Good Morning, Good Day or Good Evening to You, depending on when you are tuning in again. My last post was on the basic fundamentals to help re energize your daily lives. It does not take new potions, drinks or expensive recipes to restore your energy you need to re-introduce the basic routines of drinking good water, eating regular meals, introducing healthy sleep routines and getting rid of the toxins that build up inside us when we are able to use the facilities routinely. Basic, Basic, Basic things can hydrate, nourish and regenerate our energy supply. It is difficult to write about increasing or sustaining ones energy throughout the day and only write one blog so I am continuing today about purifying your environment which once again has added energy inducing results and reduces stress, headaches, migraines, mental stress and illness, colds, flus, runny noses, respiratory illness, skin rashes, digestive ailments and the list keeps going.
The benefits from purifying the air around you are beyond numerous which gives a ripple effect to the illnesses it reduces. Along with purifying the air comes cleaning up the “stuff” that has gotten out of control and has become clutter, eating your coffee tables, desk areas, corners of the kitchen, you name it. Now, ones mans clutter is another mans salvation…but…there is a limit. What I call clutter and what my husband calls clutter, is two different things. So you kind of have to find what your limit is to having “stuff,” and having “too much stuff” that it is now impacting your air, health and stress load.
I enjoy having my hobbies close by, such as a knitting basket in the corner, or a book or two on a coffee table, to me that is not clutter, but to some it might be out of place or should be in a cupboard or book shelf. Both ways are completely ok as long as there is a happy medium for those around you as well. So lets start first with finding that happy medium to start clearing away our living and work environments.
First Round Of Purifying
When you walk into the room do you sigh with an “UGH this place is a mess” or do you sigh with “I love my space“. If it is not the second, then we have an illness producing, unpurified environment. Start small, tidy away dishes, papers, litter, treat containers that may be just lying there and need to be put in the garbage or dish washer. Put away objects that actually do have a home, like the board game the kids were playing or the blanket that kept you warm last night while you watched a movie or the socks that naturally gravitate to the floor that belong in the hamper. Refold the sweater on the love seat and put back in your closet or dresser drawer, put the remotes back in the coffee table drawer or line them up on the table neatly. Get a fresh clean cloth or dusting cloth and do just that…. dust. Start with one room then move into the next.
Some of you struggle with carpets, which need to be cleaned biweekly and steamed cleaned yearly. If at all possible to reduce allergens, toxins, bacteria and fungi get rid of them. Not everyone can do that of course, so regular cleaning is a must to try to eliminate what ever you can that carpets re expose to the air.
Don’t feel like you need to have to purge everything, that can come later, seasonally or whenever you decide if that is right for you. I find that you will want to go further with cleaning up as the immediate environment around you gets freshened. Then eventually you think, I am going to tackle the closet today or the dressers. As one room starts to shine and feel fresh you will naturally want the next room you go into the feel the same. It will come with time and on whatever schedule you feel like. Right now lets get the top and under surfaces and furniture feeling cleaner.
Dust particles contribute to allergies, respiratory illness, eye irritation, coughing, wheezing, colds, flus, depression, stress….Dust is a 4 letter word…not nice!!! I also like to take a baby wipe (for leather couches less chemicals then the leather wipes) and clean off my couches and pillows and get into the creases with either a wipe or the vacuum. It may seem daunting at first but once things are fresh, you, your brain and respiratory system will breath a sigh of relief. Next is to vacuum off the dust on our lamp shades, in the wall corners, under couches and chairs, in the dog beds, on the cat trees, and clean the windows, you name it clean it. It doesn’t have to be cleaned with harsh chemicals that sometimes contribute to headaches and migraines with strong fumes or fragrances, just simple soap and water and a vacuum cleans. Once the objects are but away and the furniture is clean around you (including office space) the first round of purifying has been achieved. If you are really interested in this, be sure to get your drapes a good cleaning as well. Sometimes we forget about them because they are almost like a picture hung on our walls but they need to be cleaned as well to decrease the dust particles and toxins they hold from our daily living. (I like to take a cloth and clean off the frames of the doors, the doors itself and the handles..Just saying’)
Second Round Of Purifying
If your environment allows, open a window and or get an air purifier. You can get small air purifiers, ones that are good for small spaces and can fit nicely on the corner of the end table or desk areas and they will help to reduce the dust and toxins in our air by containing a large percent of it in its little filter. Please change or clean the filters. Once the initial clean up has been performed and the window is open and or purifier is clean and working these simple small steps can clear 80% or more of the toxins in your rooms. That is 80% less toxins filtering through your in your mouth, nose, throat, lungs on your skin in your hair being absorbed by your body. When I am home and am feeling sluggish, I immediately open a window and let some air in and within minutes I feel different, my mood changes my head feels clearer the house feels better fresh air is a remedy for anything that ails you, depression, mental anguish, upset stomachs, headaches… a fresh breeze is a simple easy remedy that costs us nothing to try first, along with a tall glass of water.
