A healthy home can help protect your health and the health of everyone living in it. Lets face it, people spend a lot of time in their homes. Especially at the moment while the coronavirus pandemic is still taking its toll. The home is a place where most people feel safe and secure. However, there can be things which aren’t good for you and your family. Things that you can improve. It goes behind physical activity at home. It concerns things you might not have thought about.
These tips can get you started and help you with ensuring the home is somewhere which benefits people’s health, not detracts from it. Each home is different of course, and what you may need to look at might change depending on the kind of home you have. It’s why you may need to apply the advice in a bespoke way. People care for their home in different ways, and with different budgets.
Do You Live in an Old Home? Is it a Healthy Home?
Sometimes it’s the older homes that can throw up some nasty problems. Especially if you’ve just moved in and note that it hasn’t been cared for properly in the last few years. You want to look out for old materials which are no longer used. For example asbestos fibres can cause asbestosis while lead paint can be dangerous too. The likelihood is that you may not have to worry about these but it’s certainly worth a check.
You may need to check that the building is up to code to ensure your home insurance is valid too. Check for structural deficiencies in retaining wall and load bearing walls because they can cause a lot of problems later on. Old homes are often better built than new, but if you live somewhere prone to earthquakes or flooding it may have taken a couple of hits over the years that you’ll need to address. Damp over time can cause issues too and cause you to not have a healthy home.
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Check The Wiring in Your Home
It may be time to rewire your home. The electrical wiring in an old home simply can’t cope with the demands of a modern family. Think of the amount of devices used by everyone in the modern era. Old wiring can cope for a while, but as they increase the power outage will decrease.
It means bulbs may dim and certain areas of the home won’t get the power it really needs. Rewiring can be expensive. But at the same time, it can be a little dangerous to leave things as they are, even more so if you’ve got young kids. If you don’t have the right levels of experience it’s probably best that you don’t go messing with the wires yourself or you may end up damaging it or worse, hurting yourself. Call out a specialist if you’re worried about the wiring or if something has gone wrong in your home.
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Are Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarms Working?
This is more of a passive health boost but one that can help greatly. If your carbon monoxide or smoke alarm aren’t working, that could pose a pretty serious threat to your health and the health of those who live with you. The first step is to check them, press the reset or test buttons. If you don’t have them, act fast. You can usually get them pretty cheap but make sure you buy good ones and ones that are approved and not restricted.
Smoke alarms should usually be placed in the hall and on the landing, so the alarm can be heard everywhere, but if there are other places, or your home is quite large, then you might want to move them into other areas too. As for carbon monoxide alarms…they need to be wherever you have a fossil burning appliance. So for example, ideally you’d want one next to your boiler or in the same room as a fire. If they’re all working, great. Sometimes all it takes is a swap of the battery.
Photo Courtesy of TreeHugger.com
Indoor Pollution Woes
As more tests are being completed regarding pollution and how dangerous it can be on a person’s health, it might shock you to find out your home is in a heavily polluted area. If you live by a main road or by factory installations it might be that the pollution in your area is pretty bad. There are things you can do to help though. One of the easier things is to keep air flowing. Studies show that respiratory health is related to access to fresh air, increasing a home’s fresh air supply reduces moisture, improves air quality, and increases respiratory health. So keep windows open when the outdoor air quality isn’t as bad. Where you have filters, make sure they’re clean and cleaned or replaced often. Alternatively, you can use an air purifier to clean the air in your now healthy home.
In a nutshell, if you take care of your home (whether you rent or own, its where you live) your home will do a better job of taking care of you. So maintain your health home check on the above tips and be sure to inspect, clean and repair your home routinely. Take care of minor repairs and problems before they become bigger and learn to love your space.
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