Kimberly Button - The Everything Guide to a Healthy Home

Dear Reader,

Ever wonder why so many people seem to be so sick in todays day and age? I do. Especially because I had cancer when I was three years old, and then had fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome starting in college. These are some pretty major illnesses for anyone, but they all occurred in me before the age of twenty-five. And I am not alone. When modern medicine failed to treat my conditions, I started doing research myself in the quest to be healthy and well again. What I found were shocking and horrifying accounts of what is allowed to be in your home and how these things can affect your health. All of the information is out there in black and white for anyone to find, yet the toxins and health hazards that are now entwined in the average Americans life are never reported or talked about. It is possible to protect your health and your familys health without giving up what you love, and I am happy to show you the way. I have done it, and I am here to say that you can, too!

Kimberly Button

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PUBLISHER Karen Cooper
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GUIDE TO A
HEALTHY HOME

All you need to protect yourself and your family
from hidden household dangers

Kimberly Button

To Daniel, for always encouraging me to follow my dreams
and believing that I can achieve them. I love you so much.

To Mom, Dad, and Carrie, for always being proud
of me and for their constant love and support.
Just look at how far I have come!

So much of the work that brings to light the shocking hazards that are allowed to be in our homes every day is thanks to the unending efforts of The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization striving to protect public health. Many thanks to the EWG for supplying easy-to-read research about hard-hitting topics in commonsense terms that we can all understand.

Sincere thanks also goes to the organizations that work relentlessly every day to force policy changes that protect the health and safety of adults and children whom they might never know, but whose well-being they always strive to protect. The resources of Beyond Pesticides, The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, and Healthy Child Healthy World have provided invaluable research and guidance. Thank you for all that you do.

Open your windows and doors. Fresh air from outside will push air polluted with chemicals, allergens, and mold out of your home.

Harness the power of the sun. The harsh heat of direct sunlight effectively kills dust mites that live in bedding and upholstery and can cause indoor allergies.

Know what is in your water. Each year community water systems must tell you what pollutants, if any, are in your drinking and bath water so you can know what you are exposed to.

Reposition your furniture. Move beds and other pieces of furniture on which you spend a lot of time away from electrical power boxes and other places with high EMF fields.

Vacuum and sweep regularly. Dust, dirt, allergens, and chemicals settle from the air onto your floor each day, so removing them removes your exposure to the offenders.

Kill germs with just soap and water. Viruses, bacteria, and other nasty germs are most effectively killed using simple ingredients instead of hand sanitizers or other harsh chemicals.

Clean with ingredients already in your home. Nontoxic food-based ingredients such as vinegar, as well as a common medicine cabinet ingredient such as hydrogen peroxide, can kill germs and remove grime without toxic exposures.

Pull weeds and rake leaves. Eliminate the health hazards of yard work by reducing your use of chemical-based lawn products and the toxic fumes of gas-powered lawn equipment.

Eliminate and prevent mold. Clean visible mold with detergent and water, and prevent molds from developing by drying spills and leaks as soon as possible.

Use a comb and soapy water to kill fleas. Flea-killing products used on your pets and around your home are pesticides that can expose your entire family to unnecessary chemicals.

HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED and wondered why everyone seems so sick lately? From soaring obesity, diabetes, and asthma rates to increases in allergies and digestive disturbances, the number of people who have some type of medical complaint certainly feels a lot higher than in previous years. And these are not just minor inconveniences, like the common cold. The health problems facing society today are long-term and life-changing, costing billions of dollars each year and causing emotional harm to countless families.

While there is a great emphasis on eating right and exercising in order to stay healthy and prevent disease, those are not the only answers. Your health is not made up entirely of just what you eat or the amount of activity that you get. The places where you work and live and sleep also comprise a large portion of your health. Your home, workplace, and school can greatly impact your well-being. The quality of air inside these buildings is the very air that you breathe to stay alive each day. The countless surfaces that you touch, from your keyboard to the cutting board, are full of organisms and residues that can end up inside of you. Invisible things like mold and dust mites can be major health offenders. It is time to realize that your home, as well as your homes away from home, are integral pieces of the puzzle of your true health.