How to Turn Your Home into a Healthy Environment for Your Kids
We like to think about our homes as safe havens. Alas, more often than not, there is a multitude of threats preying on our good health and well-being. Moreover, young children spend a lion’s share of their time indoors and every year, millions of them get exposed to toxins. The tricky thing is that many of these risks are of elusive nature and quite hard to detect. So, it all starts with proper awareness and commitment to taking preventive steps to reduce the exposure to dangerous elements. It is high time to put together a healthier home environment for you and your family. So do you all dream of Healthy Environment for Your Kids at home.
Exposing toxic presence
The first thing to do is to inspect your home for toxins. Everything from water and air to textiles and surfaces might hide toxic hazards. Where to start then? Well, furniture, paint, and flooring are a good place because they can contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde and other perilous toxins. They can remain hidden for a long time, until you upset them during the renovation. Therefore, take necessary precautions before starting any improvement projects.
Furthermore, if your home was built prior to 1978, it is very likely you have another problem— lead sitting under the top coat of paint on walls and windows or in floor varnish. When released into the air, toxic lead particles potentially cause developmental and learning problems. Unfortunately, home tests are not always accurate. Thus, your best bet is to hire a local contractor and safely remove this plight from your home. Healthy Environment for Your Kids is most important thing when you have active kids at home.
While at it, test the environment for naturally-occurring, radioactive gas radon. This menace is a leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers, yet it is odorless, invisible to the naked eye, and tasteless. The good news, though, is that there are many inexpensive test kits available at home improvement stores. They are also easy to use. Should you find this gas in dangerous quantities (4 picocuries per liter of air or higher), you have to contact a certified radon-mitigation contractor.
Cleansing the air
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air pollution is two to five times worse than the one outdoors and World Health Organization agrees that this is one of the greatest health risks of today. To make it worse, children breathe more air than adults, pound for pound. So, you need to do everything within your power to clear the air. Reduce humidity levels by using exhaust fans in moisture-riddled areas and spurring natural ventilation.
Note that you need to avoid air ionizers and fresheners that contain phthalates— they do more harm than good. Instead, opt for houseplants. Spider plants and peace lilies are just some of many natural air filters that are effective in combating toxins and pollutants. Feel free to shop around for quality industrial products in the league of HEPA air purifier. Such a certified product is proven to improve the long-term respiratory health of your children.
Keep an eye on carbon monoxide, which is a highly common hazard that originates from the incomplete process of fuel burning in household appliances like stoves and furnaces. It can lead to symptoms similar to flu. And when its level increases, carbon monoxide can even be fatal for kids. To steer clear of such scenario, install alarms and detectors in your home. Put them outside bedrooms and other sleeping areas. In addition, inspect and maintain your appliances and heating systems on a regular basis.
Always in the clear
Be a conscious consumer and extra careful what you bring into your home. For instance, you have to know which products harbor dangerous chemicals and poisonous substances. Also, make sure to keep potentially harmful items locked and out of children’s reach. Cleaning products, pain relievers, cosmetics and personal care products are leading culprits behind poisoning in children. Seek natural alternatives to chemical cleaners, such as baking soda and vinegar.
Finally, bear in mind that a clean home is a healthy home. You must never forgo regular chores. Dusting regularly is the key to preventing kids from breathing in contaminated dust. Namely, flame retardants and PBDEs from electronics can easily get airborne and cause a variety of health issues. It is a good idea to use a damp cloth for most dusting tasks and follow it up with the good old vacuuming. Just do not use older vacuum cleaners that tend to disperse the dust around.
On the safe side
More and more parents are concerned about the negative impact of the home environment on the health of their children. And they have every reason to be. Every now and then, new scientific evidence and horror stories surface. The main problem is that the majority of hazards are not obvious, so it is best to assume the worst. You do not have to go out of your way: there are many simple and low-cost tactics to follow. Thus, get educated, test your home for toxins and tool up to bust them. Keep your little ones out of the harm’s way and empower their growth and development. I hope all these tips makes you keep Healthy Environment for Your Kids at home.
This article is a Guest post by Stella van Lane is a mom and a passionate writer in love with coffee, chocolate, music, books and good vibes. Her top interests are health, yoga, meditation and interior design. 
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