As we quickly approach the beginning of a new year, what are some of your 2017 New Year’s resolutions? Are you one of the many who choose to lose weight or adopt a healthier diet and lifestyle? That’s great if you’re choosing to maintain or improve your health – kudos to you!
While diet and exercise are certainly ways to foster a healthier lifestyle, the health and safety status of your home should not be overlooked in your plans for a healthier you. Regular home maintenance is not just good for your home, but good for you as well.
Steps to Take Action for a Healthier Home in the New Year
Something as simple as checking to see if your bathroom vents are working properly can greatly improve your health. If your bathroom vents are not in proper working condition, mold and mildew can thrive, causing you to constantly feel sick. Throat irritation, coughing, nasal stuffiness and eye irritation can all result from an overgrowth of mold.
Actionable Home Safety Step: Check your vents and fix them if they are not properly vented to the outside.
Another simple way to make your home a healthier place is to test for radon, an invisible, odorless and tasteless gas caused by the breakdown of uranium inside the earth. Overexposure to radon is the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers. While most homes have some small levels of radon, if you have high levels of radon, you are at a greater risk for developing lung cancer.
Actionable Home Safety Step: It’s easy and inexpensive to get your home tested for elevated radon levels. Contact a home inspector to have your house tested for radon.
Keeping your home healthy also involves keeping your home safe. When was the last time you checked the batteries in your smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors? The sole purpose of these products is to keep you safe – but if not in proper working condition, they will fail to do so.
Actionable Home Safety Step: Check your batteries at the beginning of every month, and replace your carbon monoxide detector if it is more than 5 to 7 years old.
Keeping your home safe also involves eliminating potential fire hazards, such as clogged dryer vents. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in 2010, an estimated 16,800 fires were started in the US due to washers and/or dryers. These fires resulted in 51 deaths and 380 injuries.
Actionable Home Safety Step: Clean your dryer vents and check for any fire hazards around the house, such as improperly stored fire wood.
In short, if you take care of your home, it will help you live a healthier life. Simple and inexpensive repairs, tests, or maintenance is often all that is needed to ensure that you your home will work for you and not against you.
While 2017 may be the year for a healthier you, if you do find yourself ill or injured, know that Patient Care Now offers superior urgent care and occupational medicine services 7 days a week. Patient Care Now has a team of experienced emergency medicine physicians available to treat all kinds of acute sicknesses and injuries, as well as offer preventive care. If you are sick, injured, or simply in need of a flu vaccine, call (267) 202-6433 or check in online today.
