestos can be a real problem if you’re living in an old home, i.e., one that was built before 1980. Construction and insulation materials in older buildings have dangerously high amounts of this carcinogenic mineral that can cause problems when it becomes airborne. Inspect every nook and cranny to spot any signs of structural damage and contact professionals to remove it.
Be particularly vigilant about asbestos as it may lead to several diseases, such as a rare condition called mesothelioma. In the unfortunate event of you or an elder living in your home developing this fata condition, file a mesothelioma lawsuit to secure funds from an asbestos trust fund and get treatment.
Avoid using pesticides
Some of the most commonly used toxins include pesticides. While these chemicals are used to eliminate pests, excessive usage can also harm human beings. Chemical sin pesticides affect one’s brain and aggravate one’s asthma as well. Some other health problems caused by pesticides include eye damage, skin irritation, and respiratory problems. Moreover, they’re needlessly expensive.
Instead of wasting money on these expensive and harmful substances, do the following things:
- Invest in pest-resistant plants to eradicate insects
- Contact pest control services in your neighborhood for professional and organic solutions to pests in your home
Use organic products
Household cleaning products contain harmful substances called VOCs. These chemicals are emitted as gases and affect the air quality inside your dwelling. Excessive exposure to these chemicals will lead to several health problems, such as dizziness, headaches, and respiratory issues.
Instead of using harmful cleaning products to clean your home, switch to nature-friendly products. These organic cleaning supplies are biodegradable and don’t emit harmful VOCs that cause eye, nose, or skin irritation. You can easily spot them on the shelf as they have terms like “phosphate-free” or “petroleum-free” written on them.
Stop smoking cigarettes
Smoking won’t just affect your well-being but also harm everyone around you. Smoking is harmful to your family members who are exposed to it secondhand. Secondhand smoking affects a whopping 35% of American kids, which is why you need to either give up smoking altogether or just not do it while at home. Passive smoking can lead to the following:
- Coughing and sneezing
- Different cardiovascular challenges
- Respiratory problems, such as bronchitis and pneumonia
Grow some plants
Surrounding yourself with nature will improve your well-being and make your house healthier. These plants will use their leaves to absorb certain harmful substances from the air, such as VOCs. Think of these plants as natural air purifiers that get your home rid of carbon monoxide and scale back pollutants like formaldehyde.
Some amazing houseplants you should keep include the following:
- Pothos
- Focuses
- Bamboo
- Peace lilies
- Snake plants
- Gerbera daisy
- Chrysanthemums
- Swiss Cheese plants
- Mother-in-law’s tongues
Open the windows
Open your windows for 5 to 10 minutes every day to allow some natural air and sunlight to flow in. Sunlight helps reduce humidity, and fresh air diffuses VOCs and allows better ventilation. This keeps your home from smelling musty.
Drink filtrated water
If you’re considering buying another bottle of branded water, hold your horses for a second. It’s been proven that bottled water contains 50% more microplastics than tap water. Branded water also has a lot of biological contaminants. That’s why drinking filtered tap water seems smarter.
Luckily, Americans have one of the safest tap water supplies in the world. The EPA regulates it to ensure no contaminants in the water supplied to your home. As an extra precaution, you need to filter it before drinking. Drinking purified water rids your residence of harmful particles.
Decrease humidity levels
Common household pollutants, such as mold and mildew, thrive on humidity. That’s why you need to decrease the humidity levels inside the house by investing in a quality HVAC system. Buy a trusty dehumidifier and use it to dry out places like the bathroom faster. Don’t forget to turn the exhaust fan on when using kitchen appliances. Controlling the humidity levels in your home will reduce mold and mildew growth.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you’ve gained the practical knowledge to rid your home of harmful substances. Take proactive steps to spot and eliminate household pollutants by choosing natural cleaning products and improving the HVAC system.
If your health is affected by harmful products, you should take legal action against their manufacturers: talk to a competent attorney about bringing a strong lawsuit. That’s how you can make your house a healthier place to live in and deal with pollutants without a problem.