“Healthy Homes Awareness Month”
April is Healthy Homes Awareness month! We, here at EZ Breathe, have long supported the Healthy Homes initiative. We are proud that two of our staff members hold the Healthy Homes Specialist certification. They have graciously put together these helpful tips. One for each day…
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April 1:
Here at EZ Breathe, we are keenly aware of the 7 Healthy Home Tips:
- Keep it Dry.
- Keep it Clean.
- Keep it Safe.
- Keep it Well-Ventilated.
- Keep it Pest-free.
- Contaminant-free.
- Keep it Well-Maintained.
US Department of Housing and Urban Development office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=DOC_11882.pdf
April 2:
Keep it Dry
Today is a great day to check for signs of foundation leaks. As snow has melted, followed by spring rains in much of North America, now is a time to check for damp spots on walls and floors, actual water leakage, etc. If you have any of these signs, call EZ Breathe for helpful hints on what you can do to Keep it Dry in your basement or crawlspace.
April 3:
Keep it Clean
Today, you can Keep it Clean and Dry at the same time, clean out eaves troughs of tree debris, etc.
April 4:
Keep it Safe
Do you have smoke detectors on each floor of the home? Did you replace the batteries when you adjusted your clocks ahead for Spring? If not, do it now, and remember to test each smoke detector monthly.
April 5:
Keep it Well-Ventilated
We aren’t coming up with this on our own, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in their “Seven Tips for Keeping a Healthy Home” says:
“use whole house ventilation for supplying fresh air to reduce contaminants in the home.”
April 6:
Keep it Pest-Free
Did you know that a mouse can enter your home through a ¼ inch gap? Now is a good time to examine the outside of your home for any penetrations. There are some easy ways to seal these up DIY. Or call a professional who understands Integrated Pest Management. There is a lot more than chemicals to keeping your home pest free.
April 7:
Keep it Contaminant-free
Have you had your home tested for radon? See this map from the EPA, and test your home. Some Health Departments have test kits.
April 8:
Keep it Well-Maintained
Inspect the exterior of your home thoroughly for damage from the Winter. Make a list of repairs. Take care of minor repairs, and prevent much more costly large repairs.
April 9:
Keep it Dry
Visually inspect your roof from the outside, look for missing or damaged shingles. If you are in a snow/freeze region, ice damming can cause external damage that will create the path for water to enter the home. One of our distributors in Massachusetts this Winter personally experienced both ice damming, and how EZ Breathe can help to prevent it.
April 10:
Keep it Clean
Like the old school rhyme, “Pick up Sticks” in the yard. It is both a Keep it Clean, and a Keep it Safe (trip hazard).
April 11:
Keep it Safe
Do you have Carbon Monoxide detectors? EZ Breathe HIGHLY recommends CO alarms, and Low Level CO alarms or monitors are the way to go! According to the CDC: “Infants, the elderly, people with chronic heart disease, anemia, or breathing problems are more likely to get sick from CO.” And these folks are also more likely to be effected at lower levels than many alarms would even recognize as a threat. http://www.nfpa.org/safety-information/for-consumers/fire-and-safety-equipment/smoke-alarms/installing-and-maintaining-smoke-alarms
April 12:
Keep it Well-Ventilated
When it comes to attached garages, you can take care of a lot of “Keep Its” with one simple thing: Garage mechanical ventilation. According to the Energy Star Indoor airPlus program, and the Alaska American Lung Association, attached garages should have exhaust ventilation. It will keep garage fumes, including carbon monoxide, benzene, and chemicals stored in the garage, from entering the home.
April 13:
Keep it Pest-free
Inspect the exterior of the home and ensure that the soil outside doesn’t directly contact any exterior wood elements of the home. This is a pathway for pests including termites. While you’re at it, look for landscaping bushes and trees in contact with the home, and trim accordingly.
April 14:
Keep it Contaminant-free
As we open our windows (I just opened mine for the first time in months), check for chipping paint, if your house was built before 1978, the paint used around the windows may very well contain lead. Remove chips, and dispose of them safely. For tips on handling possibly lead containing paint: https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/2502/
April 15:
Keep it Well-Maintained
Spring is a good time to institute a “remove your shoes at the door” rule. It will make keeping the house clean easier, and will also keep unwanted contaminants like lead in the soil, pests, etc. from entering your home!
April 16:
Keep it Dry
Check the attic for any signs of water intrusion from outside OR condensation from inside. Wet spots, rusty metal, mold, etc.
