Health Brief: Home Safety

If you are concerned about your family’s health, you can start making small but significant changes throughout your home to maintain excellent immune health, avoid injuries, and prevent long-term problems for you and your loved ones. With a little knowledge about surprising health hazards that might be hiding in your home, you can start creating a safer environment that promotes wellness for the whole family.

Use the steps below to easily promote safety in your home and enjoy a summer without any medical mishaps.

Select Eco-friendly Household Cleaners

Keeping a clean home is necessary for good health, but selecting the wrong cleaning products can actually do more harm than good. Products to avoid are those containing harsh solvents, petroleum, chlorine, and artificial fragrances. Not only will cleaners with these ingredients reduce the air quality in your home, but they also pose a threat to the environment. When you do shop for cleaning products, read the ingredient labels and select products with easy-to-pronounce ingredients from natural sources.

Know Where Germs Are Hiding

Once you have the right cleaning products in your home, you should be aware of the most important places to use them. While there are the obvious areas where germs dwell—such as toilets, door handles, and countertops—there are also several germ hot spots you might not suspect. These areas include wooden cutting boards, linens, and dish towels. Germs may hide in these spots even when they appear clean, so you might consider solutions such as utilizing dishwasher-safe plastic cutting boards, washing household linens more often, and replacing dish towels and sponges with disposable paper towels.

Eliminate Hazards for Children

Children are naturally curious, and they are often drawn to items in the home that can lead to serious injuries. Plastic bags, household chemicals, medicine, sharp objects, and window cords are some of the seemingly harmless hazards that should be kept out of a child’s reach. As the weather heats up outside, you should also be sure that your backyard is safe for your child’s playtime. If you have a pool, keep a barrier around the perimeter with a locked gate so that your child does not try to take a swim without proper supervision. Other backyard hazards to be aware of are pests, unattended tools, and rusted fencing or furniture.

Check Your Smoke Alarms

Fire safety in the home begins with working smoke alarms on every level of the house. To ensure that your smoke alarms are functioning properly, you should test them every few months and replace the batteries as needed. You can add even more fire protection to your home by keeping your water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit, performing routine chimney and appliance maintenance, and using extra caution when cooking.

Keep Your Floors Clutter-Free

Clean and tidy floors will prevent some of the most common injuries among young children and elderly individuals: falls. Clear walkways make for easier and safer travel, and avoiding clutter on kitchen and bathroom floors will prevent any number of avoidable accidents. If you have throw rugs in your home, it is best to remove them from high-traffic areas or tack them to the floor so they are not easy to trip over.

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