Make yours a healthy home
Simple tips from our decades of involvement with health-conscious homeowners

Windows
Have tight, effective double glazed windows. They'll insulate and give you uniform temperatures
without condensation. Dust-gathering curtains are simply unnecessary.
Insist on generous ‘upwind’ and ‘downwind’ windows for good cross cross ventilation.

Air infiltration
Avoid air gaps that cause draughts. Fill with insulation or tape them over. Have a tightly built
home with tightly fitting windows. In dusty, humid or allergen prone locations, consider mechanically filtered air from heat recovery ventilators.

Timber Floors & Rugs
Use scatter rugs which can be taken outside for cleaning in the sunlight to kill dust mites. Wipe
the floor with a damp cloth.

Carpets
Carpets can harbor 500,000 dust mites per m2. Synthetic carpets retain less moisture but will
contain as many mites as any other carpet material. Steam clean or use a vacuum cleaner
with effective filters (i.e. under .5 microns) or better still a central vacuum system, which will
remove all dust to the outside of your home.

Dampness
The drier and more ventilated the sub floor the healthier your home. Damp leads to mould and
mould spores are very toxic to allergic people and can cause serious sickness, fatigue, fever,
wheezing, runny noses etc. Get more sunlight inside.

Paints
For your family’s sake, it is worth investing in low allergy, low toxicity, water based varnishes,
stains and paints. Ask for paints that use natural ingredients, and are free of volatile chemicals
like toluene, xylene and glycol.

Extractor Fans
Ask and check! Your range hood and bathroom fans must exhaust moisture and fumes outside
your home. Reject recirculating systems that simply send moisture back into your rooms, walls
or roofing. Make sure they have draught excluders fitted to prevent energy waste.

Flooring
Use paints that are low in solvents. Insulate under the floor with “foil board” or equivalent. We
are constantly amazed at how little attention people give to this huge area of cold and draught
under their feet.

Heating & Humidity
If you have an energy efficient home you'll need negligible heating. Ask us for advice on heating
systems. Keep relative humidity below 55% to reduce dust mites. Make sure tumble clothes
dryers are ventilated to the outside or they will dramatically increase humidity.

Horizontal Surfaces
As much as possible design them out of your home… they gather dust. For example
bulkheads in kitchens, louvers, horizontal venetians, open shelves … all dust gatherers.

Shower Screens
Specify glass with smooth edges rather than aluminium frames which are hard to clean and
harbor mould.

Insulation
Insulation works by trapping air in the tiny spaces between fibres. Use batts in the ceiling
instead of loose insulation which tends to slump over time, losing its thermal performance.
Walls are as important as ceilings. To eliminate draughts, be fanatical about taping gaps in your
wall insulation, e.g where plumbing and electricity enter the building. Let your builder know
exactly what you require because you are the one who has to live with the results.

Indoor plants
Plants can soak up poisonous “off gassing” - but you need a lot of them to make a significant
difference to air quality. Look for plants like philodendron, spider plant, golden pathos, and
English ivy…

Watering
Drip watering instead of garden sprays will conserve water and reduce the incidence of asthmacausing
pollens in the air.

Garages
Dont have a diect door between garage and home. Build some sort of ‘breezeway’ instead.
The convenience of a direct door is outweighed by the risk of motoring and chemical fumes
seeping into your living areas. Protect yourself from the fumes of from benzine, carbon
monoxide, fertilizers, weed killers, cleaners and paints; all commonly kept in the garage.

Toxic Substances
Make it a habit to keep these out of places like the laundry or under the house where vapor can
leak into your living environment.

Ceiling Height and Fans
Make your living room ceilings higher than 2.4 metres so you can fit ceiling fans for improved
air circulation and energy conservation, winter and summer.

Lights
Shop carefully for energy-effient lights that are easy to clean, minimal dust collectors. Avoid the
old-style, cheap halogen downlights which are a disaster for your insulated ceiling. They need
a 300mm hole in the insulation for heat transfer and electrical ballast. This halves the insulation
value in your ceiling! Newer lights including LEDs and fluorescent.

Pesticides
Be careful with the poisons you use. Under or around your home, choose natural insect
repellents, wherever possible.

Pets
Not in the bedroom and ideally outside if you have allergies. Cats and dogs often release
dander into the air, which is easily inhaled and feeds dust mites.

Noise
Noise interrupts sleep and produces daytime stress. In a tightly built house, CertainTeed double
glazing cuts outside noise by 50 to 75 per cent.

Fumes
Poorly vented gas stoves, car exhaust fumes and some heating systems are major sources of
carbon monoxide in the home. Many household items and products contain formaldehyde and
other volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) - particle board, plywood, paint, textiles, glues,
solvents and cleaners. Some countries, won’t allow some of these chemicals. Use your
windows to regularly refresh the air in your home.

Disabilities
Half the population over the age of 65 suffers from a disability. Future-proof your home by
making it disability-friendly from the start. A good book on the subject is “Welcome Design Ideas
for Accessible Homes” @ $35.00 available from Building Commission Victoria.