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Break These 4 Unhealthy Home Habits Now
As kids, we learned early on that leaving the lights on when exiting the house is a major faux pas. But not all unhealthy or unhelpful domestic habits are quite so obvious. Keep an eye on these lesser-known no-nos to save yourself time, energy and money.
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You over clean your stuff.
As strange as it may sound, going overboard with cleaning may actually create problems. For example, scrubbing hard surfaces for every fingerprint or speck of dust can introduce unnecessary moisture into cracks and crevices, practically begging dust mites and other pests to come over for dinner. And adding too much detergent to dishes or clothes can create film build-up that attracts grease and grime, and might erode the material itself.
Go ahead and clean what’s actually dirty. Just try to limit the amount of water, cleaner and electricity you use in the process.
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You make your bed first thing in the morning.
Laid-back housekeepers, this one’s for you: Making your bed right when you get up is one of the quickest ways to create a dust mite haven. You’re basically locking in the warmth and moisture on which they thrive.
The solution? Let your bed breathe. Fling open the covers to air out the sheets and blankets, and hold off tidying up until later in the day.
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You rinse dirty sponges rather than sanitizing
Sponges are epic breeding grounds for bacteria and mold. Even when you douse them with cleaning products, you’re still smearing around the dirt and grime.
For deep cleaning, run it through the dishwasher on the top rack once or twice a week. The USDA reports cleaning via dishwasher will kill more than 99 percent of bacteria on kitchen sponges*.
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You delay changing your air filter to “save money.”
You’re beyond careful about keeping indoor dust and dirt to a minimum—which means you might not realize just how many airborne pollutants your home’s air filter traps behind the scenes. So if you’re trying to cut costs by postponing your seasonal filter change, you could be undermining all your smart health-conscious moves. You may also put the efficiency of your home’s heating and cooling system at risk, opening yourself up to massive repair expenses down the line.
Change your Filtrete™ Filter every three months (or more frequently, depending on where you live). Your health—and your bank account—will thank you.
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