A home is a place where we rest, eat, bond, and spend most of our everyday life in. However, what do we do if our house is the one making us sick?
A healthy home is the key to living a healthy life. If your house is filled with things that might make you sick, then you might be putting yourself at risk to health and financial burdens.
It’s not easy to spot the things in our house that could make us sick because we don’t know if it’s going to affect our health in the first place. Here’s a list of the most common things that might cause health problems in your living space:
1. Ceiling fans
You might be asking, ‘does a fan help with congestion?’ if you’re experiencing a lot of nights with a stuffy nose recently. And the answer is yes, a ceiling fan can make you congested if you sleep with it on all night. Because a fan can dry out the air, your nose will compensate for the dehydration by engorging your nasal passages and making mucus come out, leading to a stuffy or runny nose in the morning.
2. Dust
Dust is not only aesthetically unpleasant, but it can cause a lot of respiratory problems or worsen the ones that you already have. Eliminating dust mites from your home is impossible, but there are a lot of ways you can minimize their presence in your air, such as:
- Frequent vacuuming
- Cleaning furniture, fixtures, and other objects with a rag instead of dusting
- Using HEPA filters
- Removing dust-prone objects or furniture
- Washing beddings, drapes, and other linens frequently
3. Carpet
Having a carpet is a significant responsibility because if you can’t keep your carpet clean, you’re exposing your household to endless kinds of contaminants, especially if you have children and pets.
Have a carpet maintenance routine in place to keep your floors safe and hygienic. Here are some activities that you must have on that list:
- Removing shoes at the door
- Wiping pets’ paws before they get back inside
- Frequent vacuuming
- Professional carpet cleaning every once in a while
- Not allowing eating or drinking in carpeted rooms
4. Old beds and upholstery
All mattresses and upholstery can only last for so long. Ancient furniture has no doubt absorbed decades of dust, germs, bodily fluids, food and drinks, and all other nasty stuff, no matter how frequently you clean it. Hence, if you’ve had your couch or mattress for more than 15 years now, it’s probably best if you replace them soon to limit your exposure to harmful contaminants.
5. Water damage
Water damage can take the form of a perpetually leaky faucet or an overly damp basement. But wherever there is excessive moisture in your house (where there isn’t supposed to be any), there is a high risk for molds and mildew. We already know that mold is not good for your health, so here are a few things you can do to prevent water damage:
- Inspect walls for peeling or bubbling paint
- Maintain proper ventilation and humidity
- Repair leaks immediately
- Keep floors, walls, and ceilings dry
- Have your roof inspected regularly
If you see these signs anywhere in your house, it’s highly recommended to address them before they start affecting your health and well-being. It’s better to do something today than to have regrets in the future.