Your home may be your sanctuary, but that does not mean that it is always as safe as you might hope, especially when it comes to your health.
There are so many things in your home that could potentially be making you sick that if you frequently find yourself sneezing, coughing, or experiencing stomach upsets, it might be worth exploring them more.
With that in mind, below we’ll take a look at some of the most common things found n the home, that could be harming your health and causing you to feel less than your best:
1. Mold
One of the absolute worst things for your health is mold, so it is pretty worrying that it is found in many homes.
Mold spores can cause respiratory illnesses such as lung cancer and asthma to worsen, and it can also cause respiratory symptoms to develop in previously healthy people too.
If you have mold in your home then, getting rid of it should be a top priority. Luckily, you can do so by spraying with hydrogen peroxide, leaving for a short time, and then scrubbing away.
2. Dampness
In a similar vein if you have dampness in your home, not only can it worsen respiratory symptoms, but it can also cause conditions like eczema to worsen.
Running a dehumidifier, fixing any leaks, and doing everything you can to minimize dampness will really help you all to breathe easy and feel more comfortable in your home.
3. Dust mites
Dust mites are so ubiquitous in the average home which is bad news for anyone who suffers from allergies, and as you will see by reading Eczema: Causes, Treatment, And Prevention, they are bad news for people with skin complaints too. Luckily, it is pretty easy to minimize dust mites’ presence in your home by vacuuming daily and washing your bedding on a hot wash each week.
4. Sponges
If you use sponges for cleaning your body or your home, you will need to replace them regularly or do the trick of sanitizing them in the microwave. Why? Because they are very good at harboring all manner of nasty bacteria which can cause you to develop gastrointestinal bugs.
In fact, one study found that there were up to 45 billion bacteria on a single centimeter squared of sponge! Imagine what would happen if you kept on using such an infected sponge to clean your kitchen counters – it really doesn’t bear thinking about.
5. Chopping boards
Chopping boards might be great at protecting your kitchen counters from the blade of a knife when you are cooking up a storm, but they can also be a hazard if you are not scrupulous about washing them correctly.
One of the main causes of food poisoning, they can hold onto bacteria almost as well as a sponge, and should you then chop your salad veggies or whatever on them, you could become very ill.
After using, wash with hot soapy water and allow to air dry. This will ensure that your cutting board is as safe as can be, and so is your stomach!
Oh, and it might be a good idea to have one chopping board for meat and one for everything else just to cut down on the possibility of cross-contamination even further.
6. Your carpets
If you have carpets, rather than hardwood floors or tiles in your home, then you need to be very careful about keeping them clean. Why? Because carpets are havens for dust, dirt, pollen, and pet dander, all of which can cause your allergies to flare up, your eyes to run, your throat to get scratchy, and… well you know the drill.
Vacuum daily and shampoo your carpet every month or so if you want to keep your carpets as clean and allergy-friendly as possible, or maybe even think about replacing them with a different type of flooring if you have the budget to do so.
7. Cleaning products
We have established that it is really important that you keep your home as clean as possible if you want the place to be as healthy as possible, That being said, many of the cleansing products you can buy at the store contain potentially harmful chemicals that can worsen your allergies, cause burns to your skin and even potentially increase your risk of cancer due to their carcinogenic nature.
The good news is, it is surprisingly easy to make your own, natural cleaning products using regular kitchen ingredients. If you don’t want to do that look for natural or VOC-free cleaning products instead.
8. Your coffee machine
If you love your coffee and you have your own coffee machine to create the best bean-to-cup beverage each morning, be sure to regularly and thoroughly clean it. Such coffee machines can develop a buildup of calcium deposits, which can cause bacteria and mold to thrive, If you unwittingly use it despite this, well you could end up getting pretty sick. Luckily, this video will show you how to clean yours. It’ll make for a much nicer cup of Joe too.
9. Your HVAC system
If you do not regularly change the filter on your HVAC, it could end up circulating polluted air filled with dust and debris around your home, making your allergies worse. Even worse than that, it could also start growing bacteria, which could make you very unwell if you were to breathe it in regularly So, set up an alert and change that filter as often as directed if you want to stay healthy.
10. Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is unknown as the silent killer. It can leach out of furnaces, dryers, water heaters, and similar devices around the home, causing nausea, sickness, hallucinations, and even death, Install a carbon monoxide monitor in your home so that you will be alerted immediately if any leached into your house.
If you have any of these in your home, and you’re experiencing any of the issues they cause, then doing what you can to eliminate them from your space will make for a healthier happier life for you and your whole family.
