How Healthy is Your House?

A visual guide to the home health hazards you should be aware of.

With our increasingly urgent need for wellbeing indoors, healthy and rejuvenating spaces are more important – and to more people – than ever before.

A house now needs to be not only a welcoming home, but a sanctuary, a safe haven and a health-supporting retreat - all rolled into one.

From its setting (rural or urban, waterside or atop a hill), to the building materials it’s made from, the electronic devices used inside, and all of the hectic daily activities - cooking, washing, heating, bathing - that go on within its four walls, each house is characterised by a unique set of environmental conditions. This uniqueness means that it can be difficult to know where to begin when trying to locate problem areas such as sources of damp, electromagnetic radiation or air pollution.

To help you make your home as revitalising and supportive of your health as possible, we’re going through the keyhole - providing a visual guide to reveal some hazards you need to be aware of if you really want to optimise your living space.

Hazards to look out for include...

Entrance Hall

1. Synthetic home fragrances such as plug-in diffusers can give off toxic fumes
2. Cabinets placed close to the wall can hide mould growth due to a lack of air circulation
3. Shoes left on door mats or stored on racks can bring in traces of allergens, pesticides, pollen and industrial chemicals

Living Room

1. Cordless home phones emit radio frequency electromagnetic radiation including (typically) the base even when not in use
2. Dimmer lights are a key source of ‘dirty electricity’
3. Carpets are treated with industrial chemicals and can give off allergy-inducing particles
4. Smart TVs & games consoles emit high levels of wireless radiation and sleep-disrupting blue light
5. Dog beds are often full of asthma-triggering allergens like pet hair and dander, plus traces of toxic flea treatments
6. Chemical flame retardants used on sofas and armchairs give-off invisible toxic gases
7. Fireplaces release smoke

Kitchen

1. Steam-creating hobs cause increased humidity
2. An abundance of electrical appliances - microwave, kettle, fridge, toaster, dishwasher - means elevated levels of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and dirty electricity
3. Damp kitchen walls are a mould spore hot-spot
4. Tap water can contain contaminants including chlorine, fluoride and pharmaceuticals
5. Smart meters pulse unwanted electromagnetic radiation

Adults bedroom

1. Mobile phones, radio clocks and digital readers give off EMFs and sleep-disrupting blue light
2. Allergy-inducing dust mites are found in mattresses, pillows and carpets
3. Condensation from overnight respiration and perspiration can lead to mouldy windows
4. Metal bed frames can act as an EMF conductor
5. Bright bedside lamps can cause artificial stimulation
6. Moth repellents and clothing care products give off noxious chemicals
7. WiFi routers radiate powerful EMFs, even through walls
8. VOCs present in laundry detergent and drycleaning fluid (Perchloroethylene) can trigger chemical sensitivities

Children’s bedroom

1. Appliances downstairs (smart meter, fridge, microwave) can cause EMFs to radiate upwards
2. Baby monitors give off powerful electromagnetic radiation
3. Flat-packed and mass-produced furniture (cots included) are often coated with toxic substances, from flame retardants to varnishes and glues

Bathroom

1. Damp corners, grouting in between tiles and the areas beneath lino are magnets for mould
2. Water-repellant paint, cleaning sprays and air fresheners are all packed with synthetic, toxic chemicals
3. Cosmetics and personal care products also contain a cocktail of harmful chemicals

Home Office

1. Laptop and mobile phones give off EMFs, whilst their screens emit sleep-disrupting blue light
2. WiFi routers radiate powerful EMFs
3. Wireless printers, keyboards and mouse all transmit wireless radiation
4. Pressed wood (MDF), synthetic building materials can give off formaldehyde ( form of VOCs)

Attic room

1. Heat is often lost through a poorly insulated roof
2. Drying laundry creates humidity and encourages mould
3. Wiring for lighting circuits in ceiling below emits dirty electricity
4. Water ingress can cause damp issues
5. A lack of natural daylight can disrupt our internal body clock

Driveway

1. Antifreeze, and fertilisers or pesticides from gardening products, can give off toxic fumes
2. Paints, varnishes, building materials, fuels and car care products stored in a garage emit harmful chemicals

Building composition

Today, buildings are composed of approximately:

• 20% mineral materials (stone, clay, lime)
• 5% plant based materials (straw, wood, cork)
• 75% synthetic materials (concrete, steel, plastics)

Heat Loss

Heat loss from building envelope (on average):

• 25% through roof
• 35% through walls
• 10% through floor
• 30% through windows and doors

Radiators

1. Radiators heat the room, encouraging off-gassing of evaporated toxins and fumes from carpets and furniture - including the paint on the radiator itself

Walls

1. Non-breathable insulation/drywall/pressed wood, combined with structural elements like glues mean increased levels of Volatile Organic Compounds e.g. benzene, formaldehyde, methylene chloride
2. Wiring in wall cavity emits EMFs and dirty electricity
3. Water droplets in wall cavity can cause peeling wallpaper and mould on the internal wall face - particularly in the corner of a room

Closed windows

1. Heat is often lost through poor window glazing
2. Closed windows can increase condensation build-up, encouraging damp and mould

Open windows

1. Allergens, including pollen, are carried in on the breeze
2. Outdoor air pollution, such as noxious car exhaust fumes, can flow in too
3. Dangerous contaminants like asbestos and formaldehyde can also enter from the outside in

In the distance

1. Telephone masts and wires are well-known sources of electromagnetic radiation
2. Industrial stations can give off toxic fumes

Below the ground

1. Underground water courses and subterranean geology can give off radon and natural magnetic fields - often leading to increased geopathic stress

How can we help?

Do you suffer from allergies or unexplained symptoms?

Are you worried about dangerous levels of chemicals and toxins?

Our home consultancy services are here to help.

Receive personalised advice on how to create revitalising living environments with our tailored home consultancy service. Placing your health and home at the forefront with our bespoke approach, we get to know you and understand your individual concerns, needs and aspirations.

Discover home consultancy

Virtual EMF Surveys via Video Call

We can offer you a virtual EMF Survey of your house with one of our qualified EMF Surveyors. We will send you a meter and detailed instructions how to take readings around your house. When you have done this, you will have a video call with one of our surveyors who will chat through the results with you and provide you with full recommendations for 5G/WIFI/EMF shielding and mitigation. Get in touch for more details.