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Five Ways to Create a Healthy Home By Lesley Dietschy

Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy or unhealthy? While the concept of a healthy home may be new to some of us, it is steadily gaining popularity with homeowners. A healthy home can include a number of elements from building materials used to construct your home to using non-toxic cleaning products. Below is a list of five ways to assist you in creating a healthy home environment.

ceiling fan 1. Clean Air and Circulation: Here are some little known facts from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) about the air inside many of today’s homes: Indoor air pollutant levels may be two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors. Indoor air pollutant is one of the top environmental concerns today. Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors. Indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke, pollen, mold, dust, and animal dander have the ability to create asthmatic and allergic reactions. Listed below are a few ways to improve the quality of your indoor air: Consider an Indoor Air Purifier. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has put forth industry standards for indoor air purifiers. To view results of their standards and testing or to find a certified indoor air purifier, you can visit their website at cadr.org. For better air circulation, leave doors between rooms open most of the time and open windows when possible to allow for a good supply of fresh outdoor air. You can also install exhaust fans in bathrooms to help remove moisture and chemicals from your home. Upgrade the air filters on your furnace with the pleated filters that capture smaller particles. Change the filters regularly as recommended by the manufacturer’s instructions. You can also use indoor houseplants to aid in purifying your home’s air. For example, Boston Ferns cleanse formaldehyde from the air. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas. When present in the air at levels above 0.1 ppm (parts in a million parts of air), it may cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes, and allergic reactions. Formaldehyde can be found in insulation, particleboard, paper products and many cleaning products.

2. Dust-proof Your Home: Dust your rooms and knickknacks regularly with a damp cloth. Dust your hardwood, tile, linoleum, and laminate flooring regularly with a dust mop or a vacuum made for hard flooring. Vacuum carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture regularly. Consider buying a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. A HEPA filter is capable of removing a minimum of 99.97% of all particles that are 0.3 microns or larger. In addition, consider using a bag-less vacuum to avoid the exposure of dust when you change a bag. Encase pillows, mattresses, and box springs in an airtight, dust-proof cover. Dust/clean ceiling fans regularly to make sure they are not releasing dust in the air every time you run them. Replace dust-collecting blinds and long drapes with window shades or washable curtains.

house cleaning 3. Use Natural and Non-Toxic Cleaning Products: One way to assure that the fragrances in your home are clean and fresh is to avoid using harsh cleaning products, which can create fumes that may linger for days. Try using natural ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, club soda, and lemon juice. For example, to make a natural glass cleaner, combine: 2 teaspoons white vinegar one quart of warm water Mix ingredients together and pour into spray bottle. Spray on surface and wipe dry.

4. Fill Your Home with Natural and Earth-Friendly Products. Below is a small list of eco-friendly products available on the market today: Organic cotton towels, linens, clothing Mattresses, bedding, pillows Cork flooring, wool carpet Sofas, chairs, ottomans Toys and games for all ages Pet products Soap and laundry detergents Organic candles, home décor accessories Personal accessories

5. Use Safe, Non-Toxic Interior Paints that have: very low VOC (volatile organic compounds) content no formaldehyde low odor Try using any of the above suggestions to create a healthy home environment.

Although the concept of a healthy home is relatively new to many, there are numerous resources available including books, articles, and websites, where you can find additional information.

Lesley Dietschy is the creator/editor of The Home Décor Exchange, a popular home decorating and improvement website. Please visit the website for hundreds of categorized home décor resources, articles, ideas, tips, free projects, natural cleaning recipes, healthy home products and resource links, and much more. http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com

A healthy home

By Ingela Berger

Your home is your castle. You decide, possibly together with family members, what to make of it.

Outside our home we have limited opportunities to improve the environment, but in our home we can do a lot. At home we want to feel free, relax and do things that we like. We want to eat, sleep, exercise, maybe work, and socialize with friends and family. We spend many hours at home. Naturally, we want our home to be as comfortable and healthy as possible. What surroundings make you happy? What things do you like to have around you?

Feeling good at home is a matter of physical as well as mental and social well-being. Look around you and think about what changes can be made in your home environment. Start with something small, one step at a time. Make a small change every day, and after a week the difference will be considerable. Your home - a place for personal growth and well-being.

Your home should be a refuge where you can hide from the rest of the world and find strength to go on with life. Why not follow these ten steps:

1. Put away things that you don’t need. Too many things disturb the eye and make it hard to relax. Only surround yourself with things that you need or things that will enrich your life.

2. Stick to a few colors – two or three – for each room, instead of mixing many different colors. This will help you create a calm and balanced atmosphere.

3. Make sure you have good ventilation. Leave doors between rooms open for better air circulation, and open windows when possible.

4. Don’t smoke in your home. Ask your visitors to smoke outside.

5. Choose area rugs instead of carpets when possible.

6. Use cleaning products with low-toxic content.

7. Choose furniture and fittings made of non-toxic materials.

8. Make sure your sleeping place is comfortable and healthy. The pillow is important. Do you often wake up with a headache? You might need a new pillow.

9. Make your kitchen table as pleasant and welcoming as possible. When you sit down to eat you must be able to relax and enjoy your meal. Are there papers or magazines on the table? Too many different colors? Keep it simple and clean.

10. Buy some new flowers for your home. Decorate your home with candle lights. Small simple things like these will influence your well-being.

Ingela Berger started her own Internet business Lifestyle Plans in 2003 to encourage others to make reality of their dreams of a personal, healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. Ingela has studied theatre directing, history of art, and leadership psychology. After some years working with art exhibitions and the theatre she is now back at school to become a health and lifestyle consultant.