Keeping your home a healthy space for you and your family is important now more than ever. Not only is it important to make your home good for your family’s physical health, but it is also important for your home to be clean and organized for your family’s mental health. You may have started a conversation with your family about using the home to improve the health of your family, but there are other things to keep in mind as well.

Your mental health is deeply affected by your surroundings. When it comes to the things you do not like about your home, it can raise your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Too much of this will keep your body in constant flight-or-flight mode. Over time this could cause adverse effects on your body.

When you start a home improvement project, life can sometimes get in the way causing you to leave it incomplete. Almost-finished projects can leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed out. If you are looking for a way to keep your house from driving your crazy, both mentally and physically, here are some easy tips.

Keep Allergens And Harmful Chemicals At Bay

During the springtime, keep the pollen out of the house by shaking or brushing off outerwear. It may also be a good idea to avoid hanging your clothes outside on a clothesline during this time to prevent any allergens from getting into your clothes. If you have pets, keeping a brush and wet wipes nearby can be useful.

When taking your clothes home from the dry cleaners make sure your clothes are aired out fully. Remove the plastic bag before setting foot into your home to ensure that any lingering perchloroethylene can evaporate.

Consider adding mats on the inside and outside of the door. Allergens, bacteria and lawn chemicals are all things that can easily be tracked inside the house if not first caught on a doormat. Make sure that your doormats are washable.

Filter Your Drinking Water

There is nothing wrong with drinking water from the tap if that is all that you have, but seriously consider filtering your tap water. You can do this either by installing a water filter faucet by the kitchen sink or getting a pitcher with a water filter inside. Filtering your water can easily cut levels of lead, chlorine and other harmful chemicals.

Fill Holes And Gaps

Maybe you have done a lot of home renovations over the years. Make sure that your holes and crevices you forgot about or were too lazy to fix are caulked and covered. This is a very important step to creating a healthier home because doing so can avoid disease-infested mice and insects from crashing in your home. Whether you are covering these holes or replacing a failed caulking session in the kitchen or bathroom, this is a very important step.

Install Right Materials For Your New Floors

Instead of installing carpet and vinyl, use linoleum, cork, tile wood or stone. These are natural materials and they do not have phthalates. Some of these materials like linoleum prevent bacterial growth. Compared to carpet, all of these materials also do not collect as much dust. That is great news for your allergies if you have them.

Be Selective About Furniture

Home renovations sometimes call for new furniture. On your search for the perfect couch or end table, make sure that the furniture is chemical-free. Your house furniture should be filled with batting made from natural fibers. Your pressed-wood furniture and cabinets should also be made with little or no formaldehyde. By following this tip, you can prevent yourself or your family from becoming ill. Find more info about this by doing some quick research on the safest furniture for a healthier home.

Take Note Of The Humidity

Your home should be at a humidity level of 40 to 50 percent. Any higher and it can offset the growth of mildew and mites. It is also important not to let it fall below 20 percent. Setting up a humidity monitor will easily track your humidity levels. If your home is often in the 20 percent humidity range, you should consider getting a humidifier and finding out where to buy distilled water so that you can introduce some good, pure air into your home. Some can act as both a humidifier and an air purifier.

Take Care Of Your Lawn The Organic Way

Keeping up with your lawn may be an easy way to upgrade your home, but make sure that you stay away from harsh chemicals. They can weaken the defense against drought and disease. You also want to be cognizant of your contributions toward runoff pollution in your local rivers and lakes.