8 way to make your home more healthy

When it comes to improving our health, we tend to focus on nutrition and exercise, and we spend less time focusing on how our environment can affect our body. Our home is where we're spending a lot of time at the moment, so we may as well figure out how to make it as healthy as possible. Making your home healthier and greener doesn’t have to be expensive, or overwhelming. Just a few changes can improve the health of your home, everyone in it.

1. Get rid of dust

It's not uncommon for people's homes or apartments to be hot beds of dust, whether its piling up in the corners of your rooms, under your bed and on your pillows, or on that untouched bookshelf. Chronic exposure of dust mites can cause allergies and asthma, according to the American Lung Association, so be sure to vacuum frequently, change your bedding and pillowcases often, and reduce the humidity in your house.

2. Open the windows

This may sound simple, but if you live in a cold area or go for air conditioning or heat, there's a chance you're not getting enough fresh air. We're often breathing recycled air, so just having the windows open helps cycle the air and is super easy thing to do.

3. Clean up your products

This could mean switching up cleaning, laundry, and makeup products that are all-natural, or you maybe you consider making your own cleaning products with naturally antibacterial ingredients. As with any overhaul in your home, it will take some time to go through your products, so start with one category and slowly work through them. Or each time you run out of something, think about if there's a greener replacement to try.

4. Bring in some plants

Did you know that houseplants are natural air purifiers? Its the best way to add a little life to a corner of a room and clean the air at the same time. Start with a plant or two in a living area, and as you find a plant that thrives in your home environment, add another one, continuing until you're officially one of those "plant people." NASA scientists have found that plants can actually absorb toxic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, pesticides, biological pollutants, and radon, to name a few. Here are a few favourites for ease of growing and efficacy:

Areca palm
Lady palm
Rubber plant
Rhododendron

Pick up a plant the next time you're at your hardware store. Give it a little love, and it will take care of you!

5. Take your shoes off at the door

Did you know that your shoes track in more than just dirt? Numerous studies have proved this point, some suggesting on average more than 400,000 units of bacteria on the bottoms of shoes and almost 3,000 units on the insides. (Yikes!).

The good news is that this dirt is easy to remove—a simple vacuum and/or floor washing will remove the germs from your floors.

6. Washing your hands frequently

No doubt this is something you're (currently) already doing. Get your hands wet with warm water, add a little soap, and scrub the palms and backs of your hands and up the wrists. Not only is this the best thing you can do to prevent yourself from getting sick; it's also the best way to keep germs and toxins out of the home by washing them down the drain.

7. Filter your tap water

If you're used to drinking tap water directly from the sink, you may want to consider getting a water filter to ensure your water isn't contaminated. Although your water is somewhat filtered when it comes from the tap, it still contains contaminants such as lead, chlorine, E. coli, and pesticides, according to WebMD. Getting a filter — whether it's a pitcher that goes into your fridge or one that attaches to your faucet — can help remove these contaminants.

8. Store your food in glass

When putting away leftovers, use glass containers instead of plastic, which contain toxic chemicals that can wreak havoc on your hormones. Plastic leaches toxins into food you consume and destroys our precious environment. Glass, on the other hand, is infinitely reusable and recyclable, and it is inert, so it doesn't leach.

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