By Rebecca Philps, Reader’s Digest Canada
Science-backed strategies that help eliminate potential health hazards and improve your well-being, room by room.
In the Bedroom: Invest in a decent mattress
Assuming you’re sleeping the recommended hours per night (that’s seven to nine for adults), you’re spending one-third of your life in your bedroom. And insufficient sleep—either short duration or poor quality—is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, injuries, depression, irritability and reduced well-being.
Be mite smart
Let the sheets and duvet air out for an hour before you make the bed to help control moisture-loving mites. To really sock it to them, wash all of your bedding once a week in hot water, and vacuum your mattress.
Build up humidity
In a high-usage area of your home like your bedroom, the air quality matters—a combination of humidifiers, fans and fresh air will keep your bedroom at an ideal 45 per cent humidity for a good night of shut-eye.
Don’t let it get too wet
“Watch for warning signs of moisture problems, like condensation on your windows during cold weather,” says Dr. Jeffrey Brook, an environmental health and urban air quality expert at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health. “It’ll lead to mould growth, not to mention ruined window frames.”
Reduce your toxin exposure
Dispose of dry cleaning bags before you enter your home so that any residual perchloroethylene (called “perc” by professional dry cleaners), a common dry cleaning solvent and suspected carcinogen, can off-gas safely. In fact, you should steer clear of anything that smells plasticky; the likely culprit is phthalates, a group of toxic chemicals used to soften plastics and increase their flexibility, and which are found in cosmetics, textiles, kids’ toys and a zillion other common household products.
Avoid air fresheners
They mask mildew odours with fragrance-bearing phthalates and contain harmful VOCs that contribute to terrible indoor air quality. You want to be able to smell those musty odours so you can address them right away. Similarly, cut back on candles and incense. They create a cozy atmosphere, sure, but they also release fine particulates into the air. If you’re set on using candles, use a snuffer instead of blowing them out.
In the Bathroom: Watch out for mould
Maintain caulking to inhibit growth around your shower, tub and sink—it should last five years, but any cracking, shrinking or discolouration means it’s time to replace. That’s easy to do, and worth a day’s work; exposure to mouldy environments can cause nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing or wheezing, eye irritation or, in some cases, skin issues. If you have compromised immunity, this is especially important.
Detox your cleaning routine
To clean grout around shower or floor tiles, use a homemade baking soda and hydrogen peroxide paste—it’s just as effective as retail cleaners but cheaper, and an easy way to reduce the number of airborne chemicals you’re inhaling.
Turn on the fan
Always run it for 20 minutes after a shower to draw out the damp, mildew-making air. U of T’s Brook suggests doing the tissue test—hold a tissue up to the fan to see if it sucks in and holds tight—to make sure it’s working efficiently. If it takes a long time for the steam on your mirror to clear after a shower, that’s also a sign of poor ventilation.
Avoid shower gunk
In sporadically used buildings like cottages, it’s important to hold a face cloth or hand towel over the shower head before you turn on the water to eliminate the initial blast of dangerous airborne bacteria (like legionella) that can build up in plumbing pipes.
Cut back on personal care products
Don’t overuse hairspray, shampoo and deodorant. They’re throwing out major levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—new research suggests as much as car emissions.
Don’t rush cleaning
The offending surface should be wet with the cleaning agent from disinfectant wipes for three to 10 minutes, depending on the brand, to properly kill the worrisome germs. To cut down on chemicals, choose wipes that use essential oils with antibacterial and anti-fungal properties as the active ingredients.
In the Kitchen: Toss sponges
They retain water and food particles and are a cesspool of bacteria. One study found 362 different species living in the average kitchen sponge; 82 billion bacteria were living in just 16.4 cubic centimetres of space. Eep. Instead, use scrub brushes and thin, quick-drying cloths (most bacteria die during the drying process).
Clean your sink
Disinfect the sides and bottom once or twice a week—after kitchen sponges, the sink is the next germiest thing in the house.
Know your plastics
Use glass containers instead of plastics with number 3, 6 or 7 on the bottom. No. 3s, a.k.a. PVCs, release phthalates into food and drinks; No. 6s, a.k.a. polystyrene or Styrofoam, are difficult to recycle; and No.7s contain the baddy endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), which can have developmental, reproductive and neurological repercussions, especially in kids.
Crank your exhaust fan
Firing up the stove or oven with no ventilation is like taking in lungfuls of Beijing rush hour air. “We tend to only throw on the fan when we burn something, but any kind of heat sends particles into the air,” says U of T’s Brook. “We like to buy sleek appliances and countertops, but for a healthy home, the best thing to spend money on is a quality vent over the cooktop, one that runs quietly and effectively.”
Use HEPA filters
Vacuums, air purifiers and heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems should all use High Efficiency Particle Air (HEPA) filters, otherwise they simply recirculate many small particles back into the air of your home. HEPA filters trap air contaminants in a complex web of fibres, so contaminants are removed on a microscopic level. This is important for cleaning, but even more crucial for asthma and allergy sufferers.
In the Living Room: Bust dust
Swap out your soft fabrics (curtains, cushion covers, throws) for machine-washable options to help keep dust and allergens under control.
Clean your carpets
Spring is the time to do a serious “soft surface” clean, says YouTube star and Canadian “cleanfluencer” Melissa Maker. She’s right: stale indoor air and heating systems increase the amount of allergy-inducing dust mites, pet dander and mould spores circulating through your house.
Add a few house plants
Interaction with indoor plants can reduce physiological and psychological stress—studies show that transplanting, watering and digging in the dirt lowers blood pressure and suppresses sympathetic nervous system activity (our fight-or-flight response). Unfortunately, the theory that they’ll improve the air quality in your home is bunk. You’d need a jungle’s worth of plants to do that
Make your own cleaners
Clean your hardwood floors with vinegar and water or lemon oil and water. Chemical-based cleaners are high in VOCs, which are lung irritants. And most “green” cleaners aren’t much better, because claims like “natural” aren’t regulated. Check the Environmental Working Group’s guide to cleaners to see how brands rate.