Air Pollution in Your Home

Most of us feel safe in our homes. We look at it as a place of refuge and love. We come home to relax.

Does that safety apply to the air you breathe in your home?

According to the EPA, levels of about a dozen common chemical pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher inside homes than outside of them! That just doesn't seem right, does it?

Well, think about it, everything you emit indoors - whether it is your cigarette smoke, cleaning products fumes, or burnt food - is going to stay in your air longer because our homes are so well insulated. 

Scientists are actually suspecting that it may be these indoor pollutants - not just outdoor pollution - that are responsible for rising rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases. Indoor pollution can also cause headaches, flu-like symptoms, and, in serious cases, neurological problems.

I don't want to give you another massive problem to worry about and stress over, so let me go through a few simple things you can do today to help clean your indoor air.

1. Don't let the bad stuff in! Take your shoes off at the door. You don't even want to know what ickies are covering the bottoms of your shoes.

2. Go fragrance-free. Many air-fresheners are not what the companies want you to think they are. They are not sweet smells that freshen. They are chemicals that produce fake scents that can cause headaches and eye, nose and throat irritation. If you want your house to smell good, use essential oils instead.

3. Ventilate! Turn on your stove's exhaust fan. Open the windows every chance you have. Make sure your fireplace flue is working properly.

4. Switch out your cleaners! You know how your eyes water or your throat burns when you clean your shower? That is your body screaming for you to quit polluting it with chemicals! Sure, the cleaner companies want you to think that their chemical products are the only way to really get things clean. Let me tell you, that is a lie! If you are ambitious, make your own cleaners with baking soda, vinegar and other things you will find in your kitchen. If you are like me and are super busy and just need a safe product to use, do your homework and find truly natural safe cleaners. I use Shaklee's Get Clean products, and I have loved them from the moment I started using them. And no, they don't cost a fortune. In fact, they save you loads of money and are safe for our planet!

5. Vacuum often. Try to use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.

Please, please, please save you and your family from the hidden dangers lurking in your home. The pollutants in your home air can damage your health and turn into serious problems. With these 5 simple changes, you can improve your home's air quality and keep your family healthier!