Top 10 Ways To Keep Your Home Healthy This Winter

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Nov 15, 2012, 06:00 ET

CHARLOTTE, N.C., Nov. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It's that time of the year again. It's the "most wonderful time of the year," the merriest time of the year and absolutely the most delicious time of the year. Unfortunately, it's also the sickest time of the year. Luckily, easy things like house plants, humidifiers and a SleeProtection™ with Expel® mattress cover can help keep you healthy.

Here are 10 quick things you can do to ensure your house is as healthy as possible this winter:

Wipe commonly touched surfaces with disinfecting wipes. Give doorknobs, TV remotes and other popular surfaces a quick swipe with an antimicrobial wipe.
Add a humidifier. Dry air can cause cracks in your nasal passages, which can make transmission of germs and viruses more likely. Prevent that by plugging in a humidifier!
Change your furnace filters. Ensure that your filter is doing its job of removing particles from the air.
Install a carbon monoxide detector. Now that you're using a gas fireplace, furnace, propane stove or other appliances regularly, be sure to keep an eye on this colorless, odorless gas.
Double check smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. House fires are more likely in the winter, when fireplaces and candles are lit, so be sure you are prepared for an emergency.
Stock your fridge with fresh fruits and veggies. The importance of Vitamin C is no old wives' tale! Keep seasonal foods high in C and calcium, such as kale or clementines, in your mix.
Screw in some new light bulbs. Your body's supply of melatonin increases as sunlight wanes in the winter, which can sometimes cause lethargy or depression. Ward off the winter blues with full-spectrum light bulbs that mimic sunlight.
Get a plant. Air pollution indoors is a concern in the winter, when we are releasing more chemicals from things like candles or fireplaces. A house plant can help remove indoor pollutants from the air.
Freshen naturally with stovetop concoctions. To further reduce indoor pollutants, avoid cleaners with strong fragrances or VOC's. Instead, add a few drops of vanilla extract and some orange slices to two cups of water and heat the mix on the stovetop to sweeten the air.
Add an allergen and critter-thwarting mattress cover. Allergens, dust mites and bedbugs hide out in the warmth of your mattress during the winter. Simply putting a SleeProtection™ mattress cover over your mattress can protect you from these critters and germs that can make you sick while you sleep. In fact, SleeProtection™ with Expel® technology is the only bedding that effectively eradicates and repels bedbugs and dust mites and is completely safe. At $30-50, SleeProtection™ is also an affordable solution to what can become a dangerous and expensive problem!