Category: Healthy Home

Reducing Allergens Starts in the Home

Posted on May 13, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Spring is in the air and whether we like it or not, so are seasonal allergy triggers.

Millions of people spend their spring season trying to combat symptoms of seasonal allergies, such as itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat, and sinus pain and pressure.

The best way to find relief from seasonal allergies is to minimize exposure to pollen and other allergy triggers. Since there is no way to control the pollen or allergen count outdoors, improving the indoor air quality of your home can make a difference in providing a healthy haven for yourself and your loved ones.

Staying indoors with windows and doors shut, especially on high pollen count days can help reduce seasonal allergy triggers. If the house gets too warm, turn on the air conditioner if possible.

If your plans call for being outdoors on high pollen count days, rinse off and change your clothes upon returning indoors. This will help to keep any allergens you picked up outside from spreading around your home.

Vacuum carpeted areas of your home regularly. Be sure to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Vacuum all upholstered furniture as well since dust and pollen tend to settle into the fabric in carpet and on furniture.

When cleaning, dust surfaces with a microfiber cloth. Microfiber cloths trap dust particles so they won't be released back into the air. Use microfiber mops instead of brooms for cleaning floors. Sweeping can also stir allergens back into the air.

Wash bed linens weekly and dry them in a hot setting dryer. Avoid hanging clothes outside to dry because pollen can settle on the them.

If possible, use allergen-free bedding.

For extra allergy relief help, keep a HEPA filter air purifier running in your home to help remove any allergens that may have been brought into your home from outside. HEPA filters remove allergens such as pollen, dust, mold spores, and pet dander, from the air inside your home.

Try making your own household cleaning products at home with non-toxic ingredients like vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, Castille soap, and baking soda. Using non-toxic cleaners helps reduce toxins that may cause your allergies to flare up.

While there is no cure for seasonal allergies, symptoms can be kept under control by minimizing exposure to pollen and other allergy triggers.

Good indoor air quality is important for those suffering from seasonal allergies, asthma, or sinus problems. Making sure the air in your home is free of pollen is essential for promoting allergy relief and overall health.

Stay Allergy-Free in Your Bedroom

Posted on April 19, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Sleep is imperative to good health. As spring blooms into the allergy season, consider a few simple tricks to keep your bedroom allergy free.

Fresh air. While the pollen count is low, open windows to circulate air in the house. When pollen counts are high, close windows and use air conditioning or ceiling fans to cool the bedroom.

Pets. We love them. They add so much substance to our lives. Unfortunately, during allergy season, they can also add dander and pollen. Bathe pets weekly to reduce the amount of dander they shed and to clean fur of any pollen collected while frolicking through the grass and flower beds.

Dust mites. They are known to be a huge allergy trigger. Wrap mattress and pillow in protective coverings. Wash bedding in hot water or dry in a hot dryer. Heat kills the mites that are embedded in the cloth.

Decrease respiratory irritants. Don't allow smoking in the house. Decrease the amount of perfumes and fragrances. Use natural, non-toxic cleaners in place of harsh, irritating chemicals.

Bringing the outdoors in. Remove shoes and leave them by the door, especially if you have carpeting. When children come in from playing outdoors, have a change of clothing or a bath waiting for them. Bathe nightly to reduce pollen on skin and hair. Dry clothing on an indoor line or in the dryer. Do not use window fans as they may draw pollen into the house.

Mold. It hides everywhere. Check window sills and carpeting around windows. Fix any leaks in the plumbing or roof. Keep dirty clothing in hampers outside of the bedroom and empty every day. Wash damp clothing as soon as possible. Keep humidity in the house below 50%. Most allergies worsen in humid climates. Moist air promotes mold growth. Get a dehumidifier if needed. Be sure to empty collection containers often and clean thoroughly with a solution of vinegar and water. Dry completely.

Filter. Change central air filters regularly. Dust bedroom with a damp microfiber cloth. Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter at least once weekly to vacuum bedroom, under bed and nightstand.

The Best Non-Toxic Ingredients For Your Home

Posted on February 23, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

Did you know you can clean your entire house with about 7 to 10 different ingredients that you may already have right under your kitchen sink?

