No one likes to get sick, and keeping yourself healthy is an important part of everyday life for most people. In keeping yourself healthy, it’s also important to keep your home healthy. That means keeping your home free from poisons and toxins that can cause your home to be an unhealthy environment for you and your family.
But what about when you’re remodeling, renovating or building a new home? There can be a lot of dangerous materials that can cause a construction project to turn unhealthy very quickly. Simply use the following three tips and you’ll keep your home and your family healthy during your next remodeling project.
Avoid Moisture Problems
One of the worst things you can do to your home during a remodeling project is to allow moisture to enter through exposed materials. And that starts from the bottom of the home, all the way to the top. From foundational damp-proofing to covering an exposed crawlspace with plastic sheeting, keeping the moisture out of the soil that surrounds the structure is just as important as keeping it out of an exposed roof. Be sure that if you’re hiring any contractors for help, ensure that they have a weatherproofing plan in place for keeping your home high and dry during construction. You may also what to check your contract agreement on what the contractors responsibility involves if moisture becomes an issue in the home during any phase of construction.
Avoid Contaminants
There can be any number of contaminants already in your home without your knowledge. Any home built before 1978 runs the risk that lead paint, carbon monoxide gases and asbestos materials are present. By federal law, any contractor performing work that will disturb paint in a home built before 1978 is required to be trained in lead-safe practices by the EPA. Dust and debris from these materials can easily cause lead contamination on every surface on your home that’s not well-protected. Lead is extremely dangerous for those who are pregnant and small children.
Other dangerous materials like formaldehyde can be brought into the home by inferior materials. Cheap cabinetry and carpeting can off-gas formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals for years to come when installed brand new in your home. Be sure to check the contaminant level of your new products as well as your old ones to avoid dangerous contaminates in the home.
Avoid Pests
Bugs and rodents aren’t just a nuisance-they can bring along with them all sorts of unhealthy additions to a home. While a good combination of pest control materials and moisture control can help ensure that bugs and rodents stay away during the construction phase, it’s also important to seal any holes, cracks or gaps in materials before critters can find their way inside later on down the road. Fill smaller holes with spray foam insulation but be sure to add a mesh screen to larger holes before you fill them with foam so pests can chew through the foam and enter your healthy home.
