I’m sure you worry about outdoor pollution, especially if you live in a big city like Manila. But have you ever thought about the quality of your environment indoors?
I know I personally spend a lot of time at home with my son, which is why, I’ve been reading up on ways that I can improve and create a healthier environment for our home.
Here are a few steps you can take to do that and I hope that this motivates you take simple steps to create better spaces not just for yourself but also for your kids.
1. Declutter, Declutter, Declutter!
Disclaimer: This is a photo of our shelves BEFORE I decluttered okay? Haha.
I’ve been transitioning into becoming a minimalist for months now and I can talk ALL DAY about the wonderful things I’ve learned from it! But if I can only share one life-changing advice, it will be to DECLUTTER, BIG TIME.
When you have a LOT of things in the room, not only does it look messy but it also collects a lot of dust! This includes those you’ve hidden in the cabinets (I know that’s where you’ve shoved everything!) We all know that dust can cause allergies and can greatly make your air quality suffer. So try to resist the temptation. Instead, it’s better to get rid of things that are not in use and will not be useful in the near future.
Carefully curate the books and toys you keep as well! We usually have a hard time parting with these things because we think our kids “might play with them” one day. But the truth is, kids don’t need a lot of things. In fact, there have been multiple studies showing that when kids are given too much, they end up overwhelmed and might find it difficult to focus on one task/toy/book at a time.
So you see, you’re actually doing yourself and your kids a favor when you declutter! Don’t be afraid to do it.
2. Beware of the products you use
Did you know that you might be using products that could be affecting your kids’ health significantly? Because they are smaller and usually move closer to the floor, they are exposed to higher concentration of many pollutants from the products we use.
The personal care and cleaning products you have at home may look innocent but check the ingredients; they may contain a lot of toxic chemicals you weren’t aware you were using. For example, beware of phthalates which are known endocrine disruptors and have been linked to developmental disorders, asthma, and increased allergic reactions.
Check the ingredients in your bug sprays and air fresheners as well because they might contain high-risk pesticides that may cause cancer. Better double check the products you use in your home and consider switching to safer, organic or natural products.
3. Place real, indoor house plants
We’ve recently been placing more real, indoor plants at home and the experience has been wonderful. Plants are known to provide fresher air and surprisingly, can actually even clean the air of toxins!
Did you know that there are plants, such as the spider plant, which can help clean the air of benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide? These are common compounds emitted in our air constantly at home because of certain appliances! Also, indoor plants like rubber plants eliminate toxins such as formaldehyde from the air. Aren’t they just amazing?
I used to think that it would be too tedious to take care of indoor plants but as I found out, there are actually types that are really easy to care for. So if you’re afraid to start, I highly recommend the snake plant; they can live in a place with little sunlight and they actually survive better if you water them 1-2x every 2 weeks! We also got a ruffled fan palm (featured in the photo) which we placed in an area with more light and we water it once a week. So far so good too!
4. Make sure the quality of your air indoors is constantly good
As mentioned, no matter how hard we try, of course it’s not easy to maintain a clean and healthy house. This is why it’s so crucial to have a really good air purifier. We are believers of air purifiers because my husband gets really bad allergy attacks. I would joke that his nose is like our dust detector. Haha. When he would start sneezing, I know the air quality of the room is starting to suffer!
We recently tried The Dyson Pure Cool and was so impressed. It’s a fan and a purifier in one; so it captures the polluted air and releases out fresh air in replacement! It’s also pretty hi-tech (always interesting when appliances are, right?) as it can detect your air quality in real time and displays it on the monitor. Then, you can control and monitor the air quality on an app and set a schedule when you need the purifier switched on or off.
We just renovated Luke’s room and had his new custom bed installed. When it came, it was so dusty. So it was really important to make sure we kept the air clean after cleaning the area. The Dyson Pure Cool did its job well and the air quality improved in less than a minute. Unlike other air purifiers in the market, the Dyson Pure Cool is able to detect pollutants that can’t be seen by the naked eye so I’m really happy (and definitely feel safer) with it.
In the end, maintenance is key. As the air inside the home can be even more polluted than outside air, it’s important to make sure that you regularly keep your space clean for you and your kids. Having a heavy duty air purifier like The Dyson Pure Cool is really a great investment for the family because when you have a healthy home environment, you can focus on other more important things like making wonderful memories!
(You can learn more about it on their website and FB page).