The pandemic has forced us to pay more attention to our health and spend more time at home than we ever imagined.
There are many factors that contribute to our overall health, including the air we breathe, the humidity levels in our homes, and the water we consume. So what steps can we take to live a healthier life and improve the quality of our homes? Here are some steps:
The air we breathe has a direct impact on our health. Poor air quality can indicate the air contains unhealthy toxins. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, lead, and radon.
An easy thing for homeowners to do is to properly ventilate the house by regularly opening the windows for a few minutes a day. This is something you can start doing right now. Having fresh outdoor air run through the house is important as studies have shown that increasing the fresh air supply in a home improves respiratory health, according to the National Centre for Healthy Housing.
Buying a stand-alone air cleaner with a Hepa filter for each floor of the house is something I recommend. This is relatively inexpensive and will help filter out the dust, spores, pet dander, and toxins, without the need to replace your entire air filtration system.
The majority of furnace filters need to be changed, at minimum, every couple of months. If the filter is clogging up sooner, however, you may want to consider having the ducts cleaned.
Radon is a radioactive gas found naturally in the environment —with no visible color, odor, or taste. If not addressed promptly, in enclosed spaces radon can reach dangerously high levels. Exposure to radon gas can severely affect your health.
Does the house feel a little extra cold lately? Have you been noticing cold drafts or spots around the house? There could be an air leak that needs attention. Air can leak through walls, roofs, and floors. This has a damaging effect on the durability of a house. Uncontrolled airflow into your house brings moisture into framing cavities. This can lead to rot and mold and can cause indoor-air-quality problems. Addressing the air leaks at home will allow the warm air to remain inside while saving on your home energy bills too.
As a homeowner, you should know the importance of exhaust fans and proper ventilation. This is key for removing moisture from your indoor air. Excess moisture can lead to mold. Effective ventilation ensures that you have good indoor air quality.
Ideally, humidity levels in the home should be 40-60% to create a healthy environment that is also good for your respiratory system. If you have recently been experiencing nose bleeds, it could indicate the air is too dry and the humidifier on your furnace is either not working properly or your filters need replacing.
Excess humidity can lead to Mold and rot. This is a health risk and allergy and asthma symptoms if inhaled. Without fresh air coming into the house, there is no outlet for the moisture-filled-air to escape and over time this can cause major damage to your home by getting inside the walls.
You can reduce indoor humidity by 30-60% by:
Test your water quality with a water professional. When the water quality is poor, we could be ingesting contaminants that negatively affect our health.
If your water tastes funny, appears cloudy, or leaves behind white chalky deposits, it is important you schedule a water sample test to determine what contaminants likely exist in your system.
Based on your test results, it may be important for you to consult a professional water expert for advice on the best water filtration and treatment system to get installed.
Lighting can have a strong impact on your sleep patterns and in turn your health. To help you get a goodnight’s sleep experts recommend sleeping in a dark room —this means sleeping with your door closed or purchasing window treatments to block out the street lights at night while allowing for natural light to come through in the morning.
When renovating, be aware of what kind of materials that you choose for your home. All building materials from couches, cabinets, countertops, and paint can offgas VOCs which can negatively affect your health. You know that new car smell? Those are VOCs at work.
Depending on the type of material, it can take years for VOCs to completely dissipate. That’s a long time to be breathing in toxins. You’ll see more VOCs in low quality paints and furniture, whereas materials like granite or quartz finishes offgas very few VOCs.
When planning your next renovation, choose products that offgas fewer or no VOCs. Many paints come with no VOCs now, and are just as effective as ever.
Some homeowners don’t take indoor air quality issues seriously because you usually can’t see it. But breathing in any contaminant over time can make you sick.
Source: Mike Holmes
Mike’s Advice / Home Safety & Maintenance
Wednesday, March 31st, 2021
For All The Homes In Your Life
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