How To Make An Apartment Ecological

Victoria Aly Author: Victoria Aly Time for reading: ~4 minutes Last Updated: November 25, 2022
How To Make An Apartment Ecological

Exhaust gases, road noise, dust have a negative effect on health. That is why we look for salvation in the house. But are our apartments safe?

Exhaust gases, road noise, dust have a negative effect on health. That is why we look for salvation in the house. But are our apartments safe?

Tiny, but dangerous

If you cough or sneeze at home, feel a sore throat, and when you go outside, you forget about these unpleasant symptoms, most likely mold fungi have settled in your apartment. Mold often appears on air conditioner filters, carpets, if they are not cleaned for a long time, and sometimes grows on walls and window frames. Such an offensive neighborhood can cause the development of bronchitis or trigger an allergic reaction.

Another unpleasant neighbor and enemy of your health are dust mites. They live in places where dust accumulates: on bookshelves, in old toys, bed linen. Like molds, dust mites can also trigger allergies and lung diseases.

Windows, walls, floor and furniture

Conduct an inspection of your apartment. What furniture is in it, what are the walls pasted / painted, what is the floor covered with? Most often, in modern apartments, furniture made of pressed wood chipboard (chipboard) is used. Such furniture may contain phenol and formaldehyde, phenol-formaldehyde or urea-formaldehyde resins. The substances contained in the material from which such furniture is made are not so safe for health. Phenol poisoning is manifested by irritability, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, indigestion. Formaldehyde, in turn, is officially recognized as a substance that can cause the formation of cancerous tumors. In addition, formaldehyde has a negative effect on the mucous membrane of the nose, larynx and eyes, and at high concentrations it can provoke asthma attacks.

 

In many apartments, the floor is covered with linoleum, metal-plastic double-glazed windows are installed, and vinyl wallpaper adorns the walls. All of the above is made from polyvinyl chloride, a dangerous poison that can also cause cancer and has a negative effect on the central nervous system. It should be noted that not all linoleum is made of the specified material. (There are varieties of this floor covering, made of natural materials - linen, wood flour, etc.)

 

In addition, in order to give elasticity to polyvinyl chloride, plasticizers are often added to it - phthalates and their esters, which, getting into the body, can cause damage to the kidneys and liver, as well as reduce the general protective properties of the body.

Multi-storey building

Another important aspect is the number of floors of your building, or more precisely, the height of your apartment. The fact is that the concentration of harmful impurities, emissions from industrial enterprises and transport accumulates at a height above 30 meters. Therefore, if you live in an industrial zone and live above the 7th floor, ventilation, unfortunately, is unlikely to improve air exchange in your apartment. Especially when the wind is blowing towards your windows.

 

In addition, normal air exchange can be disturbed by a large number of synthetic materials in your apartment. For example, an air conditioner disrupts natural ionization, and plasterboard absorbs moisture, which leads to dry air. The lack of proper air exchange in the apartment, combined with the substances released by low-quality synthetic materials, can lead to all kinds of diseases. How to avoid this?

How to deal with "unwanted neighbors"?
  • choose a carpet with minimal fluffiness, it is easier to clean qualitatively
  • if you notice raw corners in your house, hurry to treat them with a special antifungal agent
  • mold fungi are afraid of lavender and lemon, plant useful plants in the house
  • tile the walls of the bathroom, it is easy to remove mold from the tiles
  • it is better to replace linoleum, which is usually laid in the kitchen, with tiles
  • regularly do wet cleaning and ventilate the rooms
  • air purifiers will help defeat bacteria and restore air exchange. Choose water-based appliances.
  • give up vinyl wallpaper, prefer paper or paint the walls of your apartment with water-based paint
  • when buying furniture made of chipboard, inquire about the presence of a hygienic quality certificate, make sure that the furniture has protective layers.
  • do not rush to change wooden window frames to double-glazed windows, it is better to make a restoration by choosing new frames, prefer wooden or aluminum ones
  • Be sure to unplug electrical appliances when not in use.
 

So, "correct" repairs and, no matter how banal it sounds, regular cleaning will help make the apartment healthier. But before you grab a mop and rag, pay attention to the composition of detergents. Most modern detergents contain phosphates and phosphonates, chlorine and organochlorine compounds. Of course, these substances do not benefit health and can become a trigger mechanism for allergies, lung disease, and other diseases.

 

So that your home is really your fortress, a place where you feel comfortable and where nothing harms you and your loved ones, build it correctly, do not forget to pay attention to important little things and be healthy!

 
 

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