When you think about it, the world is actually a pretty dangerous place. When you’re out in it, you are exposed to a ton of health risks - from air pollution to airborne bacteria to the disastrous weather phenomena that we’ve been dealing with these days.
Sometimes it feels like the only place you can truly rely on keeping your health in check is in the comfort of your own home. But that’s not necessarily the case. Primarily I’m exaggerating the dangers of going outside, but also because your house might not be as healthy as you think.
There are a lot of potential health risks that can arise in our homes without us even realizing that they’re a problem. There’s a lot of stuff that you might think is normal about your home that is actually having an adverse effect on your health.
But the important thing is that most of them can be dealt with in a relatively straightforward way and there are some great natural solutions. Here are a few health issues your home might be causing and natural tips to solve them.
Clean The Air With Essential Oils
Air pollution is a massive problem these days. And unfortunately, humans are a part of the reason why. It can be caused by how we deal with our waste as well as fossil fuel emissions as well as some natural causes.
Wildfires and dust storms are also responsible for it, and in a sense, this can be traced back to humans and our lax attitude towards climate change too. And while you might think you’re safe from it in your home, you’re really not.
This stuff gets in, and the same principle sort of applies. How you deal with your waste can affect the air in your house, as well as the chemicals in the products that you use to clean or as air fresheners.
Even dust is a big issue. Bacteria travel around on it and it gets caught in places like the curtains and the couch cushions. So what can you do? Well, there’s a couple of ways to deal with it, one of which is the use of essential oils.
There are certain oils that are especially effective against the most common bacteria you’d find in your home as well as things like mold and fungus. Cinnamon, thyme, oregano, and rosemary are great against airborne bacteria, especially when mixed together to make thieves oil.
The best course of action would be to get a diffuser and mix a few of these different oils in. A good diffuser will spread the oils around effectively. Maybe get a few diffusers, one for the living room and one for the bedroom, the places you’ll be most often.
Choose Houseplants Wisely
When choosing what plants you want to put on display in your home, how they are going to affect your health is probably not the first thing that you think of. We generally make this decision based on how well they’ll suit our space appearance-wise.
But of course, plants can affect the air quality and can have some negative consequences for your health. Tulips are a popular option but ingestion of their bulbs can cause mouth and throat irritation and being in contact with tulips can cause dermatitis too.
Hyacinth and daffodils also have a similar effect and English ivy tends to cause skin problems and irritation too. While these plants should probably be avoided, especially if you are more susceptible to such issues, there are some plants that can benefit your home too.
Lavender is a great plant to have around. Not only does it have a very pleasant smell, but it also helps you relax and can soothe anxiety and insomnia. A lesser-known plant known as the snake plant is very beneficial too.
These will remove a number of toxins from the air including formaldehyde and benzene. The peace lily performs a similar function. There are several plants which can improve the air quality and a lot of them are beautiful to look at too.
Fend Off Bugs
If you happen upon a spider in your room every once in a while it’s not exactly the end of the world, despite how creepy you might find them, but having bugs in your house all the time is going to be a problem.
You’ve got the likes of termites which can damage the walls and the furniture, ants which can contaminate your food, and then roaches which can carry some serious diseases. Bugs are just generally not a nice thing to have around too.
That’s not to say that they aren’t useful in some regards. I mean there are certain insects which can make for a healthier garden, but when it comes to inside the house, it’s best to try and keep them at bay.
Some essential oils are actually great for deterring bugs. Sage, thyme and rosemary are effective ones. Garlic and onions are also natural repellents for insects, especially those pesky mosquitoes.
You can easily deter the ants by placing cinnamon around the house. If an ant encounters a line of cinnamon they will avoid crossing it. Do this in the cupboards in particular and your food should be safe from ants.
So in short, keeping your house healthy doesn’t have to involve anything expensive or any chemical-heavy cleaning products. There are natural solutions to all of these problems, and if you follow these guidelines your home should be a healthier place in no time.
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Written By:
Andy Malone is an aspiring writer of both fiction and non-fiction and has an interest in health and wellness niches, but also writes professionally within the global oil and gas, and sustainable engineering fields.
Reviewed By:
Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.