Simple Ways to Make Your Home Healthier and Germ-Free

Even though we cannot see them, germs are everywhere. They hide in every place they can find around our home. There are easy things you can do to make your home healthier and germ-free.

Living Rooms:

Keep windows opened just enough to circulate the air and help to ventilate the room and you can purchase an Ionic Air Purifier Machine that contains a HEPA filter which works the best in removing pollen and dust from the air.

Arrange plants around the living room that remove toxins from the air. Bamboo Palm, Chinese evergreen, Snake Plant and English Ivy are just a few choices of air-filtering plants that you can have in your home. Use organic cotton curtains.

Keep a can of Lysol spray or a box of disinfecting wipes by the computer and the telephone that hangs on the wall. Wipe or spray the earpiece of the phone off as well as the speaker end before and after each use. Wipe the computer keys and the mouse off before and after each use too.

Spray all of the door handles around your home and the knobs on kitchen cabinets and doors with Lysol spray to keep germs away.

Purchase a bag-less vacuum cleaner that comes with a dust and pollen trapping HEPA filter.

Bathrooms:

Instead of using all of those cleaners that only contain harsh chemicals to clean your bathroom, switch to all natural products that will not fill the air will with toxins. Clorox makes a line of natural cleaners, which do a great job.

Instead of using a vinyl shower curtain liner that can hold up to over 100 different toxins month after month, swap the vinyl for a shower curtain liner that is made from bamboo because they are all antibacterial since they are a natural product.

If you do choose to use a vinyl shower curtain liner, you can keep germs and bacteria down by washing the curtain with a simple solution and bleach and water.

Use natural wool rugs in front of the shower and sink.

Kitchens:

Use different cutting boards for different foods: one for slicing and cutting meats, and one exclusively for slicing veggies. Keep your kitchen counters sanitized by using a natural solution your make at home: Combine 1 tablespoon unscented bleach to one gallon of water.

Keep sponges rinsed out with hot soapy water after cleaning up spills around the kitchen. Replace sponges at least once a month to keep the spread of bacteria down. Use one sponge for washing dishes and another sponge for cleaning up spills.

Have your cook stove and oven checked out periodically by a professional to make sure that there are no leaks of gases.

Install water filters on your faucets in the kitchen. To receive information on the water supply in your home, call the EPA at: 800-426-4791

Dining Rooms:

Dining tables and storage chests that are made out of solid wood do not give off toxins. Just be sure that there are no particleboards used since this does give off toxins.

Instead of using carpets or rugs throughout your home, lay tile flooring down and cut down on the dust particles flying around your home.

Bedrooms:

Use organic cotton curtains or drapes.

Sources:

Woman's Day Magazine February 2009 Edition