Learn How To Keep Your Home Free of Toxic Air Pollutants
Is the air in your house making you sick?We spend a lot of time in our homes, so it makes sense to make it as healthy an environment as possible. This article Learn How To Keep Your Home Free of Toxic Air Pollutants is a helpful guide to finding were toxins are lurking and how to reduce or remove them.
Volatile Organic Compounds In Our Homes Making Us Sick
Off-gases from things like VOC (volatile organic compounds) in paints, toxic chemical cleaners, mold, mildew, dust and even synthetic air fresheners can cause a lot of health problems, ranging from allergic reactions through to more serious life threatening illnesses like asthma and cancers.
Healthy Family, Happy Family! Our homes are places where humans and animal family members spend a great deal of time, so it makes sense that we should keep it as healthy an environment as possible.
Healthy Air Quality Indoors Is Important
We need to keep our indoor air as fresh as possible and this means minimizing the amount of dust, mold and dampness in our homes as well as reducing the toxic products in your home that are releasing VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).
Certain products release dangerous chemicals into the air we breathe. So how does one go about cleaning the air in our homes?
A List Of Common Air Pollutants Found In Our Homes
- Dust in central heating and cooling units, carpets, curtains, bedding and furniture.
- Friable Asbestos that may be blowing through the heating and cooling ducts in your home. Read my article How To Check For Asbestos Before You Renovate Your Home.
- Mold, mildew and dampness in our walls, ceilings, carpets and bedding, blinds and bathrooms.
- Interior wall paints and floor lacquers that are full of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds).
- Fire Retardant treated bedding, curtains, carpet and furniture have a read of Toxic Chemicals & Fire Retardants In Mattresses Making Us Sick and Mattress Wrapping To Prevent SIDS and Toxic Chemicals In Baby Mattresses.
- Stain proofing chemicals in furniture and carpet. Chemical carpet cleaning.
- Chemical, synthetic and perfumed cleaning and deodorizing products that we use to clean and fragrance the house, our pets and also ourselves. Read Dangerous Synthetic Air Fresheners And Choosing Safer, Healthier, Natural Options.
- High levels of EMF (Electra-Magnetic Radiation) from both outdoor and indoor sources; e.g. smart meters, fuse boxes, power-stations, power-liners, unearthed water pipes and electrical wiring, DECT phones, wireless technology and various electrical equipment around the home. Read About EMF Exposure & How To Minimize EMF Radiation In Your Home
Ways To Keep The Air In You Home Healthy & Clean
- Have your ducts, heating and cooling units serviced and cleaned regularly by a licensed company that uses a natural product to sanitize; e.g tea tree oil.
- Every six months get carpets steamed cleaned by a company that uses completely natural, citrus-based products (no chemicals and no dry carpet cleaning). Then maintain weekly by vacuuming and dusting furniture
- Open windows daily, even in cold weather to let in clean fresh air.
- Wash where possible and regularly hang outside in fresh air and sunshine – blankets, doonas/quilts, pillows, rugs, curtains and blinds. This is a great way to clean and sanitize. Bedding should be washed weekly.
- In hotter weather take your bed mattress outside to air and dry out. Sunshine is great at killing off mold.
- Keep bathroom and kitchen surfaces as dry and well ventilated as possible to avoid mold. If you do have mold and mildew use natural products. Try using any of the following: Clove Essential Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Eucalyptus Oil, or good old vinegar and bi-carb with a stiff scrubbing brush, or even a firm toothbrush to scrub off mold. Using a squeegee to remove excess water from shower walls and doors straight after showering. This is an efficient way to get your shower to dry quicker and keep mold at bay. See Cleaning Tips using Eucalyptus and Clove Oil.
- For all your general cleaning needs, get rid of the chemicals and go back to natural products. White vinegar and bicarb are excellent for nearly everything, from disinfecting, deodorizing, de-greasing, polishing. See my article Cleaning Your Home Naturally & Safely With Vinegar and Bicarb
- When painting your house, or polishing the floor-boards be sure to steer clear of paints and lacquers with dangerous VOC’s and look for natural, safe ,VOC free alternatives such as by LIVOS Australia.
- Avoid synthetic chemical air-fresheners and use natural alternatives; e.g. 100% pure, essential oils to scent your home.
- If you want to buy cleaning or disinfecting products choose, organic, pure, safe products and make sure they are also approved by a non-profit organisation such as Cruelty Free International and their Leaping Bunny Programme, and eco-friendly, as ultimately all products end up in our waterways. Some of our favourite all natural cleaning brands are Ecostore, Ecologic by Organic Formulations, CitroLife and The Australian Eucalyptus Company. Or alternative try cleaning with Soapnuts.
- While you cannot avoid EMF you definitely can take relatively simple measures to reduce your families exposure to EMF’s in the house.
- See About EMF Exposure & How To Minimize EMF Radiation In Your Home
- Measuring EMF Levels Correctly and do EMF Shielding Stickers Work?
- France Bans WI-Fi in Kindergartens – For The Safety Of Our Children – Other Countries Need To Follow Their Example
Before you leave, if you enjoyed this article sign up to LivingSafe and stay informed! LivingSafe helping you live healthier & safer.
Some other natural health and safety articles you may find interesting are:
How To Live A Cruelty Free Lifestyle Checklist
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.