24 tips for a healthier home

Keeping your home clean and beautiful is as much about what you can't see as what you can. Indoor air quality can suffer when homes are shut up tight and built with the wrong materials. We can make it better or worse depending on how we outfit our homes and what we use to maintain them with. Here are some pointers to help you clean up your act.

1. Check shingles for signs of wear and look for water damage in your attic. Water leaking through the roof can cause serious mould infestations.

2. Homes built before 1960 were often painted with lead paint, which is found in household dust. Remove a paint chip to have it tested. If you have lead, keep your home dust-free to protect against lead poisoning and hire an experienced contractor to sand or remove wall and ceiling materials contaminated with lead.

3. Replace blinds with washable drapes and you'll have a window covering friendlier to those with dust allergies. 

4. Use an exhaust fan to remove moisture and gasses from cooking that can build up and support mould growth, causing or irritating allergies and respiratory conditions.

5. Air out your dry cleaning or choose a company that doesn't use perchloroethylene, or "perc," a dry-cleaning solvent that's a probable carcinogenic.

6. Brush pets outdoors often, wash their bedding and vacuum your home regularly to control hair.

7. Soil in urban areas can be contaminated with lead from emissions of leaded gasoline. Have your soil tested and replaced, if necessary.

8. Keep your basement dry and mould-free by ensuring gutters and downspouts aren't blocked, and that they direct water away from the home.

9. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to pick up fine particles that could irritate asthma and other respiratory ailments.

10. Mount carbon monoxide detectors at knee height to detect leaks from your gas or oil furnace or ill-maintained appliances. Carbon monoxide poisoning can cause brain damage or death.

11. Choose natural materials, such as solid wood, bamboo or cork for flooring; where flooring is adhered to the subfloor choose low-emission adhesives. Avoid vinyl floor and wall coverings – vinyl chloride and polyvinyl chloride are carcinogens that can emit from some of these products and the adhesives used with them.

12. Wear a dust mask and use a dust collection system in your workshop, including an ambient air filter. Sawdust is carcinogenic and can irritate respiratory conditions.

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13. Cover the soil in an unfinished, dirt-floor basement with six-mil polyethylene to prevent moisture from seeping into the house.

14. Use dehumidifiers in summer to prevent mould and mildew growth in fabrics and furnishings.

15. Install a 0.3 or smaller micron air filter in your forced air system to stop circulating dust and other particles through your home. 

16. Check your plumbing for lead pipes or soldering. If it's lead, get your tap water tested for lead content. You may have to replace some of your plumbing.

17. Formaldehyde, a carcinogen, is used in many products, including adhesives in plywood manufacturing. Buy furniture made of low-emission or solid wood materials.

18. Air fresheners simply mask odours and some contain pollutants such as formaldehyde. Deal with the source of the odour or use natural materials, such as cedar balls.

19. Use a cedar chest and lavender paper to dissuade moths from off-season clothes. Moth balls contain naphthalene, a harmful toxin that may cause cataracts and cancer.

20. Remove carpet from bathrooms and basements -- mould often grows in high humidity areas.

21. Dust mites and their droppings are a common allergen. Thwart them by keeping humidity below 45 per cent, using pillow and mattress covers and washing bedding and pillows in hot water often and drying on high heat in the dryer. Avoid decorating your bed with throw pillows.

22. Turn on your bathroom fan when you turn on the shower and leave it running for 10 to 15 minutes afterward.

23. Smoking indoors is harmful to everyone's health, and smoke and tar linger on surfaces. Smoke can trigger or aggravate asthma.

24. Use mild cleaners as those containing harsh chemicals can trigger asthma attacks.

Need to control clutter? Check out our 7 home organizing essentials to get everything in order.

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This article was first printed in the June 2007 issue of Homemakers Magazine. Click to subscribe online and don't miss an issue.