36 Expert Tips for a Healthier Home

This report outlines 36 expert tips that can be implemented to make your home healthier. It follows two previous reports – “The 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building” and “Schools for Health: Foundations for Student Success” – that explain the science for how healthy buildings lead to improved work and more productive school environments. Now we turn our attention to the place we spend the most time – our homes.

Whole Home

Did you know the typical American spends 65% of our life inside our homes?

• Kick Your Shoes Off at the Door
• Bring in Fresh Air
• Install detectors for smoke and “the silent killer”
• (Re)connect with nature and natural light indoors
• Get the lead out (for homes built before 1980)

Bedrooms

A third of all the air you breathe in your life will be the air in one room…your bedroom.

• Train your brain and make this the sleeproom
• Black out the room (and “blue-out” your lights)
• Treat the air (and yourself)
• Keep your cool at night
• Block out the noise

Living Room

Dust is a reservoir for allergens from pests like dust mites, harmful chemicals and air pollution that settles out onto the floor.

• Vacuum. Regularly. With HEPA.
• Don’t smoke indoors (better yet, don’t smoke at all)
• Stamp out the candles and incense
• Choose furniture and carpets without harmful chemicals
• Properly vent fireplaces and wood stoves

Kitchen

Particle levels while cooking with an unvented stove can reach 10x higher than our health-based limits for outdoor air pollution.

• Cook with the exhaust hood on (and vented outdoors)
• Keep a fire extinguisher within easy reach
• Filter your drinking water where necessary
• Control pests using IPM, not more pesticides
• Choose glassware and cast iron or ceramic cookware

Bathrooms

Hand-washing is the cornerstone of public health. But don’t let that be the end of your efforts in making your bathroom healthier.

• Control moisture by exhausting air outdoors
• Limit the use of air fresheners
• Detoxify cleaners and personal care products
• Skip the antimicrobials
• Prevent slips, trips and falls with handrails and non-slip mats

Basement

Radon causes lung cancer and it can seep into your house through the basement.

• Measure and control radon
• Do not disturb signs of asbestos
• Dehumidify and inspect for signs of water issues
• Choose a hard floor
• Solve the solvent storage issue

Outside

We spend the majority of our time inside our homes, but the stuff immediately outside our homes is important, too.

• Ditch the pesticides and herbicides
• Beware of air from attached garages
• Secure the perimeter
• Tighten up your envelope
• Be resilient