Increasing the “Ahhhhhhh” Factor

How good is that feeling? You know; the feeling when you have been out all day and you come home and it’s cool and quiet and you just plop down on the couch and say “Ahhhhhhhhhh!”. You can feel the energy in the house being so different from the outside world. It is calmer, slower, encouraging you to relax and unwind after a hard day.

Well, that’s how is should feel.

I know it can be hard with a handful of children and pets rampaging around the house, treating it like an indoor obstacle course, a battle field, or blank canvas ripe for the decorating. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find some peace between the plastic action figures and breakfast plates. There are simple things you can do to make your home feel like a nicer place to come home to- action figures and all. What I’m talking about is changing the environment of your home.

Everything you put in your house adds to it’s environment, it’s feeling and it’s atmosphere. Think about cleaning for example. How do you feel after spending half an hour scrubbing the bath out with bleach? That headache behind the eyes, and the chemical whiff of toxins in the air doesn’t really make the satisfaction of a sparkling tub quite as worthwhile for me. The range available now for natural household cleaning products is huge! Many of them use plant surfactants to break up grime and essential oils to kill bacteria and scent the products. Head to your local health food store, or even your supermarket and you will see a growing range of non-toxic natural cleaners covering all your house hold cleaning needs.

An inexpensive alternative is to really get into using bicarbonate soda, eucalyptus oil and white vinegar to keep your house sparkling. Clove oil kills mould, so there is no need to run for the chemical laden products when the shower starts getting funky. Yes it may take a little bit more elbow grease, but the pay off is worth it. Imagine walking into the bathroom which smells faintly of clove and eucalyptus instead of bleach! Another bonus is that you will be helping to save the planet. No more washing nasty chemicals down the drain to poison the fishies. If you have pest problems or if your place has a mandatory pest control requirement, always ask for natural, non-toxic pest exterminators which are now widely available at almost the same price as the chemical companies. Saying you have allergies is a great way to get around difficult landlords – that one’s from experience!

Another major source of environmental pollution in your home can be from carpets and paints. If you have the opportunity of building or renovating, a huge step in reducing your environmental toxin exposure is to choose natural, environmentally friendly paint, and carpet. The smell after you’ve painted or laid new carpet is actually the release of ingredients known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).  These VOCs include such toxic compounds such as benzene, formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene, and xylene, all of which can pose a risk to your health. The stronger the smell, the higher the levels of VOCs. Many companies are now providing alternative, natural products. The benefit of which is that most are low allergen AND environmentally sustainable! Imagine coming home to your new house, and not having that new paint smell hit you like a brick wall the moment you enter the door.

Two of the big contributors to the feel of your house are electrical interference and electromagnetic radiation. Electrical equipment of any kind produces positive ions. The more electrical equipment you have plugged in and switched on, the more positive ions your house environment will contain. Positive ions can make us feel drained, tired and edgy. Think of how you feel after a full day in front of the computer or under the fluorescent lights. Then think of how good it feels to walk along the beach. The ocean air is brimming with negative ions- which help in cancelling out positive ions and bringing us back into balance. You can noticeably change your home environment by switching off and unplugging all electrical equipment you are not using (saving money at the same time!!).

An important tip is to keep all electrical items out of the bedroom, or as far as possible away from the bed if something NEEDS to be there. Removing these positive ions producers can actually improve your sleep as my partner found out when comparing our bedrooms. His room is brimming with a huge TV, computer, bed side lamps, XBOX, bed-side clock, and mobile phone chargers. Although he never has trouble sleeping, he found that when he came to my place (free from all these thing) his sleep was deeper and more refreshing than he has ever experienced before!

Another fantastic way to change the electrical environment of your home is through the use of a salt lamp. These are huge lumps of pink Himalayan salt with a tiny globe inside. The moisture in the air is attracted to the salt, which then evaporates off the surface due to the globes warmth. This releases negative ions into the environment (just like ocean air) and counteracts the positive ions to neutralise the electromagnetic field. Depending on the size of your house you may need more than one to notice the full benefits. Try keeping it in the room that has the most electrical equipment and keeping it on constantly. Coming home can be as relaxing as a walk by the ocean!

Bamboo charcoal has become available to help absorb the electromagnetic radiation put out by electrical equipment. These little black cubes can be used for a month or so at a time, then taken outside and placed in the sun for a few hours to be cleansed. Cleansed regularly, the one piece of charcoal should last about a year. It can then go straight in the compost heap.

The environment of your home can be further influenced by scents. Help create a relaxing environment by lighting a soy or beeswax natural candle, scented with essential oils, burning incense, and making sure you allow your house to breathe! Open the windows and doors on a regular basis, creating a crosswind so Mother Nature can blow out all the stale old air. Even if it is just for 15 minutes, you can feel so much more energised through just allowing your house to air.

Give some, or all of these tips a go can really help to transform your house into a home, your special place of sanctuary, the place that makes you go “Ahhhhhhhhh”. Another way to go “Ahhhhhh” is by stepping on and falling over your partners laptop in the dead of night, sneakily poking out from under your side of the bed – but that’s another story!

Is your home your sanctuary? How many areas do you think you could easily improve to give your home a more relaxing and enjoyable feel? Is it a toxic environment, or clean and green?

For more information on organic, green cleaning products visit the Miessence website:

Rhianna