How to create a healthy home

You may put a lot of time and energy into your physical health and fitness, but just how healthy is your home itself? Protecting yourself and others from germs starts in the home, and with the rapid spread of COVID-19, it’s never been more important. So here are some simple ways to keep your home a healthy space:

Keep the germs out

Hopefully you’re getting into a good habit of washing your hands regularly to keep germs at bay, but you still could be bringing in plenty of germs and spreading them all through your house. One of the easiest ways to avoid it? Take your shoes off at the front door. Those shoes pick up everything you walk across while you’re out, bringing back toxins, bacteria, lead, pesticides and lots of other nasties. Removing your shoes as soon as you walk in the door means you leave the nasties right there with them, keeping your floors much cleaner. If you have little ones who spend a lot of time on the floor and love putting things in their mouths, this becomes even more important.

Let there be light...

There’s nothing like natural light for both your physical and mental health, so make sure you open up all of the blinds and curtains in the house in the morning and let that light stream in. Not only does it give you a good boost of vitamin D - even when you’re inside - it can help ward off depression, and helps maintain the body’s circadian rhythms. On the contrary, light pollution at night can interrupt a good night’s sleep. If outside light interferes with your sleep, try blockout curtains or even just get a sleep mask.

...and fresh air

While you’re at it, open up those windows or doors where you can and let as much fresh air in as you can. Fresh air can keep your energy levels up and increase happiness, and can also help improve your immune system. Given air pollution is an issue in most cities, investing in an air purifier can help ensure you’re breathing clean air - you may already have one after Canberra’s season of bushfire smoke haze, just don’t forget to keep using it. And indoor plants are not only great to look at, but studies have proven they can both help clean the air in your house as well as improve your mood. Here are some pretty indoor plants that double as air purifiers.

Clean up (and keep it clean)

It goes without saying that regularly cleaning will help keep your space healthy - but take a look at what you’re cleaning with. A lot of cleaning products have nasty chemicals in them, which can cause health problems. These days there are plenty of chemical-free cleaning products easily available, even just at the supermarket - just keep an eye on the ingredients. There’s even plenty that can be cleaned around the home with just vinegar, baking soda and lemon. Also don’t forget to stay on top of dust, which can wreak havoc for those with allergies or Asthma.