Clean air - a must for a beautiful home!

I recently attended the International Housekeepers Summit held in Mumbai. An amazing platform created by Clean India Journal. Where professionals from the fraternity, come together for knowledge sharing, ideating as well as discussing the future trends. The participants are generally hotel General Managers, Executive Housekeepers, Laundry Managers, Purchase and Materials Managers, and suppliers, manufacturers of products used by the hospitality industry. They were extremely fruitful two days. This year everyone spoke about environmental sustainability, that's the need of the hour. The discussions involved the importance of eco friendly practices to going Green. The main focus was on the 3 Rs of being eco friendly, namely Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. These practices not only have a great impact on our lifestyles but also on the environment, which is actually a loan that we have taken from our future generations. It's important for us to protect and preserve it. Going green also is being economic in the long run even when the initial cost may look a bit on the higher side.

In fact this year’s World Tourism Day, held on 27 September, will be focused on Sustainable Tourism– a Tool for Development. Celebrated in line with the 2017 International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, the Day will be dedicated to exploring the contribution of tourism to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Coming to the immediate issues at hand, the number one concern that defeats the purpose of going green and sustainability is pollution.

When you hear the word pollution, what comes to your mind?  Pollution is making the environment unsuitable for humans or other life forms; that is contaminating air, water or land.

Being a hospitality professional dealing with hotel housekeeping; maintaining the cleanliness and aesthetic upkeep of the rooms has been a part of my professional responsibilities. Now being a trainer it is also important for me to share this knowledge with others. In hotels we try to achieve this level of cleanliness and hygiene with the latest technology, trends and techniques available. But it’s also equally important to achieve that level of cleanliness and clean air at home too. A clean home adds to the health and wellness of the people living there. Healthy home builds a healthy nation.

The air we breathe when we go out of our homes is filled with numerous pollutants from the traffic, industries, domestic waste, sewage and many other sources. It is said that the air inside our homes is almost 5 times as polluted as the air outside. It came as a surprise to me but did check the facts and they were valid. In fact indoor air pollution can be a cause of many health hazards as compared to the outdoor air pollution. These can be allergies, contagious infections, toxic reactions or hazards due to harmful radiations.  Due to these one can experience lethargy, fatigue, respiratory disorders or very serious health issues. Some of the most common home pollutants are Carbon Monoxide, Molds, Pollen, Formaldehyde, Tobacco Smoke, Building construction materials like asbestos. Simpler ways to understand this, common things can lead to indoor air pollution such as dusty furnitures, dust mites in bedding, a poorly ventilated kitchen range, aerosol sprays, strong cleaning chemicals, scented candles, dust mites, pet shedding (hair and skin) and air fresheners.  

Ways to reduce indoor air pollution

Super clean your home

Clean your home regularly paying attention to the dirty dozen. Keep your home clutter free. It is a good idea to use a low-emissions vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter regularly. It sucks pollutants like dust mites, pollen, pet dander, and decreases the concentration of lead pollutants in your home. Dust furnishings regularly with a damp rag or an electrostatically charged duster. To discourage dust mites, encase your pillows, mattresses, and duvets in  dust-mite-proof covers. Use hot water to wash dirty linen, it improves the quality of wash and makes it free of pollutants and irritants.

Facilitate Good Ventilation

Ventilate your home sufficiently to allow fresh air to come in. Fresh air circulation cleans and purifies the  air. Cooking, cleaning, using hair spray, and polishing your nails can release volatile organic compounds that are linked to a variety of health problems. Use exhaust hoods or fans in the kitchen and bathroom to reduce your exposure and minimize humidity that can cause mold and mildew. Poor ventilation can allow pollutants to stay in the air and you are constantly breathing this unhealthy air.

Keep outside pollutants out

Make it a habit to remove your shoes outside your door as people pick up many outdoor pollutants with their shoes and these pollutants can enter your home and make the indoor air polluted. Infact in India culturally we have been doing this.

No smoking
Don't smoke or allow others to do so in your home. More than air pollution it has adverse impact on one’s health. It makes sense to make your house a no-smoking zone. If you are are a smoker, it is certainly a good idea to try quitting it now.

Eliminate odours 
Find the source of bad smells and clean it up instead of trying to mask them. Whenever possible, use a box of baking soda in the area instead of air fresheners, which cost more and can contain VOCs and phthalates. Whenever we get a foul smell we pick up the air freshner and get overboard with it.

Seal what you can 
Seal cracks and crevices and put food away. This will keep the pests away and reduce the need to use pesticides which are harmful chemicals. In case you need to use pesticides use the ones that are environmental and human friendly.

Limit chemical usage

Laundry detergents, cleaning agents and air fresheners can make your house and clothes clean and smell good. But with the repeated use of these products the indoor air quality will deteriorate significantly. It’s a good idea to use fragrance-free or naturally scented detergents and air fresheners to control the release of these chemicals in the air.

Go Green

Use eco friendly products at home specially cleaning agents or air purifiers. Plants can contribute to a healthy air within your home apart from adding to the aesthetics. Indoor plants like aloe Vera, English Ivy , Boston fern, Peace lily etc  are known to purify air naturally. Not only will your house look green but you’ll also breathe purer air.

Paint your home

Paint can purify the air, doesn’t this come as a surprise to you? In fact it can be a solution that you were looking for a long time. Asian paints have come out with a handy solution in maintaining indoor air quality.

• It’s Activated Carbon technology reduces harmful pollutant Formaldehyde and makes air cleaner.It is tested and proved by third party lab that Royale Atmos can reduce formaldehyde levels by 80-85% in 24 hours under standard test conditions. Further it will continue to reduce formaldehyde for up to 2 years post application!
• It makes air fresher by absorbing malodors and foul smell.
• It gives smooth matt finish to walls and has a fragrance, instead of regular chemical smell.
• It comes with Green Assure Seal which means that it is VOC safer and environmentally friendlier.
• It is equipped with Teflon which imparts excellent stain and scrub resistance.

Now decorate and purify your home in your favourite colour  with Asian Paints RoyaleAtmos 

#RoyaleAtmos  #CleanAirBeautifulHomes

Visit https://www.asianpaints.com/atmos  for more details.

PS. Pictures are taken from Google