Your home is more than just a place to live; it’s a sanctuary that can greatly influence your physical and mental health and wellbeing. A healthy home environment not only includes physical cleanliness, but also mental peace, and emotional wellbeing. It is a safe space where different elements work in harmony to support your overall well being.
Creating and maintaining a healthy home environment can take some doing, but with the right understanding, you can create a system that works for you.
In this blog we will explore the different elements of a healthy home environment, as well as the different benefits of creating and maintaining this space – and a few tips and tricks to help you.
Elements of a Healthy Home Environment
Clean air is a huge contributor to feeling comfortable and healthy in your living space. Poor air quality can lead to negative health impacts, including heightened allergy responses, asthma or sensitivity to dust.
To maintain a healthy air quality in your home, there are a few different things you can do. Air purifiers can help to extract impurities from the air with little-to-no effort, they are great at collecting dust out of the air and storing it.
House plants are also a great option to improve oxygen levels in the house, as they absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen. They also help to improve wellbeing, by bringing the outside inside. House plants aren’t just for those with green fingers either, there are many options that take very little maintenance and thrive on neglect.
Ensuring your home is well ventilated, by regularly opening windows and allowing the air to circulate, is also a great way to allow for better air quality. This can also help to reduce humidity – a key component of mould formation.
Natural lighting is also a key consideration in creating a healthy home environment. Natural light is essential for producing Vitamin D, which helps to regulate mood, as well as support bone health and immune function.
It also helps your circadian rhythm, the cycle your body uses to sleep and wake. This also helps to improve your sleep quality.
Exposure to natural sunlight also boosts the production of serotonin, the happy hormone, which helps you to feel calm and focused. It also improves concentration and productivity, making for a vibrant and engaging environment for work and study.
To maximise the amount of natural light in your home, here are some top tips:
- Use sheer curtains which allow light to pass through, this will help to keep your privacy while making use of natural light
- Arrange furniture to allow light to pass around, to do this, place taller furniture such as wardrobes away from the window, and smaller desk and chairs closer. This will mean that less light will be blocked by the larger objects.
- Adding mirrors to your room will help to bounce the light around, making the space feel bigger and brighter.
Dealing with clutter is another great way of managing stress. A cluttered space can create a chaotic environment, leading to feelings of stress. Did you know that your brain will subconsciously create a to-list for things that need tidying, moving or cleaning? This constant mental barrage can cause mental fatigue and leave you feeling exhausted.
A messy space can also be distracting, making it difficult to concentrate and reducing overall productivity. If you have to spend time looking for things, or sort through clutter it can be really frustrating and mentally taxing.
There is also evidence to suggest that clutter can lead to feelings of low self-esteem, as it can lead to a sense of losing control over your immediate environment. But putting in a few minutes here and there to tidy up and maintain your space can lead to a sense of accomplishment and a more peaceful, positive mental state.
Let’s break down some top tips for dealing with clutter in the home:
- Adopting a minimalist approach will certainly help to cut down on the amount of time organising and tidying! Consider donating some of your unwanted clothes, toys or knick knacks to a friend or to charity.
- Using storage solutions that work for you is also a great help. If you prefer to have different laundry bins for dirty, worn once and clean clothing, go for it! If you like to organise your books by colour, go for it!
- Try to give as many things in your house a home, that way if they ever get left out you know exactly where to return them to.
- Action a regular cleaning routine, for example – dust the countertops on a Monday, vacuum on a Tuesday etc. By building this into your routine you can effortlessly keep a clean and tidy home.
To recap this blog, there are many wonderful benefits to achieving and maintaining a tidy, healthy home environment, including both mental and physical improvements. There are lots of ways you can take ownership of your space, and we have included some simple and practical tips that you can implement straight away to make your home a happy and healthy place to be.
A healthy home is an investment in your overall well-being enhancing physical health, mental clarity and emotional peace.