Since I am a lover of incorporating natural remedies first, it will be an obvious next step to purchase some plants, lovely succulents would be a pet friendly choice. This could even be your step before getting an air purifier. For plants are natures air purifiers and give us wonderful oxygen. Increasing our oxygen intake decreases the ailments that plague our daily lives. Something as simple as a plant can not only purify the air but also reduce stress and depression, giving something for you to care for and watch grow. Having a living thing in your care can be a simple addition that has lasting positive effects. If you are able to have a plant in each room and have those within the rooms care for the plant you are not only increasing their health benefits but also encouraging empathy towards a living thing and encouraging being responsibility to keep it alive. Plant a few flowers out side your window for a fresh scent when you do open the window or even to see a splash of colour looking outside or inside in your decor. It is proven that a lively splash of colour can change peoples mentality. Put a few flowers in a vase (if no one has allergies around) and see how many workers, family members or even friends stopping in stop to smell the flowers, nature is a part of us. For those with allergies try nice satin flowers that give the splash of colour without the scent and pollen but be sure to dust them off regularly. It has been studied and proven that having either a real plant or even a artificial plant helps reduce stress.
Third Round Of Purifying
Clean filters in any appliance that has one, especially air exchangers or air conditioners. Where I live, air conditioners are not that much of a big deal we can still open our windows for fresh air but sometimes I forget that opening the window is not always an option for those in major cities. So you will definitely want to make sure any appliance that produces heat has vents cleaned and filters cleaned on a regular basis to reduce the dust they create and or the toxins they can emit into the air, which goes right into our and our loved ones lungs and bodies.
Fourth Round Of Purifying
TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!! Taking off your shoes reduce the amount of outside toxins such as fertilizers, pesticides, lawn chemicals, moulds spores, fungus, pollen and pollutants that our shoes can carry in from the outdoors. Traffic through the hallways of a home should be socked or bare feet. Clean off pet paws as they come in the door or purchase a mat that cleans their paws or at least reduces the dirt coming in from outside. The mat can be at the door entering or just as you are inside. Be sure to clean and air out mats because clean mats can reduce outside toxins coming into our home by 60%!! No Joke, so take off those shoes and leave them at the front door.
Fifth Round Of Purifying
You can use salt lamps or activated charcoal pouches. Salt lamps like Himalayan Pink Salt lamps reduce allergens and toxins in the air. They reduce allergens better when they are on but they also work when the light inside is not on. They are known to effectively clean the air within 3-4 feet around them so having by your desk or even in your bedroom is a great way to reduce allergens, and the light is soft glow which will not interrupt sleep patterns, which make the Himalayan Salt Lamp a great night light.
Activated Charcoal pouches are becoming quite popular. There is no scent to them and they purify a small room, (depending on size of packet), absorbing scents, allergens and moulds and toxins. They are usually sealed in a porous package but be sure to be wise and keep them out of reach of children and pets. Small amounts of charcoal are not harmful but to a baby, a small child or a small pet it could definitely cause very serious diarrhea and stomach/digestive sensitivities.
Sixth Round Of Purifying
Essential Oils… Many oils are used to cleanse the air or give change to physical illness and mental states. Essential oils such as lemon or citrus oils help to cleanse the air and lighten the mood and invigorate the scenses. Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Spearmint and Tea Tree oils, together or separately, purify the air and act as decongestants and decrease durations of colds during the winter seasons. They also have a pure scent that invigorate and can help alter moods to a more pleasant and cheerful attitude. You can find certain blends of oils that help to kill fungus and airborne bacteria such as citrus, pine, bergamot,lavander and patchouli.
Living The Purified Life
Having your environments cleaned, decluttered, and enriched with purifying strategies and solutions will help restore and keep your energy levels sustained or growing, your personal satisfaction and mood alters, and especially in bedrooms your sleep will be better quality rippling into better quality days and more productive lifestyles. Your breathing will be easier, your allergies, headaches, migraines, depression and mental and physical illnesses, skin irritations will all be decreased it is PROVEN. Why not give yourself the simple solutions that can benefit your daily living. Add a plant a natural living thing that increases the oxygen around us and naturally purifies the air. Simple.
HAPPY HEALING