Submitted by DJ’s Painting and Remodeling
If you’ve ever made a decision not to eat a certain food because it was bad for you, then you’re like most Americans who are increasingly becoming more health-conscious. As you consider what not to put in your body, there are simple ways to improve your health by examining what’s in your home.
Here are some ways to help reduce your risk for headaches, fatigue, allergies, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, and other serious long-term conditions, and make your home healthier.
Clean Green
Basic housecleaning can improve your air quality as pollutants like mold and dust are eliminated. Unfortunately, chemical cleaners can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air, which can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat, and cause headaches, nausea, and damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency.
You can replace many dangerous chemical-cleaning solutions by creating your own green versions with some common ingredients such as baking soda, white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and Borax. For example, to clean mold and mildew off grout in your shower, you can spray a 50-50 solution of vinegar and water on the grout and scrub with an old toothbrush or grout brush. If you need something stronger, try making a paste of baking soda and water and scrubbing it on your grout.
Indoor Air Quality
VOCs are also emitted by a wide array of products such as paints and lacquers, paint strippers, building materials, and furnishings and even office equipment such as copiers and printers. Fortunately, companies are becoming more aware of the dangers of VOCS and developing products that do not emit these dangerous compounds into the air. If you are doing any sort of painting project, look for paint that is labeled as low or no VOC.
Most people are familiar with the dangers of phthalates, a family of man-made chemical compounds that are used in the manufacture of plastics. The use of phthalates has been banned in any product for children under three. But phthalates are present in many other household products, including vinyl flooring. If you are replacing the flooring in your home, be sure to look for flooring that is labeled “phthalate free” or consider healthier alternatives such as bamboo, cork, or wood.
Plant Power
Did you know that certain houseplants can improve your health? The first list of air-filtering plants was compiled by NASA as part of the NASA Clean Air Study, which researched ways to clean air in space stations. Plants can improve indoor air quality by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, and eliminating significant amounts of benzene, formaldehyde, and other compounds. Many of the plants on the list, including aloe, spider plant, snake plant, philodendron, and peace lily are very common and easy to grow. House plants can also help you maintain ideal humidity levels in your home. And just like expensive air purifying machines, plants produce negative ions, which help remove pollutants, such as dust, bacteria and allergens.
Healthy choices don’t have to be difficult or expensive and sometimes it’s less about curbing the junk food and more about tending to your surroundings. With Americans spending approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, simple measures to make your home healthier are going to have a big impact on your own health and the health of the people you love.
For more information on any painting or remodeling project, you may contact DJ’s Painting & Remodeling at 309-452-9643, e-mail sales@djspaintinginc.com, or visit them online at www.djspaintinginc.com. They are a locally owned full-service painting and remodeling company.
Content by Brandpoint
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