How to Have A Healthy Home For Your Family

You would definitely be forgiven for overlooking the home you live in when people talk about health. When asked what measures we take to look after ourselves, we very often immediately think about things we can change about our diets or exercise. But health is something that extends beyond ourselves, and we need to look at the health of the places we spend the majority of our time. Chances are, you spend over half of your time in your home. You will most likely live in your home for several years, if not for a good percentage of your life. Our homes are central within our lives, and could even be seen as a ‘bricks and mortar’ extension of ourselves.

But consider this; what if the place you have chosen to spend a good proportion of your time is to have a detrimental effect on your health? Buildings can cause health issues, it may be through dampness, poor ventilation, lack of reliable heating, or the home may be susceptible to attracting pests.

We will explore how to have a healthy home that is beneficial to your family.

How to Have A Healthy Home For Your Family

A Healthy Home is a Clean Home

Making sure your home is clutter-free is important. A mess can be overwhelming. If you allow your home to stay untidy for too long, chances are you will struggle to find the motivation to get back on top of it.

When your home is untidy, keeping it clean and dust-free becomes a challenge. Dust mite allergy is very common. It can leave a sufferer with symptoms that range from coughs and sneezing, tight chest, to difficulty breathing and wheezing. Dust mite allergies can also affect sleep, which will cause inevitable knock-on health risks.

Dust mites are microscopic organisms that feed on dead skin cells. They are too small to see with the naked eye, and they thrive in humid environments.

Dealing with Dust Mites

There are a few simple choices you can make to stave off dust mites in your home which will also make your house easier to clean.

• Use roller blinds that are easier to wipe clean rather than curtains which hold in the dust.
• Choose leather, vinyl or, plastic sofas over the upholstery.
• Wooden or vinyl flooring can be easier to clean than carpets or rugs.

Air Conditioning in a Healthy Home

Having an air-conditioning unit will reduce the humidity levels in your home and filter irritants in the air such as dust mites or pet dander. You will breathe much easier with cleaner air. The cooling of the air will also help prevent mold and damp. You will feel the other obvious benefit of an Air-conditioning unit on the hottest days, when it will help you maintain a much comfortable temperature level around your home, meaning you can get on with all of the things you need to do.  AC can help you to maintain a healthy home too!

AC repair and maintenance are important. After a period of time, the filters will need cleaning or replacing to avoid dispersing all of the allergens it has caught back into the air.

When it comes to cleaning, choose a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, this will ensure that microscopic allergens will get trapped in.

Avoiding Dampness in the Home

Condensation in the air can cause dampness in your home. Once damp takes hold, it can be challenging to get rid of. Damp can cause structural problems as well as long-term health conditions such as asthma and other respiratory problems.

Water vapor naturally forms within the home as steam, through everyday activities such as showering, drying clothes, or cooking. This moisture can come to rest in places such as cold walls, which it will eventually penetrate.

Making sure that rooms are well ventilated is vital; especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Extractor fans can be very beneficial. When cooking; using pan lids is simple and effective, as is opening a window. Doing these things will ensure a healthy home for you and your family.

Insulation

Insulating your home is also helpful in the fight against damp. While it may be an expense now, in the long term it is an investment that will prevent the need to spend good money correcting the structural problems damp might cause. This will ensure a healthy home for yourself and your loved ones.

With research, loft and floor insulation can be relatively easy to install. And it can even be done yourself. As well as preventing damp, insulation also makes your heating more effective and saves you money.

Dealing with damp as soon as you see it will stop it from becoming a big problem in the future.

Keeping ahead of problems in your home will ultimately help you live a happy, healthy life.  It will ensure that you have a healthy home for you and your family for years to come.