{"id":15876,"date":"2021-09-16T18:42:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T18:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/?p=15876"},"modified":"2021-09-16T18:42:15","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T18:42:15","slug":"silent-signs-your-home-is-an-unhealthy-place-to-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/silent-signs-your-home-is-an-unhealthy-place-to-live\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent Signs Your Home Is an Unhealthy Place to Live"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Maybe you occasionally slack on cleaning or wait too long to dive in. Or maybe you don&rsquo;t know that what you&rsquo;re doing\u2014or not doing\u2014is hurting you.\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Home is where the&nbsp;<em>health&nbsp;is\u2026\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve all been there. Maybe you go a while between dustings. Let the dog sleep in the bed. Watch moisture bead up on the bathroom window. Sometimes these things are easy to ignore. Unfortunately, these innocent-seeming habits could be making you and your family sick.\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re vacuuming without a HEPA filter\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Research from MIT reveals that air pollution causes about 200,000 early deaths per year in the United States, and it worsens asthma and allergies. That\u2019s why you may want to invest in a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter vacuum to prevent tiny particles of dust from being blown back out into your indoor air. \u201cI tend to go toward whole-house filtration, so the first thing I\u2019d recommend is installing a HEPA filter in your home\u2019s HVAC system says James Sublett, MD, a former clinical professor and chief of allergy and immunology at the University of Louisville, in Time.\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re forgetting to change the vacuum filter\n\n\n\n</h2><p>If you\u2019re using a HEPA filter, you\u2019ll want to make sure you\u2019re changing it every six months or when you notice signs of wear and tear. This will ensure an effective filter, while also preserving the life of the machine.\u00a0\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"435\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/vacuum_under_furniture.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-12958\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vacuum_under_furniture.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re not cleaning vents and ducts\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Vents might not be in your line of vision quite like dirty dishes, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t need cleaning too. Vents harbor a ton of dust from the air, and when you turn on the heat or air conditioning, all those dust particles are redistributed throughout your house. You can take off the vent cover and clean out the grime you can reach, but you\u2019ll want to enlist a professional to thoroughly clean your ducts. The pros use compressed air and air agitators to clear out hard-to-reach dust.\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Your bathroom has poor ventilation\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Are you keeping the window open or using the fan when showering? You should! Excess moisture can not only cause your paint and wallpaper to detach, but it encourages mold, which\u00a0can thrive and multiply indoors, damaging your house and potentially your health.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"466\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-5.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15877\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-5.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re using the wrong household cleaners\n\n\n\n</h2><p>As you spray cleaner around the house, it settles on all types of surfaces. Plus, you inhale it as you spritz. In a COVID-19 world, people are cleaning more frequently than ever. The right cleaners are crucial to not only protect against the virus but protect you from being exposed to the harsh chemicals. Further, common household chemicals\u2014bath products, dish soap, bleach\u2014can damage your airways and lungs.\u00a0\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re not dusting correctly\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Vacuuming once a week and wiping down countertops means you\u2019re only making a dent in the dust around your house. It builds up every single day, and the more time you let go by without wiping it up, the more you\u2019re exposing yourself to harmful particles. Use a damp cloth to gather dust as opposed to using a duster (or a dry cloth), which according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, will only spread the dust around and trigger allergies. Also, be sure to dust from high to low\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re ignoring your gutters\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Leaky gutters are another cause of moisture buildup, allowing excess water into your walls, basement, or crawl space. If your gutters aren\u2019t covered, you\u2019ll want to make sure you clean them out regularly.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"466\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-6.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15878\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-6.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>Your bedroom is musty\n\n\n\n</h2><p>Although you vacuum and dust, you actually need to move your\u00a0chest of drawers, desks, and other furniture to thoroughly clean. Pull your bed away from the wall, and you might be shocked to see just how much crud is collecting just behind your head. And remember to regularly wash your bedding\u2014once every one to two weeks\u2014and make sure you have a good mattress protector. Turn it every couple of months, and vacuum it when you do.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"466\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-4.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15879\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-4.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You wear your shoes inside the house\n\n\n\n</h2><p>You wouldn\u2019t roll around a public bathroom, but nearly everyone would walk around one and then walk around their house in the same shoes. Given that you roll on your carpets with your kids or the dog and put your feet up on the coffee table, you might want to leave the shoes at the door.\u00a0\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You\u2019re surrounded by wind-pollinated plants\n\n\n\n</h2><p>You may unknowingly be inviting allergens into your yard that cause your stuffy nose, watery eyes, sneezing, and breathing trouble.\n\n\n\n</p><h2 class='\"wp-block-heading\"'>You have too much stuff\n\n\n\n</h2><p>You love throw pillows, coffee table books, and knick-knacks: All these things collect dust, dander, and pollen, and they can contribute to poor air quality in your home. Unless you plan on constantly moving and cleaning all of this, you should consider minimizing your furnishings and collections.\n\n\n\n</p><div class='\"wp-block-image\"'><figure class='\"aligncenter' size-full><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' width='\"700\"' height='\"466\"' src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/09%5C/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-1.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' class='\"wp-image-15880\"' title='\"\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/13-Silent-Signs-Your-Home-Is-an-Unhealthy-Place-to-Live-1.jpg' https: sizes='\"auto,'>\n\n\n\n<p>\n\n\n\n</p><p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>Maybe you occasionally slack on cleaning or wait too long to dive in. Or maybe you don&rsquo;t know that what you&rsquo;re doing\u2014or not doing\u2014is hurting you. Home is where the&nbsp;health&nbsp;is\u2026 We\u2019ve all been there. Maybe you go a while between dustings. Let the dog sleep in the bed. Watch moisture bead up on the bathroom &hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15881,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[61,96,30,46,6,31,32],"class_list":["post-15876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tie-life-style","tag-cleaning-tips","tag-diy-home","tag-household-hacks","tag-life-hacks","tag-life-style","tag-tips","tag-tricks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15881"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></figure></div></em></h2>