Cleaning Our Homes, a Ritual for Good Health

Recently I was diagnosed with a slight case of adult onset asthma. Due to this, I have become conscious of the connection between what’s in the air and how it affects my breathing. A person who doesn’t have breathing problems isn’t aware of how dust and other inhalants affect our health. Did you know that domestic bird owners can’t use non-stick coated pans to cook with because the fumes from these pans are toxic to birds? I didn’t know this until a friend got a Parrot. There are many common household cleaning items that they can’t use because of their pet. I was astounded. If a bird reacts to non-stick coatings and household products that way, I wonder how our bodies react to them.

I decided to do a little research to see what I could come up with. I went to my favorite medical information site and entered “Teflon fumes” as a search topic. I was astounded to see the number of articles that came up on this subject. In reading them, I found that in general, non-stick coatings are safe, however, once heated beyond a certain point, the coating begins to break down and become toxic. We are filling our air with toxins. That’s scary!

Back to house dust, however. I like my house clean, although I don’t keep it as clean as I did when I had small children. I’m more of an “anti-clutter” person who just functions better in a tidy environment. Yet, I am beginning to see clean, and as dust free as is rational, as being as much of a health issue as washing my hands regularly is. I have joked a lot about my dust bunnies being family pets. Those “family pets” are inhabited by dust mites. Have you seen a blown up picture of a dust mite? They are scary little microscopic creatures

I sincerely feel that having a new awareness of how keeping our environment cleaner from a health standpoint is valuable and worthy of contemplation whether or not you have breathing problems.