Food LionHealthy Home
Air, allergies and achoos
Did you know that tens of millions of Americans suffer from asthma and allergies? Many of the most common allergy-causing culprits are found right in and around your home, including mold, mildew, pet dander, dust mites, cockroaches and pollen. Fortunately, a few simple steps can take the punch away from these pesky allergens.
Rooms for Improvement
Here are tips for keeping the rooms in your home healthy, from the doors you enter, to the furniture you relax on, to the air you breathe.
Entryways 
Kitchen & Bathroom
Around the House
The Basement
Keeping It Clean
• Keep cloths and sponges clean Believe it or not, the very items you use to clean - cloths and sponges - could be spreading bacteria. Wash cloths frequently in your washing machine in hot water. Zap damp, metal-free sponges in the microwave for two minutes every other day to kill bacteria.
• Watch where germs surface Germs can lurk on all kinds of surfaces for hours and even days. Today, we have an arsenal of powerful cleaners at our disposal for killing germs.
When choosing cleaners:
• Read the labels Some ingredients in powerful cleaning products may irritate eyes, lungs and more. To prevent this, look for no- or low-VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds-chemicals recognized as potentially harmful) cleaners. Also, you can choose from hundreds of products with the Design for the Environment label. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has designated these products as safer for families and the environment. Another label to look for: Green Seal, a nonprofit science-based environmental certification.
• Don't overuse antibacterial and antimicrobials It may seem counter-intuitive, but antibacterial and antimicrobial soaps and disinfectants that help keep germs away can also make germs more drug-resistant. So try not to go overboard with these products.
• Listen to Mom What is your best defense against germs? It's what moms have been advising for generations: Wash your hands frequently with regular soap and hot water, especially after touching heavily used surfaces like kitchen counters, remote controls and phones.
The EPA designates DfE products as safer for families and the environment.
A nonprofit science-based environmental certification.
If every household in the U.S. replaced a regular lightbulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, the pollution reduction would be equivalent to removing 1,000,000 cars from the road.
