Keeping a nice and clean home ensures we have proper hygiene going on in our lives, but there is more to simply having a nice and clean home than comfort and surfaces. There is a close relationship between hygiene and health, as the very word hygiene comes from the name of the Greek goddess of health Hygeia, the daughter of the god of medicine Asclepius. Hygiene is health, health is hygiene. Both are strongly connected in a bond that transcends social norms, boundaries and cultures. Diseases don’t care about those, but they come and go and poor cleaning practices and lack thereof can easily become an open door, inviting all manner of maladies into our lives. If you want to avoid such a fate, you will need to be diligent about your practices and effective deep home cleaning, dealing with them on a regular basis. The following tips will point out what you can do to deal with this safely:
• Using a vacuum cleaner with a good HEPA filter will allow you to filter out a number of allergens and dust from the air. This may eventually be a problem with normal vacuums, but HEPA filters will negate the issue and will allow you to do cleaning safely and without harm to your health.
• Decluttering your home will help in the long run, as it will allow you to reach areas fast to deal with the cleaning efforts. The more personal belongings you have lying around, the harder it will be to do your cleaning effectively. Dust mites and other microscopic baddies lie in wait in the dust around your home, feeding on hair and dander and breeding in the protective forest of carpet fibers on your floors. Make sure you have easy access so you can spoil their fun and protect your health as you go.
• If you happen to be vulnerable to airborne allergens, then you will need to wear a mask to avoid them when you can. Use one when you clean around your home and you will have a much easier time dealing with your vulnerabilities.
• You need to do whatever you can to keep the highest traffic areas of your home clean and safe, such as the kitchen and bathroom. They will have the highest concentrations of bacteria you will need to fight and disinfect against, so make no mistake and deal with them regularly and with diligence.
• Wash your sheets with hot water only if you want to kill most bacteria, as well as the dust mites that may be making their home inside. Temperatures need to be above 130°F to have an effect. Treat your stuffed animals and pillows the same way if they are washable.
• Avoid scented detergents and cleaners if you can’t stand the chemicals used in their fragrances. Check the products for any possible compounds you may be allergic to and do your best to avoid them.
• Air dry your laundry when you can if you’re not too sensitive to pollen during the spring season or use a dryer with unscented dryer sheets.