Here are the ingredients I use to make my home sparkle. The best part about using these ingredients is that they are mostly non-toxic, which helps keep my family and my pets healthier:

Vinegar: I use it for everything. It dissolves grease, soap scum and dirt, plus it absorbs odors.

Baking Soda: A great scouring powder and a natural deodorizer.

Borax: I use this to clean my laundry. Borax removes dirt and eliminates odors. Be careful around pets and children when using borax. It may be toxic if swallowed.

Lemons: Lemons cut greafights fight bacteria. Lemons are great stain removers and deodorizers.

Club Soda: Great as a stain remover.

Hydrogen Peroxide: Acts as a bleach and helps clean mold.

Castille Soap: A great all-purpose cleaner for the home.

Pumice Stick: I use this to help get tough stains out.

Olive Oil: A wonderful way to polish your furniture.

Essential Oils: Add them to your cleaning products and they great wonderful scents!

Try using some of the ingredients listed above in your home and you too can have a healthy, non-toxic, clean home!

Keeping Your Home Safe

Posted on February 13, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

This past weekend was a tough one here in New York. Twenty inches of snow fell in my town. Some towns even got thirty inches. But it is winter, so the snow is expected. What surprised me about this blizzard, however, was not the amount of snowfall we received (even though the weatherman told us nine inches of snowfall maximum), but the amount of homes that went on fire. In fact, two of the homes were right near mine. So today I would like to remind everyone how important it is to keep your home safe through the rest of the winter and into spring.

When trying to keep your home danger-free, here are some things to consider:

- Check for signs of water leakage and water damage (leaky pipes, damage to external part of house, etc.). Fix them to prevent mold.

- Large amounts of moisture can create breeding grounds for bacteria, mold, dust, pollen, mites and dander. Change filters and keep humidity level between 30% to 50%.

- Prevent dust in the home as much as possible. Use a HEPA filter vacuum, leave shoes at the door, change air conditioning filters monthly, avoid smoking in the home, declutter, clean your home at least once a week.

- Lessen toxic cleaning chemicals in your home by using natural homemade cleaners and green cleaning methods.

- Reduce exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by switching to low VOC products.

- Limit your formaldehyde intake by using non-toxic, formaldehyde-free products. Formaldehyde is found in glues, paints and adhesives. Use fans and open windows to clean your air.

- Install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

- Have your home tested for radon and asbestos.

- Install smoke alarms in your home. Also, prevent electrical failure – check circuit breakers. Faceplates should cover switches and outlets. Check wattage in bulbs. Make sure electrical appliances are in good working condition and do not overheat.

- Avoid using toxic pesticides inside and outside of the home.

Easy Ways to Keep A Clean Home

Posted on February 1, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

Don’t have enough time in your day to clean ? Don’t like to clean? Then these tips are for you!

Here are some of the easiest things to do to help keep your home clean and germ-free:

One of the simplest things you can do to reduce the dirt coming into your home is to put a solid shoe scraper matt at each entry point of your home. Reducing dust and dirt from your shoes will reduce the number of times you need to clean the floors and carpets.

Clean the air in your home with plants. Many indoor plants have been proven to remove harmful volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) from indoor air. This way your home will smell cleaner, which can also improve your physical health and well-being. The asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus), English ivy (Hedera helix), waxy leaved plant (Hoya carnosa), the purple waffle plant (Hemigraphis alternate) and the purple heart plant (Tradescantia pallida) have all been proven to clean indoor air.

Throw away old those rags and sponges and use microfiber cloths to clean instead! With microfiber cloths you can also skip cleaning products and paper towels altogether. Microfiber cloths are made from a polyester and nylon blend that grabs and holds dust, dirt and grime. The cloths can hold six times their weight in water! Microfiber cloths are also eco-friendly because they reduce water usage, reduce the use of cleaning products, paper towels, and other disposables used for cleaning, and they thoroughly remove dust, allergens and bacteria.

Remove toxic products from your home. Get rid of the oven cleaner, the furniture polish and the bleach. Believe it or not, small amounts of toxic chemicals leak out of these cleaners which can float around the air in your kitchen.

Keeping Your Home Germ-Free

Posted on January 30, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

We know by now that proper hand washing and drying is one of the most important ways to reduce your risk of contracting and spreading colds and the flu virus, but what about your home? It is also very important to keep surfaces and common areas in your home clean.

