Tips for a Healthier Home from Entrepreneur and Designer Bryn Carden
Originally published on resticmagazine.com.
Health is a critical part of life and should not be ignored until a doctor says otherwise. The idea of staying healthy usually leads to concepts revolving around eating right or daily exercise. Bryn Carden advocated for the importance of health and wellness during her time as Miss Kemah Teen USA, which continues to be a lifestyle she passionately promotes. Now, as a university student, entrepreneur, and practicing designer, she realizes that health goes beyond diet and physical activity and includes living spaces.
Harvard Health professionals found that the average American occupies what they call home for sixty-five percent of their life. That percentage increased drastically during the pandemic, making it that much clearer how essential home health is to an individual’s overall health. To get a better grasp on how to design or alter a home with health in mind, Carden lists a few helpful tips:
1. Start with the Air
Breathe easier in the home by making minor adjustments to typical routines. Keep dirt and dust at bay as much as possible by taking shoes off by the door. When the weather prevails, opening windows to allow fresh air to circulate is excellent for the respiratory system and improves air quality and ventilation when spending the day at home. Open windows also allow natural light to come in and a sense of connection with nature to fill the rooms, benefitting mental health. Home dwellers will breathe a third of their entire life’s air in one particular room. This room is the bedroom, so it is crucial for one’s health to try and train the brain to reserve the bedroom for sleep rather than work, watching TV, or any other daily activities that can take place elsewhere in the home. An air purifier effectively decreases indoor air pollution and is a smart addition to the bedroom, let alone any room.
2. Be Mindful with Cleaning Products
Cleaning products with harmful chemicals are not the best to breathe in, especially for pets and children. It is best to try and keep toxic products used for cleaning out of the home to decrease accidental ingestions between kiddos and animals as well as to ensure a healthy home environment. There are more mindful choices available now in stores everywhere than ever before to take advantage of that are toxic-free and environmentally friendly, such as plant-based cleaning products. Some brands to look out for that fall into this category include Ecover and Method. There are also do-it-yourself recipes available online that only use natural ingredients to create effective cleaning products.
3. Paint the Walls Calm
Just like a mood ring changes colors depending on the mood of who is wearing it, the idea works in reverse as psychologists’ say a person’s mood can be affected by the colors. With that in mind, a healthy home should support positive mental health, which is why it is vital to pay attention to what colors spark happy feelings and incorporate them around the house. When picking out what colors to paint the walls, focusing on the colors that impact one’s mood is more proactive than choosing a color based on a current fad or design trend.
About Bryn Carden
Bryn Carden is a young entrepreneur and philanthropist with a passion for real estate and design. She is currently studying at Neeley School of Business, pursuing a major in Finance with a Real Estate Concentration. Besides working towards her degree, she has already begun her entrepreneurial journey as a co-founder of BF Hats and a creator of Styles for Smiles — a company selling bracelets to help fund cleft palate operations for children in developing countries.
