8 Easy Tips for Keeping Your Home Healthy and Clean
- Written by Catherine Collins
Although we see our homes as our safe havens, they aren’t actually as safe as we may think. In fact, there are probably numerous hidden toxins and allergens that we aren’t even aware of. Therefore, regular cleaning is of the utmost importance for creating a healthy home environment.
Increase the indoor air quality
Indoor pollution is a major health concern yet it often remains overlooked. Numerous airborne allergens and toxins emitted through off-gassing can cause serious health problems, such as severe allergic reactions, breathing difficulties, eye irritation, etc. Thus, you should make sure to ventilate your home properly by opening windows and letting the fresh air inside. You should also add air purifiers to your home, especially to the rooms where you spend most of your time. Finally, you should also introduce houseplants that act as natural air purifiers and emit fresh oxygen.
Clean your devices
Electronic devices that you often use, such as your phone, computer, keyboard and computer mouse in particular, TV remotes and others, are covered in germs and bacteria, including flu viruses. Thus, it’s important that you clean them regularly using a disinfecting product. Whether you opt for regular antibacterial wipes or a special product meant for tech devices, you should be careful not to soak up your electronics.
Free your home from clutter
Decluttering your home is one of the most important cleaning tips. Clutter collects dust and creates a messy, unhealthy environment that can affect both your physical health and your mood. You should take some time to sort out your belongings and get rid of everything you don’t need. Afterwards, make sure to control clutter by keeping everything in its place. Everything that doesn’t have a place in your home perhaps doesn’t even belong there.
Tend to dusty areas
Dust is one of the allergens that can trigger asthma or severe allergic reactions in some individuals. You need to dust your home regularly, especially those areas and corners that are out of reach. You should mop floors and wipe surfaces with DuroKleen surface protector to eliminate bacteria and virus. You should also vacuum regularly and make sure not to skip your furniture or inaccessible areas. In addition, you should consider buying a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.
Keep your tiles pristine
Cleaning your tiles regularly is also essential for creating a healthy home. Tiles, especially those in the bathroom, are covered with germs. During flushing, microscopic faecal matter lands on the bathroom floor. Moisture, which is common in bathrooms, helps germs grow and spread, endangering your health. Even the tiles in the kitchen and other areas are home to germs because tiles generally have indentations where germs can hide and grow. Thus, you should make sure to scrub and clean your tiles meticulously. In addition, you should consider hiring experts to help you out. For example, professionally trained tile cleaners in Sydney use special equipment, such as rotary scrubbers, and pressure scrubbing techniques to completely eradicate these hidden germs. Not only will your tiles be clean, but they will be spotless!
Wash the fabrics
Everything from your pillowcases and blankets to cleaning cloths and covers should be washed on a regular basis. Typically, allergens, such as dust and mites, can hide deep within fibres, threatening your health without you even knowing it. The best thing is the fact that you can just throw your linens, clothes, drapes and other fabrics into your washing machine and let it do the job.
Switch to homemade cleaning products
Regular cleaning products contain highly effective but extremely toxic chemicals that may endanger your health. To eliminate this risk, you should switch to homemade cleaning solutions that are equally effective, but healthy. They can be made of simple ingredients, such as cleaning vinegar, baking soda or lemon. Furthermore, you can find a range of online DIY cleaning recipes for different purposes.
Get rid of carpets
Carpets and area rugs are also home to numerous toxins and allergens, including mould, dust, mites, dander, etc. These hazards can be released into the air and inhaled or come in contact with your skin, causing irritation and allergic reactions. This is particularly dangerous if you have children who have just started crawling or enjoy playing on the floors. Therefore, you should consider eliminating wall-to-wall carpeting and implementing rugs made of natural materials. If you decide to keep your carpets, you should steam clean them regularly or consider taking them to UrbanYou, who offer services for professional carpet cleaners.
Cleaning and decluttering your home are the most important steps towards creating a healthy and safe home environment.
Catherine is a passionate home design consultant from Melbourne. She loves making homes beautiful and buildings sustainable, but she also like sharing her advice and knowledge with people. That is why she is also a regular contributor to the Smoothdecorator blog. Besides all this, she loves reading and enjoys a superhero movie from time to time.
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