Sometimes, innocent and unassuming things could make your home unhealthy. This means you could be exposing yourself and your family to dangerous health-altering agents. Statistics indicate that about 30 million American homes have questionable safety issues. Unfortunately, the home occupants may not even know about the danger. So here are some signs to look out for in your bid to maintain a healthy home.
- Excessive moisture and humidity
Every home needs adequate moisture levels. During winter, humidity levels from 30% to 40% are considered normal and healthy. However, in summer, the figure rises to 50% or 60%. Anything outside these values could signal serious problems for your home. Excessive moisture or humidity encourages mold growth, one of the top five common home allergens. Fortunately, it isn’t too complicated to understand how it could affect you. Both children and adults react to them the same, as the symptoms do not vary much. However, young children have a higher risk of developing asthma when exposed to mold spores. Maybe you are unaware of the high humidity levels in your home. As a solution, you may want to invest in an efficient hygrometer to track indoor humidity levels.
- Undetected meth contamination
In many cases, occupants of the home are unaware of any such contamination in their living spaces. Especially if your home was occupied by people who used the substance, you might be exposed. While it may not entirely be your fault, you cannot continue to endure the repercussions of a meth-contaminated home. Indeed, signs of meth contamination are not easily detected, so keep this in mind. The only time you may begin to suspect it is when you or other occupants begin to show symptoms. This is why it is important to conduct a house meth test on your property. It is a silent contaminant, and your best bet is to find the appropriate removal services to deal with it.
- Wearing outdoor shoes inside the house
Unfortunately, many people are culprits of this. After going out for a walk or an early morning jog in the neighborhood, you have probably walked around your home using the same footwear. However, this may not be healthy as, according to the University of Arizona, the bottom of one pair of footwear can harbor up to 400,000 different bacteria.
Researchers from the same university also made references to work or office shoes. They intimated that the footwear used in office settings often picks up E.coli from public bathrooms. You can imagine the potential repercussions on your family’s health if you walk in the same shoes around your home. Admittedly, this would require a lot of self-awareness to stop the habit. You can remove your shoes at the front door and carry them to the rack or bathroom to be sanitized.
To conclude, if your house continues to smell musky, it could be a sign of inadequate ventilation. Allowing fresh air into the house can help disperse harmful pollutants.
