2020

Smart Ideas to Make Your Home Healthier

Smart Ideas to Make Your Home Healthier
Our homes are our sanctuaries.

The need for a healthy home is greater now than it ever has been. Your home is one of the places where you get to feel safe. Most people spend more than half of the day in the house, particularly if you are working from home or when kids are off school. For these reasons, we have to do everything to ensure that our homes are healthy.



The state of a house plays a significant role in the well-being of its occupants. Some of the health issues that individuals deal with such as insomnia, deadly allergies and stress could be reduced by simply keeping the home in its best condition. You might already have the basics out of the way like inspecting the property for toxins, regular cleaning and installing smoke detectors. However, you can do so much more around the house to turn it into a healthy setting for everyone. Here are a few tips.

Control Light


The amount of light that enters your house affects the internal atmosphere. Natural light is vital to improving your well-being. For one, UV rays are antiseptic, allowing them to reduce the build-up of harmful bacteria in your home. Natural light helps in hormone production and elevating moods. Your house should have as many open windows as possible to let light in. Your skin needs light to maintain a healthy complexion. However, you must remember to be careful about exposing yourself to excessive levels of the sun’s rays.

Introduce a Healthy Diet


Getting your family to eat healthily should be a priority when improving the state of your home. Simple changes with dietary habits can help your children, spouse/partner and everyone else in the house enjoy a healthy lifestyle. You don’t have to institute drastic changes at once. Let people adapt to a new diet slowly. For example, you can begin by cutting off bread from your breakfast or reducing the number of fast foods you eat every week. Find ways to keep each other motivated like having a family meal plan.


Leverage the Health Benefits of Hardwood Floors


The type of flooring in the house is one of the factors that impact indoor air quality. Allergens are a common problem, even inside a home. Dust mites, pollen, animal dander, and dust are some of the contaminants that can make life miserable for people suffering from allergies and asthma. These allergens can accumulate in the house and exacerbate health issues. Floors are some of the places that trap allergens. Hardwood floors are hypoallergenic, meaning that they are not likely to cause allergic reactions. Wood floors have smooth surfaces that make it hard for contaminants to stick to them. Other flooring options such as carpeting can hide allergens in the fibers, making a room a breeding ground for environmental allergic triggers. Besides the health benefits of natural wood floors, they look stunning and are available in an array of colors and styles.

Normalize Meditation in the House


Relaxation is essential if you are to live a healthy life. Meditation is one way to achieve peace of mind. Making meditation routine among family members can generate impressive results. When people leave the house, they have to deal with a variety of stress triggers that can cause stress. Bringing that home can lead to arguments among family members and increase tension within the home. Meditating in the evening goes a long way in boosting good health. Mediating in the morning is also a great option to prepare for the day. The internet is full of free meditation videos and guides if you are unsure about how to get started.


Reduce the Chlorine Intake


A majority of households survive on chlorinated water, and that is a good thing. The chemical is effective in eliminating germs and curbing water-borne diseases. However, too much chlorine can have other complications. Some studies show that prolonged intake of chlorinated water increases the risks of some forms of cancer. A good approach is to use charcoal filters in different water outlets, including the kitchen sink and showerhead. Get a filter for the fridge as well, for the people who don’t drink from the tap.

Less Time on Screens


How much time do you spend on a smartphone, computer, TV or tablet? Chances are you would be surprised by the number of hours. Most people don’t realize that they spend a substantial part of their day in front of a screen.

Kids Watch 6 and a Half Hours a Day of TV

Even at home, children are on their game consoles, streaming videos or watching TV. The abundance of technology in our daily lives limits the time we spend on face-to-face interactions. Cutting back on the use of technology will have numerous benefits for your family’s health. Besides boosting both physical and mental health, it also reduces noise pollution. Too much noise contributes to stress and can be detrimental to the general mood in a home.

Plant a Garden


Green spaces are excellent at improving the ambiance of a property. If your property has room, plant a few vegetables. They will give your home a beautiful look that will make the interior feel good as well. You can also have indoor plants to act as natural purifiers. Indoor air quality can get toxic fast due to various compounds in paint, building materials, appliances, and even clothes. House plants will also provide the place with a fresh feel that makes it very comfortable. Asparagus fern and English ivy are just two of the options you can try. Plants are also perfect in helping cool the house when it’s hot.


Exercise Outdoors Together


A healthy home is not just about the property but the people living there as well. The way family members or roommates relate to one another can affect their overall health. People need to bond and learn to appreciate each other. It would be wasteful to create a harmonious home when that harmony doesn’t translate to personal relationships. Participating in outdoor activities together can help you forge strong relationships. Plan hikes, camping trips, excursions and road trips to spend time outside the house together. Outdoor adventures can be opportunities to enjoy shared interests or discover new hobbies as a group.

When we think about improving our health and the health of our family, we need to think about it in two parts.


Firstly, focusing on nutrition and exercise is important.

But we also need to consider how our environment affects our family’s health. Your home can be the safe haven that you intend to be with the right changes. Look through your home and find ways to make it a more conducive place for your well-being and that of everyone living there.

Making your home healthier doesn’t have to be expensive or cause a lot of difficulties. Simple, practical changes are the order of the day. The trick is to challenge habitual habits as a family.

Remember, when we work together, we reach our goals much faster. There is never a better time to teach children about health and wellbeing than when they are young.




Author Bio:


This article was written by Martin O’Callaghan of Wood Flooring Ireland. Martin has been an advocate of the health benefits of Wood Flooring for a number of years and is passionate about educating families about practical ways of making their homes healthy places to live.




 
Share by: