This is about saving lives of young children and older people especially, who are made ill by the condition of their homes and die as a result. Continue reading

.

T

Is it having plentiful sofas, nice neighbours, or perhaps super-fast Wi-Fi? Believe it or not, they all make the list according to a recent study cited on the Be Home Blog.

As well as some (perhaps more surprising?) factors which would seem to make for less family time, but do play a part in preventing tension - for example, everyone having their own phones, or having a lock on the bathroom door.

These above points might seem trivial, but there are others on the list (of 50 - see the full list here) that do resonate with me. Here are my favourites:

Keeping the home tidy

Seems unnecessary? Not so! There's something about being in clean, neat surroundings that calms a person. I've heard it said that the state of your wardrobe reflects the state of your soul - wouldn't it make sense then, that the state of your home affects the state of your mind? It's so much easier to relax in a tidy home - you actually want to be there rather than escape it. I'd say it's one of the foundations for fostering a pleasant environment.

Knowing when to say sorry

There's nothing quite like rising tensions and long-held grudges to kill the mood of a home. If people are upset at each other, everyone can sense it, that's for sure. Admitting being at fault and then apologising is certainly a hard thing to do, but if you're brought up doing this in the little things, then it's easier to do it in the bigger things. I've always tried to apologise and making peace before going to bed. "Don't let the sun set on your anger" and all that. Continue reading

• Tamara Rajakariar in MercatorNet

Tamara Rajakariar lives in Australia and is a Journalism graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney.