Kelly's Healthy Home

There a few simple and affordable ways to keep your indoor air fresh, clean and non-toxic that I’d like to share.

1. Indoor Plants

2. Keep your floors clean

3. Change air filter – regularly!

4. Pink salt lamps

First is to add indoor plants. Not only do they bring an element of  beauty and decor to your rooms, they are super beneficial to your air quality! According the a NASA research called, the Clean Air Study (think about it, astronauts are often confined to tiny spaces for long periods of time!) plants are effective at removing harmful chemicals. A few notable mentions are:

Peace Lily, English Ivy, Bamboo Palm, and Boston Fern. Check out the full list and report <<Here>> 

An important thing they mention is you should have 1 plant for every 100 square feet of home or bedroom. I plan to get some more this weekend!

The second tip is to keep your floors clean to reduce germs and dirt throughout your home. Doing this could also reduce you and your children’s asthma and allergies. Whether you hire a professional cleaner or clean yourself, make sure the products are non toxic.  Whenever I want to check out ingredients I consult the Environmental Working Group: http://www.ewg.org/guides/categories/6-FloorCare

Did you know it’s recommended that carpets and rugs be vacuumed at least two times a week, and more often in high-traffic areas? If pets are in the home, daily vacuum cleaning is strongly recommended to remove dirt, hair, dander, and the smaller microscopic allergens that are invisible to the naked eye.* I feel confident most people do not achieve this every week, but hopefully you will start now that you know. Also, try making a habit of taking your shoes off when you come home as well- keep slippers near your door for colder days.

(*source:http://www.vacuumsguide.com/vacuum-home-least-week/)

Do you have central heating or cooling? Then the third thing you need to do is make sure you’re changing your air filters and using the correct filters for your device. All of the air coming through your ducts goes through your filter, so it’s imperative it stays clean!

Did you just move into a new home? It can’t hurt to clean your duct work too. It should be done about every 5 years and the previous owner may not have done it or have record of the last time. Better safe than sorry.

The last tip is to purchase Himalayan pink salt lights. This may be too hippy for you, but it’s a pretty neat theory. I have 2 in our home, living room and bedroom. I’m not 100% sold it has made a difference, but I don’t see harm in trying. What is their purpose? Himalayan salt lamps purify air through attracting water molecules from the surrounding environment then absorb those

molecules and other foreign particles into the salt crystal. As the lamp warms up from light bulb inside, that same water then evaporates back into the air and the trapped particles of dust, pollen, smoke, etc remain locked in the salt. Check out all of the benefits <<Here>>

If you have other tips and advice, I’d love to hear! Please comment below so we can all learn together.