Your home is your castle, a place that is sheltered and protected. So, it shouldn’t be an unhealthy place which negatively impacts your well-being. On average, over half the properties in the US have issues which affect the homeowner’s health. That is a startling statistic, not least because your property could be harming your body.
The good news is that making your home a healthier place is to live is simple and affordable. Sure, some fixes are harder than others, but where there is a will, there is a way.
For the people who are unsure where to start, the following are the main health culprits in the home. Take care of these and you’ll feel like a million bucks.
Excess Dust
Not to sound like your mother-in-law, but the interior needs to be spotless. The reason is that excess dust can get up your nose and into your bloodstream and aggravate allergies. Sometimes, it’s only a sneeze or two which is annoying and nothing else. Other times, it can trigger sneezing fits and even cause allergic reactions that are potentially deadly. This happens because dust contains chemicals such as pesticides and lead. Sure, it may not seem like a problem now, but wait a couple of years until the problem escalates. Taking dust bunnies lightly is easy; vacuuming them up is the hard part. As a rule, cleaning little and often is an excellent way to maintain cleanliness at home.
Stale Smoke
Smokers are more likely to light up inside now that the winter weather is getting worse. For you, this isn’t an issue because you are already tarnishing your lungs. However, the smoke virgins in the house are not yet tainted and want to keep it that way. A survey by WebMD found that 40% of kids in America are subject to second-hand smoke at home. Of the two-fifths of US children that were, a large percentage suffered from asthma. It isn’t only the direct impact on health either as the smell is disgusting. Insider smokers allow cigarette smoke to seep into the fabric of the furniture and never leave. It isn’t as bad as second-hand inhalation, but smelling dirty air isn’t at all pleasant.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Modern houses are full of industrial devices which help regulate your home. From a boiler to a space heater, new properties have it all. The problem is that industrial machines, particularly if they are old, are not reliable. On lots of occasions, many have produced and given off the toxic chemical carbon monoxide. Unlike cigarette smoke, CO won’t take years to kill you as it is incredibly poisonous. Ideally, the key is to hire plumbers who get it right the first time so that the situation doesn’t escalate. If you can’t, make sure you regularly check industrial machines for wear and tear and signs of degradation. Also, install a carbon monoxide meter to monitor the levels of CO in the air.
Cavities
During wintertime, it’s essential to block cavities to prevent heat loss. Houses that don’t tend to lose heat and are very cold, and that is uncomfortable for the owner. Nowadays, cavity insulation is a mixture of fiberglass, wool, and cellulose, but that wasn’t the case in the past. Decades ago, builders and local authorities used to asbestos to fill gaps. Of course, asbestos is a dangerous substance which impacts the lungs, yet that doesn’t mean it still isn’t in your house. Old properties may have it lurking in the attic or behind the walls. The only way to be sure is to check for sheets. For the walls, you may need to contact a specialist because it’s a tricky job which could include some heavy lifting.
Household Pesticides
Bugs are a big problem, which is why people use poison to exterminate them. Unfortunately, the pesticide doesn’t stop there as it gets into the air. In this instance, the entire family would breathe in the dirty air and effectively poison themselves. Children have it the worse as their vital organs are developing and very sensitive to damage. Now that the winter is here, pests will try as hard as possible to find shelter and your home is a prime option. Still, keep the pesticides to a minimum and use natural methods. For examples, salt removes the moisture from slugs and snails. Also, a mouse trap is still an effective way to catch pesky rodents.
Leave a Reply