I want to live in a Healthy Home

It’s allergy season. Meaning warmer weather, the blossoming of Spring, and pollen everywhere. But it may not just be spring that is causing allergies? Maybe, it is also your home. There is more to a Healthy Home than just spring cleaning, it could be how it was built and the materials used to provide a roof over our heads. In this article, Healthy Homes, Healthy Lives, they discuss Certified Green Homes, how they are built and how they can provide a healthy environment and a safe haven for residents.

The three key elements:

Eliminating moisture is one of the keys to a healthy home, something that can be difficult to control in the wet Pacific Northwest. In the article they discuss various ways to help with it. For example, Anacortes is filled with lovely ‘old’  homes, beautiful reminders of yesteryear, but also susceptible to moisture issues. In this article, Mold and Moisture, they talk about what it is, where it is most common, and some actions you can take.

Indoor air quality can be unhealthy. It’s Spring so we fling open the windows inviting in fresh air after months of being closed off from the outdoors. In this study, they say, “It has been estimated that people spend about 90% of their time in both private and public indoor environments, such as homes, gyms, schools, work places, transportation vehicles, etc.; thus, Indoor Air Quality has a significant impact on health and quality of life in general. For many people, the health risks from exposure to indoor air pollution may be greater than those related to outdoor pollution.” If our homes are energy-efficient and ventilated well the quality of indoor air is higher.

And, then there is the exposures to toxins; from furniture, to appliances, how the home is heated, paint, flooring, even cleaning supplies. By using zero-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)  in the home, it will reduce some of the exposure to toxins in the home, including paint. Adding eco-friendly flooring to your home will also reduce toxins. And did you know, one of the largest pollutants in the home is the kitchen, read more about it in this study.

For the health of the family and the home, consider what is needed in a home to make it healthy.