Toxic materials in your home: find and neutralize

My home is my castle. But is this statement always true? What if there are more dangers in your home than outside? For you - 10 tips, how to find invisible enemies and get rid of them Did you get a headache? Blame the hard day at work. Tickle in the throat? The autumn epidemic crept up. Was there a rash on my neck? It was not worth it yesterday to eat so many sweets. We are accustomed to blaming external ills in all the ailments, but the sad reality is that sometimes the reason for our bad health is in our native walls. In the apartment where we live, can contain quite a large number of harmful and even toxic substances, and they all have a negative impact on our health every day. Do you want to protect yourself and your family? We will tell you how. We destroy mold Dampness and insufficientventilation is the most common cause of mold. Most often it settles in the bathroom or in the corners facing the outer wall (if there is a gap in it, then moisture will regularly condense there). Why is mold dangerous? Asthma, respiratory problems, skin problems, headaches and nausea are just a few of the many threats to your home. How to fight? Do not leave damp towels and sponges in the bathroom, constantly ventilate the rooms and wipe moisture from the walls in a timely manner. Is there an air conditioner? Let it work!The stories that terrible bacteria live in air conditioners that daily undermine the health of the inhabitants of the apartment are, of course, a myth. Any expert in this field will tell you that the only danger posed by a working air conditioner is the risk of catching a cold. But if your climate control system is idle for months, harmful bacteria can start in it, which at the first start will spray into the air and enter someone's body. To prevent this from happening, do not let the air conditioner stand idle. If you use it very rarely, periodically turn it on for at least half an hour of prophylaxis. Throwing away plastic dishes as well as containersand bottles. Why is it so categorical, because everyone uses them? Of course, not all plastic products are harmful. Most of these utensils won't hurt you, but those made from polystyrene are only safe at room temperature. But when heated (whether it be microwave or just washing in hot water), such plastic releases several substances harmful to humans at once. They provoke hormonal imbalances and negatively affect the development of the fetus during pregnancy. We struggle with this simply: when choosing containers and dishes, we carefully read what is written on the label, and avoid melamine products, which are harmful to humans in and of themselves. We clean the carpet correctly What only does not offerthe modern household chemicals market: cleaning agents that remove the most difficult stains in a few seconds, and a magical aroma for your carpet, and special compounds that reduce the risk of fire ... All this, of course, is great, and you want to wash the carpet and rub it all at once. However, such potent drugs contain a whole bunch of harmful substances that can provoke headaches, malaise, allergies and even asthma. How to deal with the consequences? After cleaning the carpet using household chemicals, be sure to dry it thoroughly and ventilate it in the fresh air, and not on the dryer in the corridor. Our opinion:- To be 100% safe, it is best to refuse to use hazardous household chemicals altogether. Of course, eco friendly products cost an order of magnitude more, but this is, in fact, the price of your health. If there is no money for expensive organic products, use folk methods, many of which still work great, or at least buy "light" chemicals, that is, without warnings like "use with open windows." Getting rid of chipboard Furniture made of chipboard is a very common phenomenon, largely due to affordable prices. Only now, in the adhesive composition of this material, a carcinogen dangerous to humans, formaldehyde, is quite often found. It can cause asthma, lung problems, and burning eyes or throat. To protect yourself, do not save on health and buy furniture from natural materials, wood is especially welcome. If you already have chipboard products in your apartment and you won't be able to replace them in the near future, put as much as possible in the room and ventilate them often. We replace skirting boards in such harmless-looking andinconspicuous skirting boards can also hide danger. The thing is that some of them (especially decorative ones) can be one of the sources of an extremely harmful substance - styrene. It is toxic, causing nausea and headache, and adversely affects liver function and blood chemistry. To avoid familiarizing yourself with the effects of styrene, make sure your skirting boards are made from environmentally friendly materials. Vinyl wallpaper - down with all types of wallpaper -some of the most popular after paper. Manufacturers themselves do not recommend gluing in a nursery or bedroom, but an affordable price, ease of care and a large selection of colors are often more important than environmental friendliness. The thing is that this material practically does not allow air to pass through (with the exception of special porous models, but outwardly they are indistinguishable from ordinary vinyl wallpaper), and this, in turn, contributes to the development of allergic reactions and headaches. To play it safe, it is best not to use this material for decorating living rooms and give preference to wood panels, any textile or at least paper wallpaper. Checking the floor Linoleum and low quality laminate- potential sources of toxic substances. Experts unanimously recommend choosing high-quality tiles or good ones for the floor. If you still prefer linoleum, make sure that it was not bought from hands and the seller showed a quality certificate. Also, medical linoleum is considered safe, which is used even in tuberculosis departments, where the risk of infection is very high. If you buy a laminate, let it sit for a couple of months - after that it will definitely be safe for your health. Giving up on a laser printer Not so long agoScientists have proven that using a laser printer is not good for health. When working, it emits harmful substances that threaten us with lung problems and exacerbation of chronic diseases. It is best to abandon a laser printer in favor of simpler, but harmless models. If you cannot do without it, keep it not too close to people, do not leave it turned on unnecessarily, and ventilate the room in which the printer is well ventilated. We are looking for the enemy ... in the couch It will seem amazinghowever, ordinary sofa cushions can pose a health hazard. What is it? Often decorative pillows, like upholstered furniture in general, are impregnated with a special fire retardant compound. It is in it that sometimes various toxic substances are contained, which not only have a bad effect on the general well-being, but also, with constant contact, increase the risk of contracting cancer. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that it will be possible to determine by eye whether the pillows are harmless, so we fight as follows: carefully read the description of the product, ask the seller about the fire-resistant composition, check the already purchased pillows with an examination. Our opinion: - Toxic substances are contained not only in furniture or finishing materials. Sometimes elements that are harmful to health literally live within the walls of your home - for example, when building hazardous materials such as lead or asbestos were used in the construction of the house. To know this for sure, we recommend that you turn to specialists from SES and check the apartment for "harmfulness." You can order a standard examination (a sample of water or air indoors), and a more serious study, such as measuring the level of radiation.