Everyone is spending more time at home than they once did. Even if you personally aren’t too worried about the spread of the COVID-19 virus, most states have strict regulations in place as they attempt to re-open in a safer way. It’s impossible to know exactly when it will be safe or possible to return to life as normal and to have access to the things that you were used to using before the pandemic began. Therefore, you’ll want your home to be as comfortable and safe as possible. If you’re spending more time at home, you may begin to recognize that there are issues within your house that you weren’t even aware of before the pandemic began. A lot of people are taking this time to make improvements to their lives and homes alike, even leading them to make certain renovations. But it’s one thing to decide that you’re interested in home remodeling; it’s another entirely to know exactly what to do with your remodeling budget. If you’re looking to create a healthy lifestyle at home, why not accomplish that through remodeling your home with healthy life changes in mind? For a lot of people, this may be a little confusing at first.
You can’t be blamed if you’re a little confused as to how you can incorporate the question of how to make a healthy home into your home renovation plans. It might be a little intimidating at first. But the first step is to talk to your contractors about how you can make changes that will better equip your home in a healthy way. For that matter, a lot of people can make changes to their home that are not only healthier in general but specifically suit their needs. For example, if someone in the home happens to suffer from a disability that is even considered relatively minor, there are likely changes that can be made through renovations that will simply make it easier to live in. With that being said, let’s delve into how to make a healthy home through active renovations, and what you can prioritize when talking to your contractors, whether you’re making healthy choices on a large scale or those that hit a little bit closer to home.
1. Cut Down On Allergens
A lot of Americans suffer from seasonal allergies. Some of these allergies are considered so “minor” that they don’t even require prescription medication. However, this doesn’t mean that they aren’t hard to deal with. Anyone who has suffered from seasonal allergies can cite a runny nose, cough, and even sometimes body aches as associated with pollen. Of course, seasonal allergies are not the only types of allergies that homeowners need to worry about. Dog or cat dander can also lead to allergy issues, as can dust, simply enough. With that being said, these types of allergies often rest within a home without people even realizing it, leading to them spending months struggling with on and off allergies. Fortunately, there are a lot of steps that you can take to cut down on allergens within the home. Of course, if you have pets within the home, it can be difficult to cut down on the allergies entirely. Nonetheless, there are additions you can make through residential renovations that will help create a more allergy-friendly house. Ultimately, it’s worth it to spend the money on ridding yourself of allergens; it’s key to solving the question of how to make a healthy home.
One major addition that you may want to bring into your home is the activated carbon air filter. What is a carbon air filter, you ask? Many think of carbon air filters in the same way that they think about typical, flimsy air filters. But an activated carbon air filter really does a lot more, which is why it can create a huge change within your home, especially if you suffer from allergies or react easily to things like dust and pet dander. An activated carbon air filter filters gases through a bed of activated carbon, otherwise known as activated charcoal. They’re usually used to filter out volatile organic compounds. Due to the stringent nature of carbon air filters, they’ve also had great success in filtering out certain odors, like tobacco smoke. Of course, this means that they’ve also been connected to the filtration of allergens. With that being said, extremely fine air particles like mold cannot be filtered out through carbon filters. In that case, you need to buy more heavy-duty air filters. Air purifiers can be installed to filter out allergens as well, like the Honeywell air purifier. You may also want to simply discuss this issue with your contractors, as simply renovating a home to make it more well-ventilated can help cut down on the effects of allergens. If you still have some anxiety about how allergens can affect your ability to live a healthy lifestyle, you can also, of course, make changes on the ground, like adding mats to both sides of the floor, which will pick up more on dirt and allergens, and installing vent fans in crawlspaces. Ultimately, the more steps you take to quell allergies, the more you’ll get to the crux of how to make a healthy home.
2. Address Purified Water
A lot of homeowners are drinking and providing hard water without knowing it; or for that matter, even knowing what hard water is in the first place. What is hard water? Technically, hard water is water with a high level of mineral content, which doesn’t sound like that much trouble at first. With that being said, there are a lot of issues that can come with hard water that many people aren’t aware of. For one thing, a high level of mineral content doesn’t necessarily mean healthy, good to drink water. Hard water is initially formed when water passes through products like limestone, chalk, or even gypsum. These can be made up of magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, or sulfates. Ultimately, the links between health and hard water are not completely known. Some studies have actually linked hard water to eczema. With that being said, a lot of people are simply uncomfortable with the idea of contaminates in their water to begin with. While hard water itself may or may not be harmful, hard water can potentially carry other contaminants if it is not properly purified. When people consider how to make a healthy home, they actually can create a lot of changes simply by installing water purifiers. You can easily add a water purifier to your kitchen; and after all, Houzz reports that one-third of homeowners say they switched to a healthier lifestyle after remodeling their kitchens.
