Whether you’ve been living in your home for generations or you just recently moved in, it’s essential to be aware of health risks hidden in your home. House renovation and remodeling can easily “disturb” hazardous elements that usually reside in living spaces. Thus, we need to be careful when upgrading and cleaning parts of the house. Since we often can’t rely on our senses when detecting these issues, it’s important to be aware of the hidden dangers lurking in our living space. Only then can we take precautions when maximizing the safety of our homes.
1. Mold
Sometimes, we notice a musty odor in certain rooms, such as the bathroom or the basement. Most likely, the reason behind it is mold or mildew. Mainly, this issue manifests inside ductwork, in the wall-corners, ceilings, and wet places with low airflow. However, mold can be hidden behind the walls and under the floors. These microscopic organisms produce allergens and irritants that affect human health after inhalation or direct contact. Allergic reactions manifest as sneezing, running nose, skin rash, red eyes, and throat and lung irritation. More sensitive people can experience severe allergic reactions, such as asthma attacks.
When cleaning and organizing the basement, bathroom, or any other area where you notice the difference in wall color that usually looks like tiny black dots, make sure to take special precautions. You must wear special P-100 respirators, in addition to protecting other exposed areas on your body. Provide proper airflow by opening the windows; otherwise, the spores will just spread around the place. Also, throwing every moldy object, such as rugs and fabrics, is necessary. Before drying the infested area with hot air and spraying it with antimicrobial spray, eliminate the problem that causes mold to prevent it from reappearing. Most likely, that is some kind of water damage or a pipe issue.
2. Cleaning products
Cleaning your home is essential to save yourself from bacteria, germs, viruses, and allergens. However, many cleaning products have harmful chemicals which could potentially affect us. Even the ones advertised as natural could contain ingredients that cause eye and throat irritation, headaches, nausea, and even cancer. Fortunately, we can limit our exposure to these elements if handling them properly. To do so, it’s important not to inhale or come in direct contact with the products. Safely storing them is of equal importance.
Still, cleaning products are necessary whether you’re doing quick tidying up or a thorough cleaning while moving to another place. The hygiene of your future home is equally important as the hygiene of the place you’re leaving behind you. Thus, ensure the cleanest relocation possible by using quality cleaning products.
3. Dust mites
If you are prone to allergies, you might experience different unpleasant symptoms when indoors. As a common cause of allergies, house dust is a mix of components that affect our well-being. Dust mites and debris particles thrive in the cluttered and stuffy ambient of many homes. While cleaning your home, it’s essential to pay special attention to fabrics such as mattresses, upholstery, children’s toys, curtains, and carpets, since these are the most common places mites occupy.
However, having dust mites in your house doesn’t necessarily mean that the house is dirty. Once the place is infected, it’s hard to get rid of these pests with simple vacuuming and dusting. On the contrary, these activities usually disturb the harmful elements that cause allergic reactions. After inhaling the particles, you may experience nasal issues, allergic eczema, or an asthma attack.
Most people opt for hiring professional cleaning services since they have the equipment and experience to deal with these matters. Still, washing every fabric in your home in hot water is necessary if you want to clean yourself.
4. Home construction elements that can affect our health
Whether you’re remodeling or moving to a new home, you need to be sure there are no potential health risks hidden in your home. This is especially important if your new home is over 40 years old. In 1978, the federal government of the US banned the use of lead and asbestos in home construction. Still, these dangerous substances are present in millions of homes. Some of them reside under layers of wall paint, while others are found in walls and pipe installations and even vinyl floor tiles. Both toxins can affect our nervous system if inhaled, causing various health problems. People affected by lead or asbestos poisoning experience headaches, muscle and joint pain, abdominal pain, memory loss, mood disorders, vomiting, high blood pressure, fatigue, and constipation.
When moving into an older home that underwent a recent renovation, it’s essential to make sure everything is spotless and safe. Should you decide to move into such a home, Master Moving Guide can help you find the right relocation company. Moreover, you can find many valuable moving-related resources here to make the process more manageable.
When buying an older house, you don’t know if the previous owner did any DIY upgrades. The place could be crawling with asbestos dust residue in door cracks, floors, and corners. Therefore, before cleaning and disinfecting the area, make sure to consult a certified lead and asbestos expert to test your home.
5. Dangerous gasses
When someone mentions air pollution, our first association is the impurity of the city air. However, there are many types of polluted air, some of which are in our own homes. Airborne particles from radon, carbon monoxide, cigarette smoke, and gas appliances can seriously affect our health. Since some of them are harder to detect than others, we need to be vigilant and aware of the harmful effects they cause. Radon and carbon monoxide are odorless, tasteless gasses that could cause death if not detected on time. Unlike carbon monoxide that comes from burning carbon-based materials, radon often emerges from the ground. And sometimes, it can enter our homes through cracks in the walls, floors, and doors.
Both radon and carbon monoxide are harmful to our nervous system. The symptoms manifest as chest pain, fatigue, weight loss, persistent cough, headaches, shortness of breath, or difficulty in thinking clearly. Unfortunately, there are no ways to detect these elements apart from hiring professionals in the field to test your home. Still, frequent airing the house, investing in quality air filters, installing CO detectors, and using heating appliances wisely will help you lower the risk of exposure.
In conclusion
There are many health risks hidden in your home that could cause permanent consequences to your well-being. The first step in preserving our health is being aware of potential threats. With proper cleaning habits and knowledge of how to approach these harmful substances, you can rest assured you’ve done everything to keep your home and family safe.
