The Hopes Home

Air

The first thing we absolutely cannot live without – air. As we spend more and more time in our home, it’s vital that we assess the quality of our air. According to the EPA, indoor air can be 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air regardless of whether the home is located in rural or highly industrial areas. Dust, mold, bacteria, and VOCs, which are volatile organic compounds, can lead to a variety of respiratory issues. VOCs in particular are gases that come from cleaning products, cosmetic products, and building materials or furnishings that can lead to a wider array of health issues such as fatigue, dizziness, eye and throat irritation, headaches, and skin reactions.

The good news is that we can control what impacts our air. A good place to start is with an air filter and plants. My favorite brand is the AirDoctor because it filters down to .003 microns which is small enough to capture viruses, mold spores, bacteria, and more. It also has a dual filter to trap VOCs. My husband and I have personally benefitted so much from using this in our home and they have three sizes to accommodate your living spaces.

Another easy add on is plants! Snake plants especially are in several rooms of my home as they are hard to kill (I by no means have a green thumb) and are one of the few plants to create oxygen and remove carbon dioxide even in the dark, making it ideal for cleaning up the air in bedrooms and bathrooms.

You want a healthier home or lifestyle, but you don’t know where to start? If your like me, when I first started on this journey I wanted to throw everything away and start over. I had so much information at my fingertips but I didn’t know where to begin and I couldn’t financially do it all at once. I decided to focus on what I call the “Big Three” - Air, Food, and Water. These are not only vital for life, but can be points of high exposures for toxins as we need these three things everyday. Over the next few posts, I am going to be going into greater depth about what I like to do to improve the quality of my “Big 3” in my home.