Do Healthier Homes Equal Healthier People?
As we evaluate our health and strive to make better choices that encourage wellness, staying active, eating less processed foods, and getting more sleep are usually at the top of the list. However, what if there was a bigger, yet more passive, change we could make that would ensure our entire environment was encouraging a higher degree of wellness? Sometimes a major part of the solution isn’t about what we’re doing, but where we’re doing it. In this blog, we’re exploring the affects that homes can have on our health and how sustainable building practices can upgrade our wellbeing.
We spend 90 percent of our lives indoors, which means that good air quality is absolutely crucial. In fact, studies have shown that in buildings with less volatile organic compounds (which can come from aerosol sprays, cleaning products with harsh chemicals, etc.), cognitive function was much better than in environments with more volatile organic compounds.
Setting up your dream home office with stylish décor and the perfect feng shui flow is important, but what you can’t see in the office, like the air you’re breathing in, might have more to do with your work performance. Even if you’re not working from home, we want our brains to be firing on all cylinders even when we’re performing our hobbies, like reading a novel or preparing a homemade meal. Better ventilation, air purifiers, and even plants can help reduce VOCs in your home.
Government initiatives like Healthy People 2030 recognize the need for more research into the effects of indoor pollutants and how we can prioritize practices and regulations that work towards the goal of setting new, higher standards. These standards will in theory create healthier homes. Ensuring that a property is a “healthy home” can mean everything from replacing old, weathered roofs, sealing water leaks, or removing lead paint. In Seattle, sustainable builders are focusing their attention on building homes that stand the test of time, using quality materials that can be sourced naturally, instead of building homes quickly with low-quality materials that will deteriorate in the near future.
Many eco-friendly homes today prioritize temperature control, with proper insulation and building materials that encourage cooler summers and warmer winters, leading to less energy usage—a win for both your monthly bills and the planet—and more comfort and better health. We’re seeing hotter summers in Washington as time goes on, and with heat waves bringing temperatures exceeding 100 degrees, we need to be realistic about this new future and how we can prepare our homes to handle extreme temperatures—both high and low. According to the World Green Building Council, many older AC systems still older use CFC and HFCs refrigerants, which are pollutants that new systems steer clear of.
As sustainable building practices become more of the norm, I know that more homes, particularly in cities like Seattle where developers are constantly innovating in their eco-friendly practices, will become healthier. Our homes should be havens that improve our lives, not something that endangers them.
If you’re interested in learning more about new, eco-friendly, “healthy home” properties in Seattle, reach out to me today. Let’s find you the level of quality you and your household deserve.