I was reading a book about human evolution and was amazed at the details about how Homosapiens evolved from Neanderthals. Our evolution has been enormous, covering entire millenniums, and human achievement outshines all the other millions of species on the planet. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to wonder about another aspect of the research.

Did we really change all that much? And deep down, have we really changed at all? The basic needs of humans in the 21st century aren’t that different from those our great-great ancestors dating back to the earliest generations of mankind–food, shelter, water, security. We all want the same things, and deep down, we all have the same goal, which is to lead the healthiest possible lifestyle available to us.

A Clean Home Means Cleaner Skin

It doesn’t matter how much we earn, how much we achieve in life, or how good we look. Living in a poor environment can take a toll on our lives, and I am fairly certain we can all agree that we don’t want our homes to be the source of anxiety. Unfortunately, the bitter truth about most households in America is that our body care products mostly consist of chemical-rich shampoos, conditioners, creams, face wash, and other potentially dangerous cosmetics that do more harm than good. In fact, a lot of us are fully aware of our chemical-filled homes, but haven’t a clue about how to clear all the mess and start fresh. This, of course, may sound like a daunting task, but don’t worry, here are four great tips to help change your life forever–the good, healthy way!

1. Clean your home regularly to cut down on allergens like dust and pet dander
2. Make your home a no smoking zone, as it is important to breathe in clean air
3. Maintain healthy levels of humidity by using a dehumidifier or opening windows
4. Prepare a list of every product in your household with chemicals, then replace them with organic or homemade products instead

Saying Goodbye to Allergens for Healthy Skin

Our floors are often a mirror of the overall well-being of our lifestyles. Your floor regularly keeps ‘souvenirs’ of things that travel across it, primarily from places you visit and the debris you carried home, and it is not always a good thing. Chemicals and allergens can sometimes stay on your floor for many years to come, constantly polluting the air and leaving the inhabitants in serious danger. Lead, brominated fire-retardant chemicals, dust mites, and pollens usually make your home’s floor their home–and using chemical-based products to clean up the mess only complicates the problem by adding more chemicals.

You can use a modern vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to suck them in and reduce the number of allergens on your home floor. For very similar reasons, smoking should be an absolutely no-no in your home. Cigarette smoke releases more than 4,000 chemicals and the secondhand smoke is very harmful for both children and adults. Children are increasingly under the risk of developing hearing and respiratory disorders inside a smoker’s home. Why would we punish our children for our bad habits? If someone in your family can’t stay away from cigarettes, make sure that they don’t leave a trace of their bad habit inside the home so that everyone in the home can enjoy unpolluted air. If you or your partner can’t stop smoking, consider seeking help from support groups and nicotine therapy and medications to come out from this deadly habit.

Maintaining Healthy Levels of Humidity

If dust mites and mold love to make your home theirs too, a highly likely cause is moisture. These creatures like moisture over anything else and make themselves comfortable in humid conditions. Keeping the humidity level inside your home between 30% and 50% is best to control their growth. Using a dehumidifier and air conditioner in summer will help you keep the humidity level in your home under control. There are a few more tips that you can follow, such as:

• Avoid over-watering your plants
• Proper exhaust systems for the kitchen and bathroom
• Keep your clothes dryer vents facing the outside
• Clean your AC and dehumidifiers regularly
• Repair leaking pipes and taps without fail

Preparing a Clean-Up List

Go to your bathroom and grab all of your cosmetics, hair care products, and soaps. Read their labels and segregate products based on their chemical content. If your ‘non-chemical’ side is empty, then you are just one among millions of households that are filled with chemical-based junk products that can harm your health. Did you know that you can replace your chemical-filled soaps with organic ones? There is an organic shampoo and hypoallergenic hair spray that replace their chemical counterparts, and there are many safe skin care products on the market today. Even kitchen cleaners can be replaced with organic ones, thus you can prevent thousands of chemical compounds from entering your home. These steps are really simple and don’t require you to turn your lifestyle upside down to follow them, but the benefits of following them are tremendous.

Photo by rekha_is_batman/Flickr