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Is your home healthy for you?

By: Jenna Willems, MPH, CHES,
HUD Program Manager & Healthy Homes Program Coordinator
Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health

Our health and well-being can feel like a 1000-piece puzzle at times. One section of that puzzle is a healthy home environment.  Air quality, moisture levels, building materials, contaminants, and other conditions can heavily impact our health given the amount of time we spend in our homes. On average, Americans spend nearly 5,500 hours per year in our homes. For an average American living to age 79, that is 49 years of life spent in our home environment! This explains why our home environment significantly impacts our health and quality of life.

A healthy home is a home that is dry, clean, pest-free, safe, contaminant-free, ventilated, maintained, and temperature controlled. Even homes that may appear healthy at first glance, may not be! Home health hazards can create long-term health risks such as the increased risk of lung cancer due to continual exposure to high levels of radon gas in your home. Health risks can also come from temporary hazards such as issues with mold, bed bugs, or carbon monoxide poisoning. Other risks, such as lead poisoning from lead-based paint, can cause permanent damage in children, and affect us for years to come. These hazards range in severity and impact on our well-being however, they all deserve our attention as homeowners and/or tenants.

The following are 10 free or low-cost ways to start making your home a “healthy home”:

  1. Assess the fall hazards in your home. Add non-slip rugs in bathrooms, secure loose railings on staircases, and install window guards on high story windows where children play.
  2. Seal gaps or holes around the roof, attic, windows, or doors to prevent rodents or bugs from getting in.
  3. Program the Poison Control Hotline into your cell phone: 1-800-222-1222. You can’t predict when emergencies will strike, but you can be prepared to act quickly!
  4. Change your furnace air filter monthly. This can improve air quality and heating/cooling.
  5. Buy a carbon monoxide detector from your local hardware store and place within 10 feet of each sleeping area.
  6. If you have young children in the home, check the painted surfaces in and around your home for lead-based paint. Contact the Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health for a FREE lead inspection.
  7. Test your home for radon. The Cerro Gordo County Department of Public Health sells test kits for $6.
  8. Place pesticides and chemicals in a locked or unreachable cabinet. This includes laundry/dishwasher detergent and other cleaning supplies.
  9. Install new batteries in your smoke detectors and ensure you have a working smoke detector on every level of your home.
  10. Get the mop & vacuum out! Dust and allergens can accumulate quickly. Cleaning regularly is a form of home maintenance that can help you notice moisture or pest issues sooner than later!

I hope you will join us this month in celebrating Healthy Homes Awareness Month, by taking preventive measures to improve your home environment. Let’s spend those 49 years of our lives in healthier place than it was yesterday!

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