17.08.2018

For nesting new mothers

Expecting parents often find themselves with a multitude of tasks, exciting preparations, and a wealth of new information and experiences. From this point of view, nine months may not seem so much anymore, especially for remodelling one’s home. Childbirth can be a good reason to remodel your home more environmentally consciously, as an infant is far more vulnerable to harmful environmental effects.

But future parents have a lot to worry about, and the last thing they need is to have to consider how much formaldehyde is evaporating from the carpet in the nursery. Formaldehyde is used in bonding agents and adhesives for assembling and manufacturing furniture. It is also present as a preservative in paints. The urea-formaldehyde adhesive is used for products that are made of wood or wood fibres.

Both substances are considered to be carcinogenic. 

Unfortunately, we are now well aware that indoor air contains many chemicals (VOCs). In the United States, a 2008 report by Environment California Research & Policy Center showed that formaldehyde levels released from baby beds, changing tables, and chests of drawers were associated with an increased risk of childhood allergies and asthma.

What can we do?

Try to use natural materials wherever possible. Follow your nose and trust your sense of smell. If anything (a mattress, a toy, or a piece of furniture) smells bad after purchasing, gases are probably still escaping from it. Remove it from the room, then leave it outdoors or in an unused room to air out for at least two weeks before using it. Alternatively, return it to the store for a refund.

Carpet

After a few months, your baby will use the nursery carpet every day. He or she will crawl and play on it all the time, day in and day out. This is why it’s vital to take care when buying the carpet, as well as when cleaning it.
Wherever possible, choose carpets made of natural fibres, organic wool or cotton, coconut fibres, or jute over synthetic carpets (typically made of nylon or polyester). This way, you won’t have to worry about what chemicals or adhesives were used for the carpet.
Avoid toxic carpet cleaning materials as well. Instead, use a steam cleaner and wash the carpets regularly.

New premium-grade steam cleaners such as the Lux Ecolux 115 Steam Cleaner use chemical-free technologies. Dry steam has a number of advantages. It can provide improved cleaning and disinfection performance, prevent fungus more effectively, and cleaned surfaces will dry more quickly. Buying a vacuum cleaner that provides proper deep cleaning will not only ensure that your carpets and floors remain clean and free of contaminants but will also protect your mattresses from dust mites. 
A handy tip for keeping your carpets clean: Simply always take your shoes off when entering the apartment.

Walls

Use VOC-free paint for painting the nursery. According to the WECF, when deciding on a wallpaper, it is important to know that wallpapers made of sawdust can breathe and will therefore not have a negative effect on the air quality of the room. They will last for many years and can be painted and re-painted numerous times. Paints made with natural components can be trickier to use but are also less harmful. Strive for simplicity. Added colours mean more chemicals. Later, you will also find it easier to remove your children’s scribbles from a simple white surface.

Fresh Air

Air out the rooms frequently, let the fresh air in. NASA scientists claim that some plants are able to remove formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air.

Cleaning

Use cleaning supplies that contain natural ingredients and are not harmful to your health. Take advantage of the disinfectant qualities of steam. Choose a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter. After all, what is the point of cleaning if your vacuum cleaner just ends up blowing dust-filled air back into the room?

The Lux S115 vacuum cleaner does more than just clean surfaces: It also purifies the air inside the rooms. Its effective filtration of dust, dirt, mites, and other allergens from carpets, furniture, and other surfaces enables a sustainably clean home environment and makes it especially suitable for people suffering from allergies or asthma. 

Furniture

Avoid using furniture made of pressed wood, wood fibres (made with formaldehyde), or plastic, or furniture with a plastic covering, as these may contain harmful plasticisers. Natural materials remain a great choice for furniture as well. The best choice is solid wood treated with a non-toxic lacquer, oil, or wax.

Sleep

New-born babies spend most of their time sleeping, which is why it is so important to provide them with a healthy sleep environment. Choose bedsheets made of unbleached cotton or natural latex. Use bio-cotton if possible, because traditionally grown cotton puts a significant burden on the environment. Traditional cotton may also contain insecticide and fertiliser residues, whitening agents, dyes, formaldehyde—all substances capable of causing allergies. 

From among all indoor allergens, dust mites are typically the ones that cause the most problems. Dust mites love to nest in mattresses and carpets. They are in fact tiny arachnids living in bedsheets and carpets and feeding off people’s dead skin flakes. Allergic symptoms are actually in reaction to the enzymes in their feces. Make sure that the vacuum cleaner you use to clean your carpets and mattresses has a proper filtration system and is sufficiently strong. In addition, you should occasionally use a steam cleaner as well.

Remove harmful contaminants from the air

If the air of your home is full of tiny dust particles, chemical debris, harmful gases, and vapours, no amount of ventilation will help. Even if you let fresh air into your home, dust particles are deposited on the edges of shelves or on the floor and become stuck in the carpet. However, the right air purifier can remove even the tiniest contaminants from the air.  Modern air purifiers are able to completely remove dust, soot, and pollen particles from the air, even particles smaller than a single micrometre. A good air purifier is able to remove over 99 percent of the particles floating in the air. It is worth choosing a suitable purifier with a certified filter system. 

Lux’s premium quality products have been helping people keep their homes clean and healthy for over 117 years. Our devices allow you to use less chemicals, which not only protects your home from any unnecessary harmful substances, but also lets us protect the environment together. 
Hundreds of thousands of homes have chosen our premium, high-quality products. One of the reasons for this is that we sell our products directly to our customers. We know exactly what problems our customers are trying to solve, and our main goal is to provide solutions to these problems by creating better and better products.

Our Lux Expert Team has been assisting our customers for decades, helping them choose the right devices for their needs, showing them how to use the devices correctly, and providing advice tailored to their unique situation.  You should also feel free to visit our local Lux offices.