Remember, flu viruses can survive on surfaces for up to eight hours!

Disinfect your home by cleaning with homemade cleaning solutions that are healthier for your family and safer for the environment.

For an all-purpose disinfectant, try using one part vinegar to two parts water solution.

If you don't like the smell of vinegar, try mixing two cups of distilled water with one and a half to three teaspoons of liquid castile soap and one teaspoon of tea tree oil to clean your home instead.

For cleaning larger areas throughout your home, mix one half cup of borax with one gallon of hot water. Adding hydrogen peroxide (3%) solution is also a great way to disinfect.

Stay healthy this flu season. Wash your hands properly, and keep your home free of germs as much as possible. These two easy preventative measures can drastically reduce the risk of infection.

What Every Family Should Know

Posted on January 25, 2013 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

Most people use cleaning products that they know and trust. But, do they know what ingredients actually make up that cleaning product? There are many household cleaning products that have been known to cause health problems. These health problems can range from mild, such as a headache or dizziness, to severe, such as cancer or neurological disorders.

Since the majority of people use at least one cleaning product a day, knowing what you are cleaning your home with is important. The body has a hard time absorbing certain chemicals, so if you are using something the body cannot absorb, those chemicals can accumulate over time which may become harmful.

In order to protect our families from harmful chemicals, we need to inform ourselves first. Get used to reading product labels. Research the “Household Products Database.” Learn easy and inexpensive recipes that you can make at home that do not contain harmful toxins (www.blog.maidbrigade.com is full of great inexpensive, natural recipes and tips that you can use to clean your home)!

Be aware of ingredients such as formaldehyde, phalates, organochlorides, volatile organic compounds, and pesticides. All of these have been proven to cause all kinds of health issues, such as birth defects, asthma, allergies, reproductive problems, and even cancers.

Learn the heart of “green cleaning” so your home stays HEALTHY and clean!

Planting During Fall Months

Posted on October 1, 2012 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Did you know that the fall months are the perfect time to plant? I know it sounds crazy but it's true!

I remember learning about this last year from a local farmer. He told me that the ideal time to plant is about six weeks before the first real frost. For us New Yorkers, six weeks before the frost is September or October.

Why is September and October the best time to plant? Because the warm soil in the fall encourages roots to grow right through winter until the ground freezes. When spring arrives, the roots start growing at a faster rate, or in some cases, they start new growth.

So, if you think about it, a plant that is planted in the spring tends to grow slower because of the cooler soil. Meanwhile, the fall plant has a well-established root system which will help the plant deal with the summertime heat and drought.

Do you know why I like to plant in the fall? Most plants are on sale at the nurseries..and I love bargains! Also the cooler air fights off pests, which means less disease problems for the plants. Rainfall at this time also helps hydrate my plants.

I have been planting for a week now and I am almost done! Try fall planting and let me know how you like it! Have fun!

Clean, Healthy Indoor Air

Posted on September 25, 2012 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

I love September weather in New York! The air is crisp and cool in the morning, and dry and sunny during the day. September is the perfect time to prepare for the upcoming colder months.

One of things I like to do near the end of September is to make sure I keep my indoor air as clean as possible. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the air inside U.S. homes may be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air, and in some cases as much as 100 times more polluted than outdoor air.

One of the cheapest ways to I keep the indoor air in my home clean is that I try and keep my home as clean as possible. Staying ahead of dust and dust mites can dramatically improve the air we breathe. I make sure to dust around windows and door trim, not forgetting about all of my window treatments either! I also use a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner so when I clean I am not pushing the dust back into the air. I also have a bag-less vacuum so I avoid that "smoke dust" that seems to happen everytime I used to change my vacuum bag.

If you don't have one already, you might want to consider buying an indoor air purifier. One of the most important functions of an air purifier is its ability to remove pollutants such as cigarette smoke, dust, pollen, mold, and pet dander from the air. It is also great at removing odors. There are many units out there to choose from, and most manufacturers will offera trial run with the units for up to 30 days. By that time you should be able to tell whether the unit is worth the investment.

