Healthy Living
CLEANING and INDOOR AIR QUALITY
Indoor air can be up to 5 times more polluted and up to 70% of exposure occurs at home.
My name is Eleni. I’m an Interior Designer and Owner at Design Tree Interiors. I’ve decided to write my first blog post on Cleaning….not designing. Why? Because designing interiors is only part of the beauty. The other part is understanding how your home should nurture you. I’d like this blog post to be the beginning of a blog series that introduces my clients and readers to information that will leverage change. I hope that this change will assist you in making careful decisions and objections when approaching home improvements and purchases in your future. I’m not a medical professional, this blog is not about medical advice, but simple notes that trigger our logical responses. I will begin with what I do know and what many already know. The airways and lungs are one of the first lines of defense against incoming invaders, especially against environmental pollution and microorganisms. In order for this system to work, it needs to function optimally. The belief that the ability of our bodies to heal themselves is profound. I’m a believer. I also believe we can’t control all invaders, but we can do our best to improve the condition of our indoor air quality to help facilitate healing and support our bodily systems. There’s not a perfect environment, but there are many ways we can support a healthy home. A healthier home is a healthier you. So my first quick tip for the series is about a few easy ways to improve indoor air quality while cleaning.
Plants that filter your home.
The indoor air quality of new and existing construction is essential to healthy living and healthy outcomes. Limiting your exposure to environmental toxins, VOCs, and allergens are one of the keys that help reduce unpleasant side effects, chronic and acute conditions. On that note, cleaning and using easy-care materials and products will help you facilitate this. I enjoy piquing my clients’ interest in these areas and helping them make more conscientious decisions when purchasing items for their homes, even if it’s not an art.
Tip #1 Cleaning supports good indoor air quality. You should be replacing old material with new materials that are easy to wipe down and do not contribute to the accumulation of dust and particles. The easier your surfaces are to clean, the more effective you'll be at raising the quality of your indoor air. Also, using an appropriate filter system assists in purifying your indoor air. There are many filtering options like an individual room or whole-house systems. It’s important to select the one that suits your location and health needs. I’ll use my home as an example. Ideally, I’d like a whole house system, but instead, I use individual room systems. I use a Merv 13 filter for my furnace because I believe there is too much fine particulate matter in the air surrounding my community. Remember to use the appropriate filter for your furnace. I wipe down surfaces frequently because I live near a busier street and a lot of new construction. I take the necessary steps to change my home’s environment to protect myself and my family. That’s the best I can do at this moment, so just do the best you can too.
Tip #2 It's important to use effective yet non-volatile cleaning products when cleaning and disinfecting. It's not necessary to use concentrated or caustic agents to clean effectively. Choose simple household items that are chemical-free. Bleach should ONLY be used if necessary and used properly. Airborne chemicals are harmful to our bodily systems and contribute to poor air quality. Please do not make a chemical cocktail, it will not be more effective at cleaning or killing viruses and bacteria. It's dangerous! Cleaning is a pain in the arse, but cleaning with noxious chemicals and products can create invisible chaos. That’s in another blog post or maybe a short video. I’m working on it!
Tip #3 It’s just about what we remove from the air, but how we’ve invited the culprits inside. There are many products that contribute to poor air quality. I’m going to list a few and have you think about what you’ve encouraged without even knowing it. Items that contain foam and glues like furniture and toys. Scented air candles and air fresheners that contain chemicals to give us that loving feeling. Even our attached garages, as these odors and gases make their way into our living spaces. And how I dread when it snows because I’m sure to smell the start of a snowblower any minute.
I always tell you to do your research and be your own advocate for change. I’m not saying you should go down a rabbit hole to seek that change, but to start with one decision and stick to it.
Never ignore the courage of your convictions.
If you read this through the last punctuation, then bless you and see you soon.
Eleni
Owner & Principal Designer at Design Tree Interiors.
We love serving the Milwaukee Metro area and Northern Chicago suburbs.
In our next blog post.
We’ll discuss the use of healthier cleaning agents and best practices.