How safe is your home?
We clean it fairly regularly, don't conduct dangerous chemical experiments in it and keep nasty solvents out in the shed.
Our house is perfectly safe, isn't it?
The experts wouldn't agree. They believe every time you bring home the dry cleaning, spritz an air freshener or ignore that mouldy carpet your home becomes a little more unhealthy.
But you don't have to hire a cleaning firm and strip your house back to the drywall to make a healthy environment for you and your family. Just follow these ten easy steps.
Yes, smokers will not think much of your hospitality when you ask them to step outside to light up but it's worth a little friction to reduce your risk of asthma, lung cancer and miscarriage. Tobacco smoke is the number one cause of indoor air-quality problems. If you won't do it for yourself do it for your children. With their smaller lungs they're more vulnerable to second-hand smoke.
Carpets act like sponges, sucking in dirt, pesticide residue, bacteria and dust mites. Uncarpeted floors are best. Otherwise, consider short-pile, natural-fibre and washable area rugs. Also, get a hoover with a high-efficiency particulate arrestance filter. These hoovers cost more but they're worth it as they reduce dust by up to 99%. Hoover at least twice a week. Avoid carpeting on damp bathrooms and concrete floors altogether.
Many pesticides contain toxic ingredients that have been linked to respiratory irritation, Parkinson's disease and cancer. Children are most at risk. Use organic gardening methods to avoid tracking pesticides indoors on shoes and with children and pets. And you might consider buying organic produce to avoid ingesting pesticides with your food.
The toxic solvent, perchloroethylene, is used to dry clean clothes. It is a suspected carcinogen that can stay in clothes for weeks. You'd be wise to handwash clothes or check to see if your cleaning service uses perchloroethylene. Home dry-cleaning products don't use perchloroethylene either but are heavily fragranced and may provoke allergies or asthma. If you must use a traditional dry cleaner, air clothes thoroughly on a clothesline or in the shed before bringing them inside.
Replace mercury thermometers and thermostats, which release mercury into the air if broken, causing lung, brain and kidney damage, with electronic versions.
Keep a few of your windows open year-round even the smallest crack can make a big difference in your home's air quality. It is the easiest way to remove fumes released by harsh cleaning products, chemical-laden furnishings, and reduce mould-breeding moisture.
Try, whenever possible, to avoid the use of aerosol products like air fresheners, oven cleaners and hairspray that vaporise chemicals into the air, your lungs and onto your skin. This can provoke asthma and skin irritations. Heavily fragranced household products, which may mask toxic chemicals such as toluene or formaldehyde, can do the same thing. Bleach can also irritate the skin and eyes and can cause deadly gases when combined with dishwashing detergent or ammonia-based products like toilet bowl cleaners. Now many grocery stores and most health food stores carry non-aerosol, non-toxic household and personal hygiene products that do as good a job as the traditional aerosol ones.
These little critters are found in mattresses, carpets, soft furniture and bedding. They can trigger allergies and asthma attacks. Fight back by keeping dust levels down. Yes that means cleaning on a regular basis. You should also replace pillows every couple of years and wash bedding (and your child's favourite stuffed animals) in 55C water. If you are really sensitive, buy plastic coverings for mattresses and pillow.
This may seem impossible in Ireland but moulds caused by excess moisture can trigger sneezing and runny noses, itchy eyes and throat, asthma, nausea and dizziness. Long-term exposure to toxic moulds has been linked to cancer. Avoid dampness in bathrooms and kitchens by opening windows, keeping surfaces dry and clean, using exhaust fans or dehumidifiers and fixing leaks. Remove water-damaged drywall, wood, carpets and furnishings.
If you have one, make sure it's working. Check it regularly.
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