This is a sponsored guest post.
A home that’s well-kept doesn’t always mean that it is healthy. Someone can have a spotless house with organized rooms, but they can be making its inhabitants, especially young children, sick.
This is easy to avoid, however. By simply following the simple tips below, anyone can have a clean and happy home that is also healthy.
Keep Out Pollen and Dirt
Find a way to keep allergens and dirt off the house. This means staying on top of points of entry. Have brushes and wet wipes accessible in entryways during hay fever season.
It’s important to have mats on both sides of all doors as well. And while on the subject of mats, having a no-shoes-indoors policy is also highly recommended. Shoes track bacteria and chemicals into the house. Provide slippers for family members and guests so that potentially dangerous agents are kept out. Ideally, you want to avoid having to buy medication from either your local pharmacy or a pharmacy online.
Get All Tests Done Frequently
Many tests should be done in a house before it can be considered a healthy space. In connection to the allergy point above, testing a home for molds is essential. There are mold test kits available that detect the type of molds in your house so you’ll know if you need to hire a mold removal or remediation specialist.
There are also tests to see if a house has radon, asbestos, and other equally or more harmful chemicals. Testing surface paints for lead is also very important, especially in kids’ rooms.
Keep Home Free of Harmful Chemicals
There are many ways for chemicals to enter a house. They can be on furniture, cleaning agents, and other items that many people deem safe. To keep a healthy home, opt for organic cleaning solutions.
A simple recipe for hardwood floors calls only for vinegar and water. Steam is also an excellent option for cleaning grime. It uses water alone and will not infuse surfaces with chemicals.
Stay on Top of Sewage
For some people, maintaining a home follows the “out of sight, out of mind” rule. For this reason, sewage situations can be forgotten until they become huge problems. To keep a healthy home for kids, make sure that your pipes are working properly and that you use high-quality pumps. Have them checked every two to three years by professionals.
Eliminate Plastic, Especially in the Kitchen
Many plastic products have BPA, an industrial chemical that has been proven to be dangerous to human health. To keep a healthy home, especially for kids, avoid plastic containers coded in numbers 3, 6, and 7.
Fantastic alternatives to plastic containers are those made of glass, silicone, and stainless steel. For the kids’ lunch, fabric bags are great too.
Sanitize Devices and Surfaces
The toilets are not necessarily the dirtiest things in a house. Handheld devices and doorknobs may be a lot filthier.
To keep a healthy home, make sure to sanitize remote controls, game-system joysticks, and other handheld electronic devices frequently. Same goes for doorknobs and other surfaces that play host to human hands many times in a single day.
As stated above, it is essential not to use chemical-laden cleaning agents. Thankfully, there are organic home sanitizers available today. There are plenty of DIY recipes online too.
Opt for Hardwood and Area Rugs, Not Carpets
Wall-to-wall carpeting houses dust and allergens. Children are especially vulnerable because they play on carpets. Instead of carpet, opt for hardwood floors.
For a touch of soft and cozy, you simply have to add area rugs in certain places. Safer and kid-friendly alternatives to carpet include linoleum, cork, tile, or stone.
If getting rid of the carpet is not a viable option, constant vacuuming is highly recommended. At least twice a week is a good schedule. To make sure that dust and dirt are cleaned properly, get a HEPA filter for the vacuum.
Take Note
Starting with these seven tips is sure to make maintaining a healthy home for kids a lot easier. The main goal to always remember is to keep anything that will make children sick away from the house. These include dust, allergens, and dirt.
Additionally, getting everyone’s cooperation in keeping the home clean is also important. Everyone has to agree to keep carpets or rugs clean, to wash their hands always, and to never track dirt from outside.
