How to Keep Your Home Clean and Healthy Domestic Hygiene How to Keep Your Home Clean and Healthy In addition to personal hygiene, it is important to keep your home clean as well. Keeping your house clean not only looks better, it also provides a safer environment to live, work, and play. A clean house even has an effect on your mood. It can help you to feel better if you come to a clean, organized home instead of a dirty home like this…

What do you see? What type of problems are associated with not keeping up a clean home? Answers: insects/ rodents, infections, bad smells,

Dust Dust is made of dead flakes of human skin, and fabric fibres, dirt, etc. It can be removed with a broom, dusting cloth, or a vacuum cleaner. In addition to things that can be seen, a dirty home has a number of harmful elements that you can’t see.

Mold A home that is "dirty" or "dusty" invites mold problems more than a clean home. They are a common trigger for allergies. Molds are found in damp areas, such as the basement or bathroom. Other than just having a high humidity level in the home, water leaks commonly lead mold problems. How Can Mold Spores Enter the Home? Clothing, Shoes, Bags, Open windows, Air-conditioning systems

What You Can’t See Can Still Hurt You

Dust Mites Dust mites are tiny bugs that live in your home. In children who have asthma, dust mites can cause them to wheeze more and need more asthma medicine. Bed pillows, mattresses, carpets and furniture are great places for them to live. Cleaning these places can make a difference in the number of dust mites in your home. Dust mites measure about 1/100th of an inch in length, which is smaller than the period at the end of this sentence.

Lead Lead is so small that it can’t be seen. It can be found in water, paint, clothing, etc. It enters the body by breathing it, eating it, or direct contact. Lead affects every system of the body. Acute exposure to high levels of lead can result in death or significant damage to the brain or other organs. The symptoms of lead poisoning include reduced IQ, rashes, irritability, insomnia, excess lethargy or hyperactivity, poor appetite, headache. In high amounts it can result in abdominal discomfort, nervous system damage, and encephalitis. At very high levels, lead can cause convulsions, coma and death

Lead What do I do? Wash face and hands before eating, smoking, or drinking Shower and change clothes before leaving work Get your blood lead tested periodically to assure you are not overexposed

Dirt A common way for dirt to enter your home is from your shoes. Dirt can get into your carpets and your furniture. Like dust, dirt in the home can make you sick

Clean Home A clean home is a healthy home. You can start by putting things away when you are done using them.

Clean Home Keeping a clean home further reduces the risk of becoming sick from dust particles and spread of germs Setting up a regular schedule to clean your home helps you to remember and put it into your routine. The whole family can help to keep the house clean. For example, mom can clean clothes, while dad washes the dishes, Brother can take out the garbage, while Sister dusts the furniture. Cleaning the house can be a fun way to spend time with your family.

Cleaning Products Sometimes, the smell of powerful chemicals can make you sick. Don’t mix chemicals together, put them into your eye, or swallow them. Call 911 immediately if you get sick from these substances. You can use a bucket to hold all of your cleaning products. Wear gloves when using harmful chemicals.

Cleaning Products Mop with bucket Broom with dustpan These items are used to clean non-carpeted floors. You can sweep dust and dirt off the floor with the broom. You put the dust into the dustpan and throw away the dust. You can mop the floor after sweeping it in order to clean stains that cannot be removed by sweeping and to make the floor shine. Mop with bucket Broom with dustpan

Vinegar Vinegar is naturally an all-purpose cleaner. Mix 1 part water to 1 part vinegar in a new spray bottle. Vinegar is a great cleaning product, disinfectant and deodorizer. You can also use vinegar as a natural fabric softener. Add ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle in place of store bought fabric softener.

Vinegar What can Vinegar be used for? Bathroom - Clean the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Floors- Mop the floor with a vinegar/water solution. Kitchen- Clean the stovetop, appliances, countertops, and floor.

Lemon Juice Lemon juice is another natural substance that can be used to clean your home. Lemon juice can be mixed with vinegar and/or baking soda to make cleaning pastes. Lemon is a great substance to clean and shine brass and copper.

Lemon Juice Mix 1 cup olive oil with ½ cup lemon juice and you have a furniture polish for your hardwood furniture. This can be used as an alternative to wood polishers like Pledge.

Home Made Products Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. Use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains.

Baking Soda Baking soda can be used to scrub surfaces in much the same way as other cleansers. Baking soda is great to freshen the air. Place a box in the refrigerator and freezer and other places in the home to absorb odors.

Rubbing Alcohol Rubbing alcohol can be used to clean glass surfaces such as: windows, mirrors, and TV screens. Alcohol can also be used to clean items such as phones and appliances.

How to Clean your Home Use a clean rag or towel to remove dust, stains, dirt, and other germs from the surface. Then, use another clean cloth with a cleaning agent to kill further germs and make furniture shine. Wash rags with detergent and Bleach when you are finished using them.

Bathroom Clean sinks, toilet seats, and fixtures thoroughly Scrub showers after use to prevent mildew Clean toilet bowls with toilet bowl brush

Bathroom Keep the toilet seat clean to avoid getting infections when sitting on it. You can wipe the toilet seat with disinfectant like Bleach, Lysol, or Ajax.

Washing Dishes 1 2 3 4 5 6 In order to wash dishes, you can drain the clog to hold water in the sink. Then, you can put soap in the water and place the dirty dishes in there. You then scrub the dish with a sponge or a cloth thoroughly. Next, you will need to rinse off the soapsuds under warm running water. Using warm to hot water to rinse helps disinfect the dishes. Once you place the clean dishes in the dry rack, you can dry them off with a towel to avoid leaving water stains on the dishes. Finally, place the dishes back in their proper places! 7 8 9

Floors Sweep non- carpeted floors with a broom. Mop floors when you are done sweeping. In order to mop the floor, place water in a bucket and place a small amount of a cleaning agent such as vinegar or Pine Sol into the water. Then, swing the mop back and forth. Then squeeze the mop with (gloved) hands into the bucket. Throw away the dirty water when you are finished. Be careful not to fall on the slippery floor. Wipe the floor down with a clean towel.

Floors Vacuum carpets Keeping your shoes off the carpet helps to keep it clean longer.

Clean Home A cleaner home helps to reduce the risks of illness such as sneezing, coughing, allergic reactions, asthma attacks, etc. A clean home also helps you and your family to live more comfortable and safe.

Heartland Health Outreach Clean Home Jennifer Benoit Heartland Health Outreach Jbenoit@heartlandalliance.org Developed September 2006