Having an unhealthy home is a nightmare for you and your family. If you don’t work on keeping your home healthy, then there’s every chance that your kids could develop allergies – even your pets could get sick!
If you want the best for your family and you want your home to be a bright, happy place, make sure you take note of the following 15 things that can make an unhealthy home.
Other ways to improve your home:
How to make an unhealthy home
1. Use Of Negative Language
Using negative language in your home all the time won’t make it feel like the positive, happy home that you want it to be. Most people use negative language without even realizing it, so start being more mindful when you speak and really pay attention.
Switching your language, especially around your kids, could really make a big difference. This isn’t just about swearing either – just being negative about things in general.
2. Permanently Closed Windows
Keeping your windows permanently closed can make an unhealthy home. People need fresh air for health reasons, and it doesn’t matter that you might all get outside a bit during the day, letting it into your home is important.
Opening up your windows and let that fresh air flow in every so often will help wonders. In addition you can add air purifying plants to help clean the air.
3. Lack Of Natural Light
Natural light is crucial for health and happiness, too. Maybe you need to change your window dressings to allow more natural light to flood in. Using drop cloths, light curtains, or even blinds are window treatments that will allow natural light in.
4. Candles
Most people have candles in the home and don’t realize that they can actually be toxic causing an unhealthy home. They might smell nice, but that doesn’t mean they are good for us.
You can replace certain candles with an aromatherapy diffuser, which is far healthier. There’s an essential oil for everyone, whether you want to feel sleepy at bedtime or more energized during the day.
Making your own soy wax candles is another way to guarantee you are using non-toxic candles.
5. Too Much Technology
Having too much technology in your home can become draining and give everybody a headache, even without using the technology. Avoid having too much technology in your home – TVs in the bedroom, for example, can disrupt a sleeping pattern even if they’re not being used. Try to have some rooms that are void of technology altogether, if possible.
If you do need to use technology before bed try using blue-blocking glasses in the evening to help your body naturally release “sleep chemicals” before bed.
6. Toxic Cleaning Products
Most households also use toxic cleaning products and don’t even realize it. Using a more natural cleaner is always going to be better for the house and the people in it. You can make your own, or if you prefer something more effective you can buy something made for you.
I do have a lot of different natural cleaning supply recipes you can use to create a chemical-free home.
7. Wearing Your Shoes In The House
Wearing shoes in the house can drag mud and germs all over the place. It’s not just dirty, it’s unhealthy. Have a set place in your entryway that shoes can go by the door so that you don’t run the risk of making people in your house poorly.
8. Dirty Mattress and Pillows Causing an Unhealthy Home
Keeping clean mattresses and pillows is important to keeping a healthy home. Using mattress and pillow covers will help reduce dust and other build-up that can happen.
Make sure to properly clean your mattress and pillow to keep them healthy and clean.
9. Not Using an Air Purifier
There aren’t many things around that will help to get rid of the toxins that float in the air as you breathe, apart from an air purifier. An air purifier can get rid of pollutants like mold, bacteria, dust, and fungi.
Using air purifying house plants can also help clean the air and come in handy during the fall and winter months when you don’t want to open windows.
10. Dusty Home Decor
Not cleaning or dusting your home decor on a regular basis can cause an unhealthy home. Make sure to dust and wipe down your decor throughout your home so you’re not breathing in dust and other unhealthy air.
11. Unhealthy Home Indoor Temperatures
If your indoor temperature is too high because you try to avoid running the air conditioner, you could be making your home unhealthy by creating the perfect climate for dust mites.
Mold and bacteria will also be more likely to grow, too. Dust mites will thrive in temperatures above 70 degrees and mold will grow faster in temperatures above 50 degrees.
These two things can wreak havoc in any home. Keeping your temperature below 70 degrees will help you to avoid this.
12. Forgetting to Clean Your Air Vents
If you have an HVAC system in your home, these systems cycle a ton of air throughout the year in order to maintain a nice temperature. Since a lot of air is being used and reused over and over again, this means that these systems collect a lot of dust and allergen particles.
During your seasonal cleaning replace your HVAC filters and vent filters. This will help keep your air clean.
13. Wet bath towels and mats causing an unhealthy home
Every time you take a shower or a bath, your bath mat gets wet and this can be the cause of mold and dampness in the home. It may begin to smell, and it won’t feel very nice for the next person that steps out of the bath or shower.
It might sound like a lot of work, but you should pick up your bath mat and hang up towels after every use and let them air out over the tub or use a towel rod or heater to help it dry off.
The bathroom can become one of the unhealthiest rooms in your home, but if you do this you cut the chances of anybody getting sick right down.
14. Not Airing Out Your Bathroom
Bathrooms produce and retain a lot of moisture for obvious reasons. It isn’t just the bath mat that can cause mold and mildew growth, so you need to make sure you’re taking the proper precautions to combat these things. The mold spores in the bathroom won’t just stay here, either – they’ll travel to your other rooms and make everybody sick that way.
If you have a ventilation fan, clean the vent openings with a rag. The vents get clogged up with dust and this makes them less efficient at removing moisture from the air over time. You should make sure you keep the fan on while showering and leave the door open for at least 30 minutes when you’re done. Alternatively, you can open a window.
15. Unhealthy Cluttered Home
Clutter is a great place for dust, dirt, and allergens to lay in wait ready to make you ill. Studies have shown that people who live in cluttered homes are much less healthy than those who live in tidy homes.
Make it your priority to get rid of clutter regularly, and think carefully before bringing something else into your home. You’ll feel like a weight has been lifted.
