Warm Your Floor Asks: How Healthy is Your Home?

Warm Your Floor is concerned about the health of your home. Expert research has revealed that you home can be under assault – by dry cleaning, air freshener, and even your heating system. Common household items could be making your home unhealthy. There are many ways that you can get your home healthier right now, though:

1) Stop smoking in your home immediately. Indoor smoking is the leading cause of poor indoor air quality, according to experts. Second hand smoke in your home can lead to allergies and sinus problems and can even leave you more vulnerable to cancer.

2) Get rid of your carpets and rugs. Carpets and rugs soak up dust, pesticides, mold, bacteria, and dust mites. Experts agree that hard-surface floors are best, especially when they area cleaned regularly using a vacuum with a high-efficiency particulate arrestance filter. Many homeowners avoid hard surface flooring because of drafts and cold floors, but you can eliminate this problem with heated floors. In floor heating can actually let you get rid of your carpet while allowing you to enjoy even more comfortable floors.

3) Avoid pesticides. The ingredients in pesticides have been linked to cancer, respiratory ailments, and Parkinson's disease. Use organic products to get rid of pests and weeds, and go for solid forms of pesticide rather than opting for sprays. Also, have your guests and family take off their shoes before entering your home. Shoes can track in many pesticides and germs into your home. If your home has in floor heating, you and your guests won’t need shoes indoors, anyway. Under floor heating makes walking on your floors akin to walking on a warm beach.

4) Find alternatives to dry cleaning. Dry cleaners use a solvent called perchloroethylene to get your clothes fresh. The problem is that the substance may be a carcinogen and stays in your clothes for weeks. If you have “dry clean only” clothes, you can opt for hand washing or an organic or “natural” dry cleaning service that does not use perchloroethylene. You may be able to find such services in your local phone book or through a local environmental agency. If you have no options but a traditional dry cleaner, at the very least air out your dry cleaned clothes thoroughly outside before bringing them into your home. Even when washing your clothes at home, look to natural detergents with fewer chemicals. These are kinder to your skin and your respiratory system.