The Top 7 Things To Remove From Your Home To Help You Feel Better
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While most of us are aware of outside environmental pollutants like pollen, grasses, petrol fumes and smoke there are plenty of triggers lurking inside the home too, potentially affecting the air quality and silently triggering mood swings, depression, lethargy, allergies, asthma, eczema, attention deficit and a range of other chemical sensitivities.
Here is a list of the 7 most important things to remove from your home to help you and whoever lives in your household, feel significantly better and improve your quality of life.
- All Fragranced Products. Laundry, cleaning, personal and even your favourite scented candles. They may smell nice but they can also inject pollutants into the air. Mass-produced candles for instance, are often made with paraffin wax (a petroleum byproduct), and most often contain synthetic fragrances and dyes. These can release a flurry of chemicals into your home, including toluene. Read The Case Against Fragrance to find out more.
- Plastic Food Containers and Plastic Wrap. You don't need plastic for anything anymore. Instead use Cellophane Bags which are made from true cellulose, not plastic that's made to look like cellophane! Biodegradable, compostible and much safer for your health than other plastic bags and wraps on the market. We use this to wrap and pack our Organature products to protect them from the environment. We also use them in our own homes to store vegetables in the fridge and to freeze meat. Handy to pack sandwiches, and ideal for the children's lunches.
- Mould and Mildew. You will have heard how damaging mould and mildew can be to your health. Rather than turning to harsh chemical, such as bleach, a natural solution is to use "Borax" and hand hot water to remove growing spores like these. Wipe over and wet the mould, leave for a few minutes and wipe over again with the same rinsed cloth. "Vinegar" sprayed straight up from a bottle onto the offending area and left on for a few hours, then scrubbed with a brush works too. Just two teaspoons of "Tea Tree Oil" mixed with two cups of water and sprayed onto the spores (but do not rinse) is a little more expensive but very effective as well. "Baking Soda" dissolved into water or a water-and-vinegar solution and sprayed onto the surface helps too. Let it sit, then scrub and wipe with a damp cloth. Baking soda is a natural disinfectant and very mild, so this solution will clean mold without leaving behind a scent. These are all natural products that won't hurt your family, pets or the environment.
- Pets, Cockroaches and Dust-Mites. Only you know if indoor pets might be making you or someone in your home feel better or worse. Regular vacuuming of hair and skin follicles helps keep sensitivities at bay and having them outdoors more of the time is an option too. Regularly vacuuming up the dead skin cells and dust-mites off your mattress has been proven to be valuable as well. But it doesn't matter where you live in Australia, cockroaches are never far from home. You can usually find them near food and water (in the kitchen or bathroom), and they thrive on scraps, rubbish, pet food and even paper. The allergy trigger comes from cockroach droppings, (called frass), particularly when they become airborne during sweeping or vacuuming. A surprising fact uncovered by a U.S. National Library of Medicine study is that “exposure to cockroach allergens appears to have a greater effect on asthma morbidity than dust mite or pet allergy among inner-city children with asthma”.
- Petrochemical Paint and Stains. From the fresh paint on the walls, imported furniture, acrylic chairs to your baby’s brand new cot, home furnishings can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) – not just when new, but throughout their life. According to the National Asthma Council of Australia, while some VOCs can occur naturally, some may cause respiratory irritation or have a detrimental health impact over time. All imported timber products must be fumigated before they enter the country and most wooden furniture in Australia IS imported. Read Why Our Furniture Is A Healthier Option. If you can’t leave timber products in their natural state, we use and recommend non-toxic Eco Friendly Paints and Oils from livos.com.au.
- Insect Spray, Repellants, Chemical Cleaning Products and Air Fresheners, like the plug-in atomisers that are so common these days. Allergy sufferers know that regular cleaning can reduce allergic reactions by getting rid of dust mites, pet hair and other culprits. But many household cleaning products can also trigger allergies, especially when laced with perfumes. The National Asthma Council Australia recommends opting for products with low levels of chemicals and airing rooms during and after cleaning. Here is a list of Healthy Home Products you can choose instead.
- Carpet and All Synthetic Fibres, including garments, sheets, pillows (have you seen what’s in your pillows), bedding, conventional mattresses (even latex mattresses are made using chemicals), synthetic or vinyl couches, throws, cushions and brace yourself, especially your children’s cuddly soft toys. Most of us remember having a favourite soft toy from childhood, but these cute creatures can cause more trouble than joy. That’s because they’re a prime breeding ground for dust mites and other allergens, and can also contain toxic fillings and dyes that irritate children’s (and adults) sensitivities. Regular washing can help minimise the problem. Buying Certified Organic Filled Toys right from the start eliminates the problem completely.
We believe these are the quickest and best ways to get relief from allergies, asthma, eczema, attention deficit and chemical sensitivities and look forward to helping YOU feel even better too.