Creating and also maintaining a healthier space for your baby involves taking a good look at your indoor environment.
Fortunately, there are many ways you can make your home and baby’s nursery healthier and safer. Even making one small change toward a healthier home can have a huge impact on your child’s life.
Air. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reports that indoor air can be two to five times more polluted than the air outside. This can occur for a number of reasons. Your indoor air may contain higher traces of VOCs (volatile organic compounds)—toxic gas emissions linked to a host of health problems—resulting from those chemical spray cleaners or air fresheners you may like to use. Whatever the cause, it’s important to remove these pollutants from the air.
Humidity. Keep your baby happy and restful! Many nurseries are often too dry in the wintertime, which can lead to bloody noses, sore throats, dry skin and cause respiratory issues. In the summertime, the air usually becomes too humid, which can spawn musty odors and mold problems and encourage the spread of dust mites and other pests. Make sure you maintain the EPA’s recommended indoor humidity level of 45 to 50 percent.
Temperature. Help your baby sleep better. When your baby’s nursery is either too hot or too cold, it’s much more difficult for him/her to fall and stay asleep. Typically, newborns have a more difficult time staying warm, so it is imperative that your baby’s environment stays at a comfortable sleeping temperature.
Paint. Don’t wait until the last minute to paint the nursery, as fresh paint is a source of VOCs. According to the EPA, short-term exposure to VOCs can cause eye, nose and throat irritation as well as headaches, loss of coordination and nausea. Be sure to paint your nursery well ahead of your baby’s arrival to provide ample time for ventilating the room to remove noxious fumes and gases and prevent adverse health effects.
Clean Green Clean often and invest in a good vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter, and clean your carpet as often as you can. If your vacuum doesn’t have this filter, it may suck up Barbie shoes and Legos but not the grit and grime that you can’t see. Instead it will redistribute the dirt around the room and in other parts of the house. If you choose to use a professional cleaning service, always look for a company that uses toxin-free and fragrance-free cleaning solutions, like All Clean Long Island.
Contact a healthEhabitats environmental expert at 877-861-3662 to schedule a healthEhome evaluation to test your home’s air, water and surface quality.
