by Kimberly Blackford
Looking For Ways to Make Your Home Healthier?
Spring-cleaning has long been a familiar term to homeowners. Once those warm spring breezes begin to blow, the windows are lifted so clean air can fill the home and rid it of the dust and stale air winter creates. Although this exercise occurs year after year, there is something to be said for traditional spring cleaning. The tips below not only get your home back in shape for the spring and summer, but they help make your home healthier and safer for all that live there.
- Dust thoroughly, clean air conditioning and heater filters, ducts and vents. This greatly decreases exposure to pollens and other airborne allergies.
- Organize your medicine cabinet. Getting rid of expired medications and old prescriptions prevents the possibility of taking the wrong medicine or it getting into the hands of a small child.
- Rid your home of toxins. Check the basement, garage and under the sinks for old paint cans, paint thinners and other poisonous solvents. Be sure to call your local city sanitation department for instructions on how to dispose of these toxic materials safely.
- Professionally clean your chimney to reduce the chance of carbon monoxide poisoning when it’s time to use the fireplace again.
- Remove mold and mildew in moist areas of the home. Mold is a fungus that can spark allergic reactions for many people and spring is a tough time of year for anyone with allergies of any kind. Use non-toxic cleaning products and make sure bathrooms, laundry rooms, and kitchens are free of unhealthy mold.
- Check bath mats and make sure they still have non-skid material on the bottom to prevent falls. This is especially important if an older person lives in the home. A fall from a slippery mat can potentially create a serious threat to an elderly person’s overall health.
- Inspect any playground equipment in the backyard. All those months of freezing cold temperatures, rain and snow have created havoc on anything that remained outdoors. Be sure to inspect your child’s playground equipment for rust, protruding bolts and sharp metal pieces and make any repairs before they stake claim to these favorite outdoor play areas.
- Collect and change batteries throughout the house. Spring is the perfect time to replace the batteries in your home’s smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. But, it’s also a great time to check your battery supply and dispose of old ones. Also, replace the batteries in your home’s flashlights, so in case of a power failure from a nasty spring storm, you will have an alternative light source ready to go.
Although many of the above tips seem like common sense, many of these tasks go overlooked by most homeowners. Use this brief list to get your home healthy for all those who dwell there in no time at all.
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