A healthier life doesn’t necessarily mean making drastic changes. While changing the way you eat and reorganizing your schedule to accommodate exercise might seem daunting, we propose a different approach. Instead of one big change, what about several small changes that all add up to make you live a healthier life? There are little things you can change in each room of the house that will actually improve your health. Curious to see what these are? Take a look at our list!
Entryway
This is a key area in your home because it is the place of contact with the exterior. When you come from outside, you bring germs and allergens from outside, sometimes even the occasional flea. Containing everything here is essential. Here are three small changes you can make in your entryway:
- Add mats on both ends of the door – Sure you have a mat outside, sure you wipe your shoes out there, but then you still enter the house with your outdoor shoes on. Add an extra mat inside, where you can take your shoes off and clean it regularly.
- Outdoor shoes should stay enclosed – This is particularly important if you have pets. By keeping outdoor shoes in a designated place (that closes, preferably), you can limit the spread of germs from the soles of your shoes inside your home.
- No shoes indoors – This is not about being polite, it’s a safety matter. You might be tempted to go inside your home with your outdoor shoes on to get something you forgot or to put the groceries in the kitchen, but resist that urge, and you will keep the rest of your house free from the germs on your shoes.
Bathroom & Laundry
Your biggest enemies here are mold and allergens, so here’s what you can do to make things healthier:
- Change your detergent – Instead of the liquid detergent you currently use that is not good for your skin, especially if you have sensitive skin, try eco-friendly laundry detergent sheets. They’re plant-derived, efficient for cleaning, and good for your skin and the environment. Small change, big effects!
- Avoid humidity at all cost – Humidity in your bathroom means mold, so air it out naturally or use a fan after each and every shower or bath. No exceptions!
- Replace cracked tiles and caulk holes and crevices – This is where mold develops in your bathroom and where it thrives if you let it, so don’t give it the chance to! Check your walls for cracks at least once every 6 months and cover them up to stay mold-free.
Living Room
This is where you spend most of your time at home, so make it a good place for your health. Here’s how:
- Use an air purifier – This will filter out dirt, mold, fungi, and bacteria from the air in your living room. It will actively improve the air you breathe.
- Wash your curtains regularly – Curtains keep the light out and make the room look cozy, but they also collect dust and allergens. So wash them regularly to minimize the allergen load.
- Introduce some plants in your home – Plants are natural air purifiers, some of them in particular like spider plants, aloe vera, philodendrons, and snake plants. So make your living room greener for a healthier life!
Bedroom
If you don’t work from home, then this is the room where you actually spend most of your time, so you want the air in here to be as clean as possible. Here’s how:
- Air out your bedroom as much as possible – The first thing you should do in the morning is to open the window in your bedroom. It’s also what you should do at night before you go to bed. Airing out your bedroom increases the oxygen levels in the room, which will help you sleep better.
- Say no to wall-to-wall carpeting – While lovely to see and touch, wall-to-wall carpeting is a magnet for dust and other allergens because you have limited cleaning options and you can’t air it out. So, stick with hardwood and small rugs instead because those are easy to clean.
- Don’t use air fresheners – You shouldn’t use chemical air fresheners anywhere in your home, even though they might smell nice, but especially not where you sleep because you’ll be breathing in those chemicals all night. That spring meadow smell isn’t worth it!
Kitchen
This is where you eat, so take special care of what you do in there. Here’s how:
- Filter the water you drink – It’s not about being posh, it’s about staying healthy. Always filter the water you drink and you will feel the difference!
- Have a meat workflow in place – Preparing meat in your kitchen might seem easy (for the most part), but keep in mind that you have to clean everything that comes in contact with raw meat – from the knife you’ve used to the cutting board you’ve used. Don’t use the same knife and/or cutting board to cut anything else before you’ve washed them to avoid spreading germs. Most of these are killed when you cook the meat, but not on the surfaces that the raw meat has touched.
- Dry your plates thoroughly and toss cracked cutting boards – Fight mold in your kitchen as well and dry out your plates before storing them. Also, never keep cracked cutting boards because they are a mold and germ breeding ground!
