What Is a Healthy Home?
Most of us spend at least half of our lives inside our homes without realizing there is a connection between our housing and our health. This slide show will explore that connection, along with ways to make your house a healthy home
Our homes can make us feel safe, but they can also make us sick. Some homes may have health hazards including lead-based paint, mold, rodents and insects hiding in clutter, secondhand smoke, and pesticides. Other health hazards are invisible and can be deadly such as carbon monoxide and radon.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports many homes have unhealthy conditions, including:
For Bedrooms, Living Rooms, and Family Rooms
Here are some ways you can make your bedrooms, living room, and family room more healthy:
If your home was built before 1978:
For Kitchen Pests
If you find pests such as cockroaches, ants, or rodents in your kitchen, there are safe and healthy ways to stop them:
For Bathrooms
To keep your bathrooms safe:
For Attics
Steps you can take to keep your attic safe and healthy include:
For Basement, Crawl Space, Utility, and Laundry Areas
Remember to safety-proof your basement, utility, and laundry room as well. Steps you can take to keep these areas safe include:
For Stairways and Halls
Stairways and hallways should be free of clutter and safe:
For Outer Parts of House and Yard
To have a safe and healthy home, also consider your yard and outside areas as well:
A clean home is one way to have a healthier home. Following are some suggestions to keep your home clean.
Dust thoroughly, and clean or replace air conditioning and heating filters regularly, clean ducts and vents to reduce pollen and other airborne allergens.
Keep your medicine cabinet organized and free of older medications. If a medication is expired, discard it safely.
Get rid of any old and no longer used items that could be "toxic" including cleaning products, pain cans, thinners, oils, solvents, and stains. Do not throw these items into the regular trash. These should be disposed of properly so contact your local sanitation department to find out where the hazardous waster drop-off center is located.
If you have a fireplace with a chimney, have it professionally cleaned to reduce the chances of carbon monoxide exposure.
Mold can be dangerous and can make people in the household ill and trigger allergic reactions. Clean mold and mildew in bathrooms and other damp areas with a nontoxic cleaning product.
Make sure all rugs are secure. Rugs on bare floors should have on-skid mats underneath them, and old mats should be washed or replaced to ensure they do not slide. All bathrooms should have non-skid mats as well.
Keep the kids safe by ensuring outdoor playground equipment such as swing sets and slides are in good shape, and sturdy. Make repairs if needed. Pay attention to guardrails, protruding bolts, swing rope/chain attachments and other things that could injure children.
Make sure batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are changed regularly and working. Do not throw batteries in the trash - dispose of old batteries by recycling or taking them to a hazardous waste center.
A healthy home can help you have a healthy body! Use these tips and make your home a healthy one!