Is your family sick frequently? You worry about your children attending school and coming home with sickness. However, what if their frequent coughs, congestion, and asthmatic symptoms come from your home? Many families overlook the tell-tale signs that their home’s indoor air quality is anything but healthy. The good news is that you can improve the air quality and keep your family healthy.
Table of Contents
Eliminating Mold
Mold is a result of accumulated moisture. A leaky window, door, or roof can cause the development of mold spores. If you notice peeling paint on your walls and warping or soft spots on your ceilings and floors, you have a leak that’s well into your home’s interior. Mold can make your family sick without you realizing it. Mold can cause flu-like symptoms and bring on asthma. Thankfully, you can fix it by identifying the source of the leak and then replacing the damage in the affected areas. If you’re not a DIY kind of person, don’t worry. You can go online and find window and door replacements and floor installation companies near you.
Airborne Particles
Dust, pet hair, dander, and pollen are a few of the common household allergens that can have a negative impact on your health. They can cause you to feel tired, congested, and produce symptoms of the common cold. Luckily, this is something that you can correct rather quickly. Doing a thorough cleaning once a week and vacuuming daily, especially if you have pets, will remove most of the airborne allergens. Dusting is not something that most people like; however, it is necessary. Grooming your pet and removing excess hair and dander is also essential to maintaining a good quality of air inside the home.
Rodents
Rodents in the home are a threat to your health. Many carry viruses and deadly diseases. If a wild animal bites you or a family member, it can have life-altering consequences. You may think a mouse or two is unavoidable and not worth the bother or expense of an exterminator. However, they also leave droppings inside kitchen cabinets. If you don’t check your pots and pans prior to cooking and cleaning them, you may ingest waste. In addition to your family’s health, over time, rodents will do extensive damage to your home’s structure, causing you additional monies for a major home repair. Rodents not only make your family sick but they can be very damaging to your home which could affect your resell value.
Fireplace Venting
If you own a home with a fireplace, you enjoy the comforts of an additional source of natural heat, ideal for when it’s frigid outside. There’s nothing more soothing than the sound of the crackling wood and the ambiance created by the fire flames. However, there are many safety tips that you must follow to ensure the health and wellness of your family. You should have the flue and damper open before lighting a fire and have at least one window open at least a crack to allow the air to circulate while the wood is burning. Prior to the start of each season, you should also have the chimney cleaned to prevent the rising soot from accumulating inside the chimney stack. When a chimney is dirty, it can put your family at risk for carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have fresh batteries.
Airtight Home
Many people, without realizing it, contribute to their home’s poor air quality by overdoing its energy efficiency. You may save money by having lower heating and cooling bills, but going overboard won’t allow any natural air to flow throughout. Now your air is stagnant, and the harmful allergens have no escape. Airtight is just as bad as porous. You can ease the problem by opening a few windows or installing fans to promote healthy air circulation.
You want your family to remain healthy. Unfortunately, sometimes it may be their comfort zone that’s causing health problems. If you and your family seem to have colds and feelings of sickness more often than usual, check your home.
Featured Image by Виктория Бородинова from Pixabay
