Maintain your home with these green building and healthy living practices

If you’re a homeowner, then you know that minor inconveniences can quickly turn into major repairs. That trickle of water leaking from the kitchen faucet. The sun-worn seal around a skylight. The rusty drain pipe underneath the bathroom sink. The termite-chewed eaves on the guest house. It can all get ugly real quick.

Properly maintaining your home is essential in the battle between your abode and your bank account. But it’s not just about money—when we properly maintain our homes, we’re not only preventing future damages but also creating a healthy living environment, a space that is comfortable, reassuring, clean, and safe for everyone to enjoy. So, if you want to keep your home in tip-top shape and everyone you love healthy, it’s vital to implement these simple practices into your routine to create a safe, pest-free, and damage-free home.

Keep It Dry

Moisture is one of your home’s worst enemies. It not only leads to mold growth and structural damage but can also create an enticing environment for disease-carrying pests and harmful insects to get comfortable within. And that means unhealthy living AND potential damage to walls, floors, and electrical systems—which can add up to ma$$ive repair costs. Here’s what to do:

1. Fix Leaks Promptly: Repair leaking roofs, pipes, and faucets ASAP
2. Ensure Proper Drainage: Make sure gutters and downspouts direct water away from your home’s foundation. Pooled water can seep down behind lower floor walls and basements.
3. Ventilate Moisture-Prone Areas: Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens, and use a dehumidifier in damp areas like basements or below-ground floors.

Keep It Clean

Who doesn’t love a clean home? It’s good for your body, it’s good for your mind, and it’s good for your kids. Bonus—a clean home discourages pesky pests from taking over, reduces allergens that can weaken the immune system, and can help you keep a positive attitude. So, break out that duster and let’s get started!

1. Establish a Regular Cleaning Routine: Regularly sweep, vacuum, and mop floors. Dust surfaces and clean kitchen appliances to avoid food and grime buildup.
2. Declutter: Pests love to hide in cluttered unkempt spaces. Keep your storage areas organized and send any unnecessary, unused, and unwanted items to the trash.
3. Practice Proper Waste Management: Use sealed garbage bins and remove trash regularly to prevent attracting pests.

Keep It Safe

This is obvious yet so important that it bears repeating over and over again: safety is key to a healthy home. By addressing potential hazards before they become hazardous events, you can gain peace of mind and the knowledge that the people you love most are safe.

1. Install Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Ensure they are functional and test them regularly to avoid malfunctions.
2. Secure Rugs and Cords: Secure loose rugs and keep electrical cords out of the way to avoid trips and injuries.
3. Childproof: Have young kids? It’s time to ensure they’re always safe. Install safety gates, make sure all electrical outlets have covers and store/lock up harmful cleaning supplies and substances in areas where kids can’t reach them.

Keep it Well-Ventilated

You know that feeling when you step outside on a perfect spring day and take in a big, glorious breath of fresh air? That’s the feeling you should have inside your home as well. Good ventilation can improve indoor air quality and prevent moisture buildup throughout your home, leading to healthy living!

1. Utilize Exhaust Fans: Ensure kitchens and bathrooms have functioning exhaust fans to remove moisture and odors effectively.
2. Open Windows: Open your windows and let the air circulate. Proper air circulation can limit exposure to harmful cleaning chemicals and/or fumes from cooking.  
3. Replace Air Filters: Replace HVAC filters every 90 days to ensure your system effectively filters the air you breathe.

Keep It Pest Free

It’s much easier to prevent pests from taking over your home than it is to remove pests once they’ve moved in. So…let’s keep ‘em out!

1. Seal All Entry Points: Use caulk and weather-stripping to seal gaps and cracks around windows, doors, pipes, and entryways.
2. Properly Store Food: Store food in sealed containers and clean up spills before they attract rodents and insects.
3. Inspect Your Space: Look for signs of pests, such as rodent droppings, gnaw marks, termite damage, and larvae, and attack the problem at first sight.

Keep It Contaminant Free

Contaminants are bad for you! So, reduce your exposure to harmful contaminants, and you’ll be doing something great for your health. Here are a few tips:

1. Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products: Choose eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaners that get the job done. Nowadays, it’s easier than ever to find something that’s not only safe for you and the environment but also deep cleans.
2. Test for Radon and Lead: If you own a home built before 1978, it’s wise to test for lead paint and radon gas. If you find lead paint and/or radon, immediately take remediation action.
3. Don’t Smoke Indoors. Better Yet—Don’t Smoke. First and secondhand smoke can wreak havoc on your body. Eliminate it from your home and eliminate a bevy of potential physical ailments.

Keep Your Home Maintained

If you don’t want to deal with major problems down the road, then eliminate the opportunity for them to arise. By practicing regular healthy home maintenance by yourself or through a green building service like Home Stewards, you can prevent major issues from ever happening. And that’s good for your mind and your pocketbook.  

1. Inspect Your Home: Perform routine inspections of your home’s structure, plumbing, and electrical systems to ensure no surprises.
2. Repair Problems in a Timely Manner: Minor repairs can become major problems if left unchecked. So fix ‘em now!
3. Do your seasonal maintenance: Clean gutters and storm drains, service or tune up your HVAC system, and check your roof for damage before seasonal changes (especially snow/rainy season).

Keep It Thermally Controlled

Maintaining a proper indoor temperature not only enhances everyone’s comfort level whilst lounging and living, but also prevents structural issues that can cost you a fortune.

1. Check Insulation: Ensure your home is well-insulated to maintain a consistent indoor temperature. Address and repair any areas where insulation is lacking.
2. Seal All Windows and Doors: Use weatherstripping and caulk to prevent drafts, which can negatively affect indoor air temperature.
3. Service Your HVAC System: Regularly servicing your heating and cooling systems can ensure they operate efficiently, maintaining thermal control while saving you money.

A healthy home = a healthy life. By practicing these simple, healthy home principles, you can lead the charge against costly repairs, rodent, insect, and mold infestation, structural damage, and poor air quality. So, take an hour or so each week to do a checkup. And if you find a leaky pipe, some buildup behind the stove, or a little crack in the exterior wall, grab your toolkit, rag, and cleaning supplies and get to it before it becomes a major issue. 

Don’t have the time or knowledge to do it yourself—no worries! Reach out to our healthy building professionals at Home Stewards, and we’ll help you keep your home safe and healthy. Remember, the cost of a small issue is significantly less than the cost of a major problem. So don’t sleep on it—get started now!