Cleaning with natural ingredients like vinegar, water and baking soda is the way I always clean my home. I really think it makes such a big difference in the quality of air that I breathe in my home. I am always blogging about different tips and recipes on how to clean your home with these ingredients too!

If you have any information that you would like to share on our blog about how you keep your indoor air clean, write to us and let us know!

Preparing For Fall

Posted on September 6, 2012 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

The summer season is officially over for the year, and as sad as I am to see it go, I am looking forward to a beautiful fall season.

In preparation for fall, keep these tips in mind:

Save money on utility bills. Instead of raising the thermostat during the cool weather, grab a sweater. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says heating a house around 2,280 square feet adds up to about 34 percent of a homeowners' utility bill. For every degree turned down on the thermostat will save about 4 percent in monthly utility expenses. Don't forget to buy draft stoppers for all the doorways to stop the cool air from coming in.

To save even more money, if your furnace is over 15 years old, consider replacing it with an energy-efficient model.

Try composting. According to the EPA, 24 percent of waste comes from yard and food waste that could very well be composted. Leaves, grass clippings and yard waste that is raked up can be composted. Composting enriches soil and reduces the need for water, fertilizers and pesticides.

Water. Many water heaters can operate fine at 120-degrees Fahrenheit (49 degrees Celsius). Lowering the temperature can also help increase the lifespan of the heater. For every 10 degrees the water temperature is lowered can save you about 3 percent on the utility bill. Wrapping an insulating blanket around your water heater can also save about 4 percent in water heating costs.

Green clean. Get rid of toxic cleaners and start using natural, homemade cleaners to clean your home. Lessen your indoor air pollutants by cleaning with lemons, vinegar, and baking soda. I clean with them all year long and it keeps my house fresh, healthy, and clean! An all-purpose cleaner can be made just by mixing baking soda and water together...it is that easy!

Seal cracks. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, sealing leaks around the house may save about 5 to 30 percent in energy costs. Check to see if there are cracks or leaks around electrical outlets, window frames, baseboards, and around pipes. Caulk all leaks and cracks.

Balancing Your Life

Posted on August 1, 2012 by oi_admin - Healthy Home, Uncategorized

Too many of us put our own needs aside to take care of others. We have a hard time saying "no" to requests we don't have time for. We give up what we enjoy to make others happy.

When a person places the needs of loved ones over their own, they are disrupting their own life balance. In order to live a balanced life, you must take the time and care to explore your passions and satisfy your own needs.

Making yourself a priority allows you to become a stronger support as a mom, wife, partner and friend. You will feel more connected, confident, inspired and joyful.

Set aside "you" time each week. This is your time to do as you wish. Explore a new hobby or simply catch up on some much rest and relaxation.

Find an activity that you enjoy. Doing something that you like increases confidence and improves overall health.

Because we "can't do it all," learn to ask for assistance when needed. This will help you ease stresses and free up more time in your schedule.

Keeoing a journal can help you connect with your inner voice and quiet your mind. It also provides helpful answers and assists in the process of self discovery.

Some of us spend a lifetime caring for others. It’s now time to focus on you and get inspired. Create a list of projects you might like to explore. Use your scheduled time to experiment and purse these new opportunities.

Fleas Be Gone!

Posted on July 17, 2012 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

I love my pets but I don't like the fleas and ticks that come along with them....

...How can I keep fleas and ticks out of my yard without using harsh chemicals?

Spray microscopic nematodes in moist, shady areas outside your home. Don't forget your flower and vegetable gardens. The worms will eat the flea larvae.

Fleas cannot stand the smell of eucalyptus leaves. Cut the leaves up and place them in open jars around your home. You can even fill up old socks with eucalyptus leaves and hang them around your yard.

Sprinkle food grade Diatomaceous Earth around the outside of the fence line to keep the fleas out.

Herbal repellents containing cedarwood, peppermint, rosemary, lemongrass and thyme are safer to use than toxic repellents. Soak cotton balls in these oils and place them around your home and yard to prevent fleas from entering.

Avoid citrus, cinnamon, clove, geranium, tea tree, lavender, and pennyroyal. They are dangerous to pets.

Potted rosemary, sage and garlic can definitely keep fleas at bay and make your home smell nice.

It is best to begin preparing for fleas and ticks in March or April.

Share your flea and tick comments with us!