How To Get A Clean and Healthy Home
A Clean Home = Good Health
By Jan Hayner
According to the Journal of American Geriatrics, exercise will help to control a multitude of ailments and diseases; high blood pressure, lower cholesterol, aid in the control of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, obesity and depression just to name a few.
So what is the harm in exercising and keeping your home clean at the same time? Now that’s a novel idea isn’t it?
Experts recommend that we get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. Evidently these experts have never watched a mom chase after her 2 year old for 8 hours, now THAT’S exercise!
The normal cleaning regiment is vacuuming, washing dishes, doing the laundry, sweeping the floor, washing the bathrooms, tubs, sinks and floors and if that isn’t enough; then we have to clean the cob webs out of the corners.
Now there really isn’t any calorie burning chart for cleaning a house, but I have been told that most rigorous cleaning (sweeping, washing floors) burns between 100 and 300 calories in an hour. Now add washing the walls and painting them along with cleaning the carpets and I would say you have an excellent exercise program.
Then, we come to the outside of your home; raking, cutting the lawn, shoveling snow, cleaning the gutters and washing windows have to account for something.
Yikes! I haven’t even done my flower beds and garden yet! You know I just figured it out; I should weigh about 97 pounds with everything that I did this week.
Unfortunately, the trick is that you have to do this on a continuous basis; remember it said thirty minutes daily for exercising!
The way that I look at it, I am getting a triple benefit here; my house is getting clean, I am getting exercise and burning a lot of calories. I might just become a ‘Suzy Homemaker’ yet!
Besides all of those benefits, I am also getting rid of the germs, bacteria and mold spores that are trying to make my family sick.
Here are a few other ways of keeping your home healthy:
Clean the air ducts in your home
All of the dust, chemicals, pollen, insects, human dead skin cells and mold spores are pulled into your air ducts and sit there and multiply. Cooking smoke, household insect sprays, air fresheners, oils from furniture polish and chemicals from personal care products are also a source of pollutants that go into the ducts.
Detergents and Bleach Aid in the Relief of Asthma and other Respiratory Problems
In 2002 a study done by the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) proved that detergent and bleach helped reduce dust mites a main trigger for Asthma and Allergy sufferers. Dust mites live all over our home in bed linens, bedrooms and bathrooms; places where dry skin cells are deposited everyday. So to breathe easier; use detergent and bleach to disinfect when cleaning, vacuum and turn your mattress regularly and clean the upholstery on furniture (do it more often if you have pets).
The Kitchen is the “Heart” of the Home
- Why then would you want to use something full of bacteria to wipe your table? Always make sure that dish cloths, towels and pot holders are clean and disinfected, this is a natural breeding place for bacteria.
- Always disinfect counter tops, cutting boards and surfaces and anyplace else that food may come in contact with.
- Remember to wash your hands before and after cooking to make sure that you aren’t a carrier for germs.
Carpeting has many different types of germs, mold spores and bacteria living in them.
Take a wet piece of paper toweling and wipe it across your carpet and you will see the evidence first hand. Inside the nap of the carpet and the padding, where it isn’t possible to see, all of the bacteria is hiding and multiplying but by using a good carpet cleaning solution, water that is at least 60 degree and a carpet cleaner it is possible to keep them under control.
This chart shows you approximately how many calories can be burned in an hour while you are getting your home clean and bacteria free.
|
Activity |
Calories burned per hour (based on body weight of 130 lb./60 kg) |
Calories burned per hour (based on body weight of 155 lb./70 kg) |
|
Bicycling, <15 km/h, leisure |
236 |
281 |
|
Child care, standing-dressing, feeding |
207 |
246 |
|
Cleaning, house, general |
207 |
246 |
|
Cleaning, light, moderate effort |
148 |
176 |
|
Cooking or food preparation |
148 |
176 |
|
Dancing, general |
266 |
317 |
|
Gardening, general |
295 |
352 |
|
Moving, household items, carrying boxes |
413 |
493 |
|
Mowing Lawn |
325 |
387 |
|
Painting, papering, plastering, scraping |
266 |
317 |
|
Pushing, stroller or pulling wagon with child |
148 |
176 |
Chart at: http://www.leancuisine.ca/en/healthy_living/full_article_calorie_burning_chart.htm
Just think; if I start my spring house cleaning early I could lose 20 pounds by the time Easter gets here. See, another health benefit to a Clean Home.