April 17:
Keep it Clean
One of the best ways to find an area in need of cleaning is to use your nose! Who has the most sensitive nose in the house? Follow your nose. Many things we need to be aware of have a scent signature… what is that musty odor? https://ezbreathe.com/why-is-my-basementcrawlspace-damp/
April 18:
Keep it Safe
If your home was a workplace (and who has a home that doesn’t involve a lot of work?), cleaning products and other chemicals would have to be labeled and stored in a secure area. And most workplaces don’t have pets and children in them. Are your cleaning products safely stored in an area that children and pets can’t access?
April 19:
Keep it Well-Ventilated
Check your dryer vent hose or pipe, clean it out, check for holes, and make sure the exterior vent isn’t clogged. In 2010 nearly 17,000 home fires were caused by clothes washers and dryers, 92% by dryers.
April 20:
Keep it Pest-free
Check all fresh air intakes for high efficiency furnaces, water heaters, makeup air, or the EZ Breathe Balanced system… they should have a filter (ours does), and the filter should be cleaned or changed. No filter means free access to pests….ask us about the hornet infested house from an unfiltered passive air intake…
April 21:
Keep it Contaminant-free
If there is one thing we should remember when it comes to contaminants it is this: SOURCE CONTROL. If we don’t bring it in the house, we don’t have to deal with it. So pay attention to the labels of anything you bring in the house! See our blog on Formaldehyde.
Today we will be at a conference in Akron, Ohio: “Creating Healthier Indoor Spaces for Healthier Children”,
April 22:
Keep it Well-Maintained
If you have an outdoor grill, now is a great time to open it up, clean it out, and prepare for grilling season. Far too many people find out about bugs, mice, etc. that have made a home in their grill when it is too late!
April 23:
Keep it Dry
Make a note to yourself… next time it rains cats and dogs, do a perimeter check of your home, observe the way the rain water comes off the roof, and is it pooling around the foundation? Rain water should be running to the eaves troughs, into the downspout, and piped away from the foundation. Any failure to do so should be addressed.
April 24:
Keep it Clean
Clean and organize your garage! Sometimes a disorganized/messy garage hides all kinds of things we don’t want, like pests, old paint cans, etc. One customer told me that our garage system “Changed my life”, it was because of equal parts forcing him to clean and organize his garage, and how it immediately changed how his wife perceived the smell of the garage and adjoining room of the house.
April 25:
Keep it Safe
Inspect your home for trip/slip and fall hazards. Loose rugs, extension cords across the floor (this is dangerous on many levels), toys, shoes, etc. Personally, I hate it when I inspect a home that has pairs of shoes “organized” on each step on the way into the house, or into the basement, or upstairs, or all of the above. Safety is about redundancy, sure it would be great if everyone was always aware of where they were walking, but they often aren’t, and removing a trip hazard prevents serious injury!
April 26:
Keep it Well-Ventilated
This is a good day to check bathroom and kitchen range exhaust fans. They should be in good working order, and exhausting to the outside. Check outside vents for airflow restrictions, make sure any ductwork is intact and not obstructed. Also, flex pipe works best when it is STRAIGHT! I can’t tell you how many times we see flex pipe hung in ways that guarantee debris accumulation, condensation pooling, and eventual blockage, if not worse.
April 27:
Keep it Pest-free
Pest of the day… DUST MITES. Where ever your family and your pets spend the most time is where dust mites will be most likely to be found. Thoroughly vacuum your furniture; move your furniture, and vacuum the carpet around it. Dust mite-proof bedding is advised, particularly if anyone has asthma or allergies.
EZ Breathe representatives will be attending the 2015 Ohio Healthy Homes and Lead Conference in Cleveland!
April 28:
Keep it Contaminant-free
If there are smokers in the house, make sure to institute a “smoke free” home policy. If there is smoking in one room, there is smoking throughout the home (your furnace/air conditioning is designed to move air from one room throughout the house), a smoke free home is important to everyone’s health. And it might help the smoker to limit and eventually quit smoking. Check your local chapter of the American Lung Association for Smoking Cessation classes.
April 29:
Keep it Well-Maintained
Check your window screens. Repair/replace as needed. It looks nice, and it will keep bugs out!
April 30:
Keep it Dry
You already checked and fixed any sources for rain water entering your home at your roof, or foundation….what about water vapor? If you want to know about how water vapor enters your home, check out the EZ Breathe Blog! https://ezbreathe.com/why-is-my-basementcrawlspace-damp/