During the winter months, everyone keeps their home or apartment closed for warmth and protection against the elements. The windows are never opened to allow in the breeze, especially with rising heating costs. The indoor air quality drops during these months. You and members of your family tend to become sick or tired more often during the winter. Usually, we attribute this to flu season or something else, but it is possible that there are other factors hurting the air quality in your home. Toxins could be lurking that are making you sick.

One of our staff members saw this story on the Today Show this morning before coming into the office. The television segment and the accompanying article concentrate on 6 possible sources of toxins that might be affecting your family. These sources are mattresses, cleaning products, kitchenware, shower curtains, paints, and your carpet. By taking a few steps, you can control these environmental factors and limit your exposure to allergens.

Most mattresses are made using chemicals that can emit toxic vapors that cause respiratory problems. Another allergen that is trapped in your mattress is dust mites. Dust mites cause allergic reactions and breathing problems. To protect against dust mite allergen, we recommend encasing your mattress and pillow in Allergy Armor encasings. These encasings help your breathing by controlling dust mite allergen and your exposure to that allergy trigger.

When you are cleaning your home, you are exposing yourself to many different chemicals. Avoid chlorine bleach, ammonia, and other acid-based cleaning products which can irritate eyes and lungs. You can improve your quality of life by cleaning with natural cleansers like EcoDiscoveries. These cleaning products use an enzyme mixture to safely clean your home. To control dust in the house, you can invest in a vacuum with a HEPA filter to remove dust mites, dust, and dirt from your floors. Vacuums with HEPA filters clean the air and clean the floor at the same time.

House paint can release low level gases into the air. In some cases, these gases are present for years destroying the indoor air quality of your home. These toxic chemicals are called VOCs, or volatile organic compounds. VOCs also are given off by many types of glue used in installing wall-to-wall carpeting. To improve the air quality in your home, you need to check out an air purifier.

At the end of the article, the author offers some great advice. You need to make changes and adapt to improve the air quality in your home. Covering your mattress with allergy relief bedding, using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, and checking out an air purifier will help you and your family feel and breathe better.