Click any handout to view and print. All content is educational only and does not constitute medical advice.
Most of the time, plain soap and water is all you need. A single wipe with liquid soap reduces viral contamination by 1–4 log₁₀. Chemical disinfectants are for when someone in your household is actively sick — not for everyday use.
| Situation | What to use |
|---|---|
| Everyday surfaces, counters, floors | Soap and water or pH-neutral fragrance-free cleaner |
| Someone in the house is sick | 3% hydrogen peroxide — spray, wait 5–10 minutes, wipe. Breaks down to water and oxygen. |
| Genuine medical need (immunocompromised household member) | Dilute bleach — use with ventilation, avoid spraying |
| Never for routine use | Antibacterial sprays and wipes containing quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) |
QACs (quaternary ammonium compounds) — the active ingredient in most antibacterial sprays and wipes (look for benzalkonium chloride on the label) — have been detected in human blood at measurable concentrations, and in breast milk. Research links them to:
Synthetic fragrance is the number one cause of allergic contact dermatitis from household products in North America. Fragrance chemicals are also released into the air as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which are linked to asthma, rhinitis, and eczema in children.
A large US study (3,000+ mother-child pairs) found that prenatal paraben exposure was linked to higher rates of eczema in babies. Choose fragrance-free, paraben-free products for shampoo, lotion, and body wash during pregnancy.
Phone use during pregnancy appears low-risk at current evidence levels. A precautionary approach: use speakerphone or wired headset, avoid carrying the phone against the body.
Prenatal and perinatal home renovation, new paint, new flooring, and new furniture are associated with increased wheeze, rhinitis, and eczema in preschoolers, with a dose-response relationship. If unavoidable, maximise ventilation and avoid being in the space during and immediately after work.
The AAP recommends fragrance-free, dye-free, essential oil-free for all products that contact baby's skin.
The bacteria living in your gut shape how your immune system works. A landmark Stanford University study showed that eating more fermented foods — over 10 weeks — increased gut bacterial diversity and lowered 19 markers of inflammation. Two dietary strategies work together: fermented foods bring new beneficial bacteria, and high-fiber foods feed the good bacteria already there.
Look for "live and active cultures" on the label. Refrigerated fermented foods are more likely to contain live bacteria. Shelf-stable versions are often pasteurised and lack live cultures.
Gut bacteria break down fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) — powerful substances that calm inflammation and strengthen your immune system. Children with the highest SCFA levels at age 1 had significantly less asthma, eczema, and food allergies by age 6.
Research links ultra-processed foods to increased rates of asthma, eczema, and food allergies in children. Common food additives — emulsifiers like carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80 — have been shown in human studies to alter gut bacteria and disrupt the gut lining.
Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that bypasses digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the colon, producing butyrate — the primary fuel for the cells that line your colon and one of the strongest anti-inflammatory molecules made in the gut.
Every culture in the world has traditional fermented foods — foods transformed by beneficial bacteria for thousands of years. Modern research confirms what traditional food cultures have always known. The goal is not to change what you eat, but to recognise and keep the foods that are doing the most good.
Traditional food systems — including dried fish prepared using traditional outdoor methods, wild game, and wild berries — harbour significantly more diverse microbial communities than industrial equivalents. Research shows that traditional food consumption explains meaningful variation in gut microbiome composition. Wild berries (blueberries, cranberries, cloudberries) are exceptional sources of polyphenols that feed Akkermansia muciniphila, one of the most beneficial gut bacteria for metabolic health.
Living in a cluttered, disorganised space keeps your stress system switched on. Your body releases cortisol in response to environmental chaos — and elevated cortisol shrinks the part of your brain responsible for memory and learning (the hippocampus). Research shows students in chaotic living environments score lower on tests of executive function: the mental skills you need for planning, focus, time management, and problem-solving.
When you leave food waste, beer cans, and bottles sitting out — and keep windows closed — your room fills with volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In a controlled study, people in high-VOC rooms scored 61% lower on cognitive tests than people in clean-air rooms. With adequate ventilation, scores jumped 101%.
VOC exposure is also linked to depression. Young adults are among the most vulnerable subgroups.
Decomposing organic matter releases aldehydes and other VOCs that directly impair concentration and worsen mood. Your nose adapts to bad smells over time, so you may not notice how bad it is — but your brain does. Empty food waste daily.
An analysis of 45 separate meta-analyses (9.9 million people total) found that eating more ultra-processed food was associated with significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, and cognitive difficulties. This is independent of other factors. The association is dose-dependent — more UPF, more risk.
Ultra-processed foods also directly alter your gut bacteria in ways that increase brain inflammation. This is the gut-brain axis: what you eat changes your gut microbiome, which changes the signals sent to your brain, which changes how you feel and how well you think.
You don't need to become a neat freak. These five daily actions address the specific biological pathways that are harming you:
Phone use during pregnancy appears low-risk. Precautionary approach: use speakerphone or wired headset; avoid carrying phone against the body.
A 2025 dose-response meta-analysis (45 studies, 335,524 participants) found:
| Age | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Under 18 months | No screens except video calling |
| 18–24 months | High-quality content only, always co-viewed with parent |
| 2–5 years | ≤1 hour/day of high-quality programming |
| 6+ years | Individualised Family Media Plan — screen-free bedroom, screen-free 1 hour before bed |
| Children with diabetes | ≤2 hours/day nonacademic screen time, no screens in bedroom |
| Children with epilepsy | Higher refresh rate screens (120 Hz), reduced brightness, content restrictions, limit duration |
| Age | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Under 18 months | No screens except video calls with family |
| 18 months – 2 years | High-quality content only, always watched together with a parent |
| 2–5 years | No more than 1 hour per day of high-quality content |
| Look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Screen refresh rate 120 Hz | Safer for eyes and significantly reduces seizure risk — now standard on most mid-range phones |
| Built-in parental controls | Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link, Samsung Kids — all free, built into the OS |
| Night mode / warm display | Reduces blue light and melatonin suppression after sunset |
| Active noise-cancelling headphones | Prevents children raising volume to dangerous levels in noisy environments |
All phones sold legally in your country meet radiation safety standards. However, phones emit much more radiation in areas with weak signal (1–2 bars). Use speakerphone or a wired headset when signal is poor.