While many of us relate water purification to things like drinking water, this is not the only way that we can filter water. While there are a number of different water filters that can be attached to faucets or outlets associated with drinking water, we should also consider the water that we wash our hands with, and for that matter bathe with. A lot of contaminants are not only absorbed through drinking but through bathing. After all, many of the contaminants that we’re most worried about can be passed through skin contact.
Therefore, you should consider attaching water purifiers and filters not only to your drinking water faucets but to your showerheads and tub faucets as well. A lot of these will not only filter out contaminants but also filter water in a more energy-efficient way as well. Not only does this filter out hard water and contaminants; it also aids in creating a more energy-efficient household as well. Energy-efficiency is key if you’re looking into how to make a healthy home in general. This is a great way of creating a home that not only is healthier in general but also results in you spending less on your bills. Ideally, if you’re going to create a healthy home that expends less energy and resources, you’ll also be able to save some money on your bills in the long term.
3. Work With Professional Cleaning Companies
As you renovate your home and attempt to look into how to make a healthy home, you’ll probably want to make some big changes in the long term. This will result in a need to make a fresh start. Even after you start making certain renovations, making these changes is about staying consistent. You should create new habits, for one thing airing our your clothes most often. But some of this can not be done simply through the work of the homeowners. If you really want to create a healthier home and have the resources to do so, you can actually make big changes by employing professional cleaning services.
Professional cleaning services not only allow us to focus our energies elsewhere; it also ensures that your home is cleaned in a systematic way. A lot of people simply aren’t that great at cleaning, or more specifically sanitizing. Something may look clean, but is it really clean? Has it been fully disinfected? That’s more of an issue. Not only will having your house cleaned ensure that it actually looks good; it can also help deal with issues like mold problems and deep-seated allergen issues as well. If you can afford it, there’s really nothing wrong with hiring professional cleaning services. It’s really just a part of maintaining a home that you’ve already invested into concerning renovations.
4. New Windows
When we look into how to make a healthy home, as previously mentioned, energy efficiency is a major factor. A lot of people like the idea of creating an energy-efficient property, but don’t fully understand the health effects that it can have. A healthy home will not only save a homeowner money and create a more pleasant atmosphere in the long term; it will also protect those within the home from harmful elements outside. One of the more harmful elements that is natural yet rarely considered is UV rays. Prolonged sun exposure can not only result in overheating but of course skin cancer. It can also, on a less immediately important level, result in us spending unnecessary amounts of money on our heating and cooling systems. Therefore, you may very well end up spending money on heating and cooling bills that you really don’t need to worry about if you implement the right types of new windows.
Energy-efficient windows may seem like something of an oxymoron, but they can become a big part of how to make a healthy home. After all, windows themselves don’t operate through the types of energy facilitated through electricity contractors. But energy-efficient windows deflect harmful UV rays, while at the same time ensuring that hot or cool air doesn’t escape your house. The big issue with this air escaping your house is that your heating and cooling system will work overtime to compensate for the escaped air, ultimately resulting in you spending more money and overworking your unit. Whether or not you’re concerned with your energy bills, which most people will, you should keep in mind the fact that you can still be affected by UV rays hitting you within your home and potentially burning you.
Ultimately, when you look into how to make a healthy home, you may initially be surprised by how much time and financial investment it can take. However, it’s very much worth it. A healthy home not only ensures that you’re spending less money in the long term on energy bills; it also ensures that your long-term health is taken care of. While installing in a new water heater that filters out contaminants while at the same time regulating your water’s heat levels may not seem like a top priority when you’re renovating your home, it can ultimately result in a much better lifestyle than what you’re used to right now.
As you consult everyone from electrical contractors to plumbers on your home’s renovation budget, you may be surprised by how much more your new house would cost; but in the long term, the new expenses are worth it. You’re not only spending on your new home but on how to make a healthy home in general. With that being said, it’s well worth the time and the money to make changes to your house that may cost money now, but will save in the long term and make you healthier.
