Wellness: 4 easy ways to make your entire home healthier (no, really – it’s a thing)

January is traditionally a month where most of us are trying to make ourselves a little healthier.

After the indulgences in December and over the festive season, many of us swear to live a little cleaner come January. So from giving up booze for the month, or taking part in Veganuary, or starting to run, this is a month where, for many of us, getting healthy is at the top of the agenda. But – you guys – how healthy is your home? Yep, that's right. Did you ever stop to think that how you live your life at home could also be impacting your overall health? Especially these days, when we are spending more time at home than ever before. So don't just pat yourself on your back if you have tidied and tackled your wardrobe and junk drawers – here are four more (easy) things you can do to ensure your home is as healthy and toxin-free as possible. 1. Never again wear shoes inside the house We have said it before and I say it again – shoes inside the house is seriously gross. I mean, do you ever stop to think about what you step in when you walk around your local park/Tesco/shopping centre toilets? Let me give you a hint? It's vile – and what you don't want, is all that all over your carpets, floors and – inevitably – furniture and even bed. In fact, studies have shown that our shoes can carry over 421,000 units of bacteria including coliform and E. coli, lawn herbicides, and coal tar which are then tracked into our home. Grossed out? You should be. Make it a habit to remove your shoes the minute you step foot inside – and get a shoe rack for your hallway to inform guests to do the same. That's what shoe racks are for. 2. Go buy more plants Not only are green plants just about the trendiest thing you can have in your home right now, but they are also brilliant for keeping the air fresh and clean in your house. Plants can help to purify your indoor air as they absorb harmful toxins from the air produced by synthetic building materials, furnishings, carpet, household cleaners, as well as the carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide. Oh, and it gets better too. On top of keeping your air clean, plants have also been shown to increase mood, make us more productive, reduce stress, increase wellness and overall make your home a better, calmer and happier place to be! 3. Switch to clean cleaning products This has so long been a real bugbear of mine – I cannot fathom how people willingly spray toxins and chemicals into the air and onto surfaces of their homes?! Like – really? Take a look at the back of the bottles of your cleaning supplies, and you might just change your mind. We are talking some seriously horrible chemicals with the potential to disturb your hormones, harm your skin, and, when flushed out in the sink, also destroy marine life and the environment. Time to stop. Especially now, when you can your hands on cleaner, greener cleaning products so much easier – or even make your own! A personal favourite is Lilly's Eco Clean – and I love how they are an Irish company too! 4. Throw out your cheap candles Yes, they make your home smell better – but at what cost? Conventional candles (the cheap, heavily scented kind) are no better than air fresheners, and are most often loaded with artificial fragrance, as well as a host of other toxic chemicals. Which, you know, isn't really what you want to be inhaling at home. Or anywhere, for that matter. A much better alternative is to diffuse natural essential oils in a diffuser. We love this one from Irish wellness brand deDanú.  As for candles, make sure your buy ones that have a natural, organic soy base, has a natural wick and use essential oils for fragrance. Yes, they are more expensive, but they are far better for your health, will burn cleaner and even last longer. Luckily, there are many amazing ones to pick from these days, like my favourite ones from (again, an Irish company) Clean Slate.