Is your home making you ill?

Winter is a time when condensation and mould become more prominent in our home here in the UK. We close our windows and shield out the cold air to stay warm but the lack of ventilation can have serious health implications.

Moulds release allergens, irritants and toxic substances linked to immune system disorders like asthma and allergies. Other items in our home can also release pollutants. Paints, cleaning products and detergents are often known irritants but candles, air fresheners, fireplaces, textiles and furniture can also release chemicals causing our indoor air to be pollutant.

The results of a recent study show that 81% of us are at risk of suffering from respiratory or dermatological conditions due to our homes. The new term for this is “Toxic Home Syndrome”. Indoor air can be more hazardous than outdoor air so we should really take a look at our homes and ensure better ventilation to keep our families healthy.

Top Tips for a Healthy Home

1. Look into different ventilation options.
2. Clean using eco friendly cleaning products.
3. Consider wood flooring instead of carpets that can harbour dust, bacteria, allergens and chemicals.
4. Dry your washing outside or open a window if you have to dry it indoors.
5. Always take your shoes off at the door so that dirt from outside does not get into your home.

We have problems with mould and damp in our house. We also have allergies and dermatological conditions! We try to ventilate the house as good as we can and wipe the condensation of the windows every morning. We have to dry our washing in the kitchen in the winter which creates a lot of moisture but we open our windows to combat this (unless it’s raining!).

One thing that really helped us was re-plastering our bathroom. After doing that we have no problem with mould in the bathroom. Now we need to re-plaster some other parts of the house too… We always take our shoes off at the door and try to use green products. We can’t change all our carpets to wooden floors but we vacuum clean the living room very often because that’s where we spend the most of our time and that’s where our baby plays on the floor.

How do you look after the air in your house?

This post was written in collaboration with myhealthyhome.com. Go there to find out more information about your own indoor air quality.