Improving Your Home’s Indoor Environment for Your Mental and Physical Health
Your home is a place where you find comfort and solace from the world. It’s also a place that has your personal footprint, a place that represents your taste and your lifestyle. if you find that lately, you’re not feeling as comfortable as you once did, maybe it’s time to make a few changes to the environment. There are many things that can cause mood swings and physical changes to your body such as clutter, over-the-counter medications, and insufficient air quality.
Decluttering your home
It can happen to anyone if you live in one location for an extended amount of time. Suddenly the large space you once had is gone. You’ve filled the space with things acquired over the years. A cluttered environment can make you feel restricted and confined, anxious and even overwhelmed. Restoring your home’s space can actually clear your mind and do away with underlining stress that can actually bring on physical pain. If you haven’t sorted through your things in quite some time, now is a good time to go room by room and remove the items you no longer need or want. Reach out to family and friends and see if there’s anything that they may want. After, host a yard sale and then whatever you have leftover you can donate to your local church or homeless center.
Heating and cooling system
Many people simply don’t think about their heating and cooling system until they receive a higher than usual bill or it suddenly stops working. Your furnace and air conditioning unit need regular maintenance to run efficiently. And, if, your equipment is older it may not be able to keep up with the demands of extreme weather changes. If you are in need of a new heating and cooling system, instead of simply repairing the old one switch over to an energy efficient model. They run quieter and much more efficient, helping to save not only money but, also the environment.
While you’re shopping around for the best model at the best price, shop for your gas and electric provider as well. Not all companies offer the same rates and with the deregulation, you now have the opportunity to switch companies. Click here for more information.
Spring cleaning
Giving your home a thorough cleaning isn’t just something people do, it’s actually essential to maintaining overall health. Get out your bucket, scrub brushes and cleaning supplies and take a week to wash down floors, walls and ceilings, clean tubs and toilets and clear out the basement, attic and garage. Mold and mildew develop rapidly in damp environments and by clearing out these places you’ll be able to see if anything is there. Your home will smell fresh and you’ll know that it’s truly clean.
Benefit of an air purifier
If you’ve noticed that your breathing indoors is not as good as it once was, using an air purifier may provide the solution to restoring your health. Air purifiers remove small particles from the air like pet dander, smoke, dust, pet hair and pollen. If you have pets, use a fireplace, burn candles or have a smoker at home, these things can all contribute to your lack of clean air. Taking over-the-counter medications that have unwanted side effects isn’t going to give you the relief you need. An air purifier removes these things quickly and helps you maintain a suitable indoor environment. Brushing and bathing a pet more often and smoking only outdoors will help to improve the air quality faster. If you suffer from seasonal allergies and need medication to get through it switch over to all natural remedies without the possible harmful side effects. In addition, replace synthetic rugs and plastic blinds with natural bamboo and sisal products. This will also help to improve the indoor air quality.
Learn to make time for you
Many people take care of other but don’t seem to see the necessity of caring for themselves. Your state of mind could very well derive from the non-stop roller coaster called life. It’s the simple things that make you feel good. Take time out of your busy schedule to grow plants and flowers, enjoy a hot herbal tea or read a few chapters of your book, uninterrupted.
If you make a few changes to your home’s interior by replacing carpeting with eco-friendly materials, giving your home a thorough cleaning, declutter to make room for living, and learn to relax at the end of each day, you’ll improve your mental and physical health and enjoy spending time at home once again.
