Although genetics are important, for the most part it is your environment that determines which genes get turned on and off. And your “environment” involves the basics: food, water, air, sun, sleep, and exercise. Today’s spotlight is on clean air.
For all the pollutants in our environment, did you know that indoor air is typically two to five times more polluted than outdoor air? This is due to things like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from paint, furniture and flooring, as well as various toxic compounds in cleaning products, self-care products, dry cleaning products… you get the idea. Therefore,
- Tip 1: Open a window. This will at least dilute the polluted inside air.
The bathroom air is even more polluted than the rest of the house, typically, because of the frequent use of cleaning products and self-care products in an enclosed space. Now, I certainly recommend instead choosing non-toxic self-care products (i.e. avoiding these chemicals), and healthy cleaning products (check out the list) whenever possible. But since it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to do this perfectly,
- Tip 2: Your bathroom should have an exhaust fan, and you should use it. If it has a window, so much the better – and you should definitely be running the fan and/or opening a window if you must use toxic cleaning products!
You spend about a third of your life in your bedroom (unless you’re sleep deprived, and that’s another issue). Since indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air, but it’s too cold even in Tucson to open a window at night (or at least I think it is!), then you might consider:
- Tip 3: Getting an air filter for your bedroom. High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters should be able to filter air up to 15 times per hour.
Just a few simple changes can dramatically improve the quality of the air in your home!
