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We take for granted that a clean home is a healthy home. But appearances can be deceiving! Contaminants (the stuff that can make us sick) are everywhere because they occur naturally both outside and inside our homes. In our rush to get things done quickly and conveniently, are we leaving invisible problems that can harm our health?
Top 10 Worst Things to Do:
- Smoke in your house — it adds lots of time to cleaning. Plus, it hurts your health.
- Ignore the moisture. Those annoying water leaks are the cause of mold problems.
- Forget to maintain your ventilation system — when was the last time you changed your filters?
- Leave food and crumbs around — crumbs attract pests. Go ahead; wash those dishes and clean that pantry.
- Use poor quality vacuums — it’s better to leave it in the carpet then put it in the air to breathe.
- Some cleaning products are worse than what you’re trying to clean.
- Mix cleaning products together — you’re not cooking an omelet or baking a cake.
- Burn candles — they may add mood and smell good, but most candles fill your house with soot.
- Forget to ventilate when you’re cleaning
- Neglect to get rid of lead paint — lead really does make us stupid!
Top 10 Best Things to Do:
- Fix water leaks — if the roof leaks, fix it. The same is true for plumbing leaks, around the tub, etc.
- Change ventilation system filters regularly.
- Keep the dirt out, so you don’t have to clean it up later.
- Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum — but use a good vacuum that actually captures the dirt.
- Clean the carpets — but make sure you’re getting them dry when you’re done.
- Clean spills quickly.
- Wash your dog. Oh, and wash your cat too!
- Teach kids to wash their hands.
- Use "least" toxic products — cleaners, pest control, etc.
- Buy recycled toilet tissue and paper towels.
From your air to your floors, think about the most effective ways to accomplish your cleaning goal: keeping contaminants below a harmful level.
Just a few more tips:
- Use entrance mats and remove shoes. When Mother said "wipe your feet," she was right. Using mats and taking off your shoes inside greatly reduces dirt, pesticides and bacteria in the house.
- Minimize clutter. It allows you to clean faster and gives dirt fewer places to hide.
- Change air filters regularly. Replace those blue mesh screens with pleated filters for heating and air conditioning units.
- Keep humidity below 60 percent to reduce the chances of encouraging mites, mold and other allergens.
- Regularly wash blankets and mattress and pillow covers, where millions of dust mites may live.
- Use vacuum cleaners that have been certified to meet the Carpet & Rug Institute’s Green Label Program.
- Use cleaning products with hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine-based products.
- Use less toxic, detergent-based cleaners. Those that contain solvents, aerosols, chlorine bleach and ammonia can trigger respiratory problems and damage the environment.
- Use paper products (toilet tissue and paper towels) that contain a high percentage of post-consumer recycled material and are processed without the use of chlorine.
- Minimize pesticides. Fight pests by keeping the house clean, eliminating food and water sources, cleaning up clutter and sealing cracks and torn screens. Try traps, adhesives or the least toxic, pest-specific products.
A Clean Home is a Healthy Home — Or Is It?: Created on July 28th, 2003. Last Modified on January 21st, 2014
