Have you ever thought about the fact that your home can be the cause of your ailments? Frequent colds, cardiovascular diseases, insomnia and even cancer are far from a complete list of diseases that our house can reward. And even if everything in your apartment literally shines with dazzling cleanliness and the army of disinfectants is on the protection of the hygienic impeccability of the bathroom and toilet, this does not guarantee its environmental safety. We spend 90% of the time on the premises, most of them in our own apartments. At the same time, 20% of the compounds found in the air of the average apartment are dangerous for human health. In the late 90's, scientists began talking about the whole complex of diseases caused by the toxic microclimate of apartments, combining them under a sonorous name (syndrome rooms with an unhealthy microclimate). "The air of city apartments is a horrible cocktail of more than 100 chemical compounds, dust, viruses and bacteria." Little encouraging information. One thing pleases: the gas mask is not the only way to solve the problem.
Ask the dust
Our first and most important enemy is dust. In fact, this is a set of allergens, the main one being the saprophyte mite. Proved: these microscopic creatures, or rather, their excrement and particles of dead mites cause allergy. Symptoms of allergy to house dust are similar to ARI. This sneezing (more than 5 times in a row), runny nose, itchy eyes, throat, lachrymation. Difficulty breathing, a sense of lack of oxygen can also be explained by the abundance of dust and mites of saprophytes in the air of our apartment.
What to do
Daily ventilate the rooms at least 15 minutes in the morning and in the evening. Do wet cleaning at least once a week! Keep books and magazines solely in glass cabinets. Carpets, dense curtains - the main dust collectors. Carpet in principle should not be indoors. You can not do without them - replace with light rugs. But they must be washed once a week. It is also worth replacing the thick curtains on a light tulle. And do not forget to wash it every month! Pay special attention to the bed. Sadly, but mattresses and pillows are the favorite habitats of ticks, because they create the optimal conditions for the reproduction of these "sweet crumbs." Regularly vacuum the upholstered furniture and bed. Buy hypoallergenic mattress covers on mattresses. Replace feather pillows and blankets for synthyponic, and better - hypoallergenic. At the same time, they must be washed at least once every 3 months at a temperature of 60 ° C. Do not forget to air and dry the pillows. If you are also concerned about itching, periodically "roast" the bed with an iron. Reduce the number of soft toys. Remaining wash once a month or put on 48 hours in the freezer: mites at low temperature die. When boiling, chlorine contained in tap water decomposes, forming dangerous compounds. This is one of the reasons why we recommend drinking bottled water.
Mushroom places
No less serious enemy is mold. The documentary of the same name already told us in detail what the danger of this insidious fungus is. Spores of mold fungi are found in almost any room and can cause bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, cardiovascular disorders. Getting into the human body mainly through the respiratory tract, mold significantly weakens immunity. Some kinds of food mold can accumulate in the body and lead to the development of cancer.
What to do
Watch out for the humidity in the house. For this, buy special hygrometers. The optimum humidity level is 40-60%, not higher. Regularly ventilate. Stale air, a temperature above 20 ° C and high humidity are just a paradise for the development of mold. If mold has already formed in places of underflooding, then it is necessary to remove the wallpaper, clean the wall of the fungal deposit and treat it with a special antifungal agent: it covers the wall with a thin film and ensures that there will be no re-occurrence of mold. Most often, mold appears in the bathroom. To avoid this, open the door for a while after taking a bath and wipe off the tile with condensation and a drop of moisture.
Chemical attack
Furniture and even wallpaper can be harmful to health. In furniture from chipboard, fiberboard contains formaldehyde, recognized as a dangerous carcinogen. Linoleum can release styrene, and wallpaper - aerosols of heavy metals.
What to do
When buying furniture, require a certificate of quality. Objects of furniture from chipboard, etc. now treated with a special coating. It reduces the radiation level. Make sure that the furniture is not chipped, because it breaks the protective layer and, accordingly, harmful radiation increases. The ideal flooring is good old parquet. More affordable option - laminate. One "but" - after its packing it is necessary to wait a month and only then to enter the apartment. Use only paper wallpaper, and paint - exclusively on a water basis.
The Case of Technology
Today this problem is especially urgent: our apartments are packed with various innovations of scientific and technological progress: at least a couple of TV sets, computers, printers, microwave ovens, not to mention mobile phones ... All this wealth, besides convenience, also creates an electromagnetic field, a long exposure to a person negatively affects the nervous system, can cause insomnia, migraine.
What to do
Make sure you have at least 2-3 meters between you and the TV. The safe distance to the monitor of a computer or laptop (both at home and in the office) is 50 cm. It should be an absolute rule - turn off all appliances that are not currently in use (even table lamps). And in any case, do not stand next to a working microwave! Do not keep mobile phones at the head of the bed and charge them. Under it, too, there should be no wires, all the more tangled in a ball - in this form the radiation emanating from them increases many times!