Did you know that the average person spends 70-90 percent of their time indoors? This means that making sure our homes are healthy is crucial to keeping ourselves healthy. Our homes are designed as a safe place to keep us sheltered from the outside hazards, but if we open our homes unknowingly to these hazards, we can turn our safe place into an unhealthy and potentially hazardous environment.
Over time, building science professionals have developed different methods to make our homes healthy and a safe living space. There are a few main concepts to keep in mind when thinking about a healthy home, one being keeping it clean. Having a regular cleaning schedule in your home will help stop buildups of dust and other indoor pollutants that can lead to poor indoor air quality. Dust is made up of different allergens, which are substances that can trigger allergic asthma. Allergens can also build up in pets or children’s plush toys. It is recommended to clean these items once a month, at least, to keep the allergens in a home down.
The next concept is keeping it dry. Moisture can enter a home in many ways, including ground water coming in through a basement or rain leaking through a roof. Moisture can also come from interior sources like cooking, bathing, or a water leak. Having too much moisture in a home can create an unhealthy living space. All things need moisture or water to survive, including mold and pests, like cockroaches, that thrive in moist environments. By eliminating excess moisture in your home, you can make a healthier, more comfortable living space.
Keeping your home contaminant free is an important concept in creating a healthy home. Contaminants found outdoors can enter a home through open doors and windows, concentrating the contaminants up to five times the amount found outdoors. Cleaning products can also add to the number of contaminants found in indoor air, due to the volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are chemicals found in many cleaning and fragrance products, and can concentrate in a home over time. The best way to eliminate these chemicals is to use “green” cleaning products, which are safer and just as effective as regular products. Ventilation plays an important role in keeping fresh air entering a home. With proper ventilation installed, there will be a constant flow of fresh air coming through a home, taking contaminants out.
All of these concepts are needed for proper home health maintenance. Through routine maintenance, you can recognize, repair, and remove potential hazards in your home, before they become a bigger issue. Having a regular weekly, monthly, or annual maintenance list can help improve your process, and ensure nothing is missed.
For additional tips on how to keep your home in good health, contact your local Energy Advisor.
Written by Eamonn LaDue, Energy Advisor