According to the World Health Organisation (WHO); Household air pollution is the single most important environmental health risk worldwide, and women and children are at particularly high risk from exposure. This global report provides new data on the still-pervasive use of polluting fuels for home cooking, lighting and heating, as well as an in-depth look at the impacts on women and children.

Tips to improve household health

Improve Air Quality

• Open your windows daily – Keeping your windows shut all day will allow chemicals and allergens to build up inside.
• Plants – Houseplants can remove toxic pollutants in indoor spaces, the plants ability to clean the air is limited but still advisable.
• Excess moisture – Be aware of the moisture levels in your home. everyday action like cooking, washing, etc.. can lead to the air becoming heavy with moisture, your home becomes a breeding ground for dust mites, allergens, and bacterial growth. Some of the signs you have excess moisture in your home include; foggy windows, mildew smell, mould and rotting wood.
• Carbon monoxide alarm – Carbon monoxide is very harmful, it displaces oxygen in the blood and deprives the heart, brain and other vital organs of oxygen. We advise having a carbon monoxide alarm in the house.
• Heating and Cooking – be careful if you are using coal, wood, gas or paraffin heat your home or to cook food on.

Cleaning

As obvious as it is, having a clean household has huge benefits to your overall health. Cleaning on a regular basis reduces germs and bacteria build up, which helps with allergies and asthma. Think about decluttering and having clear spaces in the home, this reduces the amount of items that can gather dust and germs, it can also improve airflow. It is also recommended to disinfect frequently touched surfaces in your home daily.

Personal Hygiene

Personal hygiene is preventative medicine, it is the best way to minimise the chance of illness and spreading germs. We are all use to good personal hygiene over the past 2 years with the pandemic but just a friendly reminder of the best practices;

• Washing your hand regularly, especially before eating food
• Coughing or sneezing into your sleeve

Benefits

Apart from preventing illness and spreading germs, there are other benefits to having a clean home, including;

• Reduces stress and tiredness
• Helps keeps pests away
• Reduces allergy symptoms
• Can helps reduce the waistline – Studies have shown that when faced with daily hassles or professional stress, research has shown women eat more sweets and high-fat foods. (Source – ahchealthenews.com )