What Makes a Healthy Home?

Everyone wants their home to be a safe haven that promotes good health. Unfortunately, there are some factors that could be putting your family at risk of illness. Here are some of the typical problems we see in the homes we work on. By the way the link below is not to the house in the photo above!

Wetness – Moisture inside the home is a big concern. It could be coming from a leak in your plumbing or roof, or it could be entering from the basement in the form of “rising damp” or some other source. Wet conditions lead to mold and mildew growth in your home, and the resulting effects can be allergies, asthma or worse. The bottom line? Keep wetness way from the inside of your home. If you have water coming in, find out why and cure it. Many times, simple things like cleaning or adjusting gutters or downspouts, installing hands-off dehumidification systems and other solutions will solve the issue.

Air – The air in your home can contain toxins and spores that could make you sick. Many new HVAC systems have air-cleaning functions, but opening windows to the fresh air is also a smart thing to do. Try to select earth-friendly products to reduce your exposure to off-gassing products, and be sure to store toxic materials, like paints and varnishes, cleaners and pesticides carefully and outside the house, if possible. You should also install carbon monoxide, smoke and other air-quality detectors, which can be obtained at very reasonable costs.

Germs – Many people live with animals, children, and other germ carriers. Your pets can bring e-coli and salmonella and other fauna into your home, and these can make you sick. And everyone who lives in your home is exposed to all types of germs that can be left on the surfaces in your home. Regular cleaning is your first line of defense in reducing dangerous microorganisms. Hard surfaces like tile, wood, stone, metal are much easier to clean than soft surfaces like fabrics, rugs, carpets, upholstery, so select these with cleaning in mind.

Atmosphere – Your home should make you and your loved ones happy. It should be a refuge, a lifeboat, from the pressures of the world. If there are aspects of your home that don’t enhance your life, you should give us a call. We’ll help fix what’s wrong with it.