Improvement tips for a healthier home environment

And while it's not good for our health to live in a totally sterile environment, bacteria and mould thrive in dirty messy homes, which can lead to illnesses, especially bronchial and respiratory ones. Too much dust too can lead to and exacerbate allergies. So if we want to keep ourselves and our families fit and healthy, let's not stint on regular cleaning and de-cluttering.

And the latter is crucial if we feel we're living in an overcrowded space because having room to breathe, physically and metaphorically, is important if home is going to be a place we want to be. So if we look around and see tons of stuff crowding in on us, think skip.

A healthy home isn't just about cleaning of course, there are plenty of other things we can do to keep the home healthy:

Bring nature inside
Plenty of peer-reviewed academic studies show that nature has a positive impact on our health. Spending even a few minutes a day outdoors and connecting with nature lowers stress levels, calms down nerves and keeps us in a positive frame of mind. If we're lucky enough to have a garden, then we should tend and use it. And everyone should try to bring a bit of nature indoors, in the form of houseplants and flowers - they look lovely and can help purify the air indoors. Get as much natural light inside as you can, so pull up blinds or draw curtains - too many of us live like Dracula and recoil from sunlight!  And open the windows to get fresh air in - even in winter it's worth ventilating rooms for a few minutes a day.

Create a private workspace
Many of us are continuing to work from home, as it can be more convenient and better for home/life balance, not to mention the huge savings made from not having to pay peak time rail fares. So it really is worth carving out an area of the home as our own workspace, where we won't be interrupted. Use clever sound-proof panelling to enclose even the smallest space, which you can designate as the office - that way you won't be distracted by family goings on. Think creatively - there's usually a better alternative to sitting on the sofa with a laptop on our knees.

Rid your home of mess and clutter
A cluttered home affects us physically and mentally. It's distracting to have stuff piled up everywhere and the more stuff we have, the more dust will gather on it. So we should be bold and ruthless and get rid of items we don't use and which take up space. Donate unwanted clothes to  charity shops or take them to the recycling centre. And we should all be more conscious when we're out shopping and stop ourselves from buying things we don't need and won't use for long. In other words distinguish between a fleeting want and need. Decluttered tidy rooms are a source of joy. For most of us anyway..