With Spring on its way, there is a sense of renewal and energy that can tangibly be felt in the air. With this comes a flurry of activity in our homes. Everything from spring-cleaning, redecorating to looking at new spaces and places. It is no wonder that the housing market begins to pick up and people have “everything-house-related” on their minds. This year I have witnessed, along with colleagues in the design and staging business, a barrage of pre-Spring activity in the housing market. It is exciting, invigorating and inspiring! When thinking about design, re-design and potential new spaces it is important to be aware of and take into consideration three things: the look, psychological impact and healthfulness of the interior environment. For today, let’s focus on making it healthy!
As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I am in the process of redesigning my teenage girls room. When I begin any design project, I need to take a number of things into consideration. These include the need to ensure that I am creating a space that is aesthetically pleasing, psychologically supportive and healthful. Most people overlook the last two pieces of this integral part of the design process and focus solely on the visual impact. And, although this is a critical component of good design, it is not the only element that needs consideration. When figuring out how “we” are going to decorate my girls’ bedroom the girls are solely focused on color and impact, which I completely appreciate. However, my goal is to make the space gorgeous, happy and healthful. Because they will occupy this space for long periods each day it is imperative to ensure it has a positive influence on their mental & emotional state and that it is clean of toxic substances that create havoc for the body. Let’s look at one simple way to create a healthy bedroom haven that will have a huge health impact…
It is amazing to think of the various products that go into creating homes, cleaning our homes and making our homes beautiful. A few items that come to mind include rugs, couches, bedding, cleaning products, air fresheners, and beauty items. Understanding what these products are composed of and which ingredients are healthful or hazardous is imperative in creating a healthy, non-toxic home environment. There are 80,000 chemicals that make up the ingredients of the products that the average person brings home. Only small portions of these chemicals have been tested, and even a smaller portion is considered un-harmful to humans. Additionally, the Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed that the 1976 Toxic Substance Control Act allows chemical manufacturers to keep 20 percent of their ingredients secret. Products considered benign for human exposure have been tested with a limited degree of usage, and not in combination with other chemicals that are used simultaneously. We are now learning that the combination, along with inundation, of certain chemicals is creating a ‘toxic body burden’ for the average person. This correlates to the frightening increase of disease in our society. And because of their small body mass, chemicals have a greater impact on the health of our children.
So, let’s first look at mattresses. You spend a large percentage of your day sleeping on a mattress. Inadvertently most people are sleeping on a typical synthetic mattress. During that time you are potentially breathing in noxious fumes from the mattress itself that is more than likely made of petroleum based product or polyurethane foam. These synthetic mattresses are highly flammable because they are made of petroleum. Insurance companies actually refer to them as solid gas. Because of the corrosive nature of a petroleum based synthetic mattress, manufacturers need to cover them with toxic fire-retardant chemicals. This means you are sleeping in a toxic chemical soup.
There are two things you can do to abate the issue or at least diminish the negative impact on your body. The first is to choose a mattress made out of an organic substance like latex or wool. They are definitely more expensive but worth the price to ensure you are not being exposed to off-gasses for many hours each night. If this is not an option, you need to throw open the windows and unwrap the new synthetic mattresses allowing it to air out for a number of days before actually sleeping on it. Unfortunately, this helps diminish the impact of the initial off-gassing, but doesn’t prevent off-gassing that occurs over the life span of the product.
The key element to keep in mind when creating your healthy home is a conscious awareness of the products you bring home. Creating a healthy environment is directly linked to making informed, healthful choices that include non-toxic furnishings. Start with the mattress that you spend 7 or 8 hours on each day. Exchanging your mattress for a healthy alternative will help you eliminate breathing these noxious substances for extended periods of time. This is a great place to start when designing or re-designing your home and making it healthy and harmonious!
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Happy Soaring!
XOXO
