Environmental Health - Healthy Homes

Keep it Safe

Unintentional injuries from poisoning, choking, falls and suffocation are the number one killer of children in America. Remove clutter that could cause trips and falls. Having age appropriate safety devices such as cabinet locks and door-knob covers are essential. Install and routinely test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Develop a "Ready in 3" plan with your family in case of an emergency. Also, remember to lock all medications, household cleaners, and guns in a place where children can not access them. Consider switching to safer, non-toxic products for your cleaning supplies. Always make sure you read the label and follow directions on cleaning products, and never mix any chemical products together! Make sure each home that the child regularly visits follows the "keep it safe" guidelines.

DHSS Are You Ready? website

Keep it Well Ventilated

Remember to ventilate bathrooms and kitchens and use whole house ventilation if it is available in order to keep a supply of fresh air in the home. Fresh air helps reduce the amount of contaminants in your home. Since Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, managing the indoor air environment is an important step in reducing exposure to contaminants and allergens that trigger asthma attacks. (CDC)

Keep it Pest-Free

Pests are not part of a healthy home. Some pests are irritants to people with asthma or other respiratory problems. Also, pests can spread disease. In order to keep your home pest-free, remove all sources of food, water, and shelter for the pests. Store food in pest resistant containers, seal cracks and openings throughout your home. If needed, use sticky traps and baits in closed containers to rid your home of pests, and close off all points of access.

CDC Rodent Control website

Keep it Well-Maintained

A healthy home is inspected, cleaned, and repaired regularly. Be sure to keep your family safe and healthy by making sure your home repairs are taken care of in a timely manner.

Energy Conservation

Making smart energy choices are keys to a brighter future. Learning more about how to reduce your energy usage gives you the power to save for our community. There are many things you can begin doing today! Many are no-cost or low-cost items that can add up to make a significant difference in your energy and water consumption-while making your home more comfortable.

Winter Tips:

1. Weather-strip around doors and windows. You can dodge drafts by installing low-cost weather-strip around doors and windows.
2. Raise the humidity/lower the temperature. If the air in your home becomes dry in the winter, you will require a higher thermostat setting to remain comfortable. Add moisture, lower the thermostat-you'll be comfortable and save energy too.
3. Adjust your water heater temperature so it is between 120-130degrees F. Wrapping your water heater with an insulation blanket will help reduce heat loss through the tank walls.
4. Install a programmable thermostat.
5. Open shades-let the sunlight in. Make the most of the sun's warmth by opening your curtains, drapes, and blinds.
6. Remove window air conditioners or seal around them.
7. Install sealers at outlets and switches. If you feel cold air leaking through the electrical outlet or switch covers, seal them with inexpensive foam gaskets.
8. Don't let heat go up in smoke. If you're not using your fireplace, close the damper.
9. Maintain your furnace. Check the filter once a month and change if needed.
10. Check your ducts. Ducts are usually out of site, out of mind. Over time, ducts can become disjointed or loosen from the registers. Check your duct system, and if necessary, insulate and seal.

Summer Tips:

1. Set the air conditioner thermostat or control at the highest setting possible for comfort (78 degrees is usually a good temperature to try). You could have a 3% savings for every degree above your normal setting. Setting the thermostat on very low will not cool the house faster. Before work, or when you leave the house fro at least four hours, turn the air conditioner 10 degrees higher or off. The system will run steadily for a period when turned back on, but it will use less energy than if it ran all day.
2. Change, check, or clean your air filters monthly. Don't forget to keep the outside unit debris free.
3. Don't place lamps or TV sets near your air conditioning thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which will cause the unit to run longer.
4. Plant trees or shrubs to shade your outdoor units, but make sure not to block airflow.
5. Close drapes and shades during the day to keep the heat from the sun out. Especially on the south and west sides.
6. Closing off air vents in unoccupied rooms can save you 5-10% on your cooling costs.
7. Avoid activities that add heat or humidity to your home, particularly during the hottest part of the day.
8. Seal any gaps along the sides of your room air conditioners with foam insulation. Your air conditioner will stay on much longer if the cool air is escaping.
9. Consider using a dehumidifier instead of turning on the air conditioning. You will be comfortable at much higher temperatures by reducing the humidity.
10. Whole house or attic fans help cool your home by pulling cool air through the house and exhausting warm air through the attic. This also helps circulate fresh air through your home which gives you a greater air quality in which to live.
11. Replace heat producing incandescent light bulbs with cool, energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. (CFLs) CFLs produce the same amount of light as traditional bulbs but use about one-quarter of the energy.

Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs)

ENERGY STAR qualified lighting provides bright, warm light, but uses about 75% less energy than standard lighting, produce 75% less heat, and lasts up to 10 times longer. To save the most energy and money, replace your highest used fixtures or the light bulbs in them with energy efficient models. The five highest use fixtures in a home are typically the kitchen ceiling lights, the living room/family room table and floor lamps, and outdoor porch or post lamp. If every home in the U.S. replaced just one light bulb, we would save enough energy to light about 3 million homes for a year, save more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent 9 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year, equivalent to the emissions of about 800,000 cars. CFLs contain a very small amount of mercury sealed within the glass tubing-an average of 4 milligrams per light bulb. No mercury is released when the bulbs are intact or in use, however there are recommendations of how to dispose of a broken fluorescent light bulb.

How to Dispose of a Broken Fluorescent Light Bulb

The US Environmental Protection Agency recommends specific clean-up and disposal guidelines.

1. Open a window and leave the room for at least 15 minutes. Close the doors and do not let anyone in the room during this time.
2. Remove all materials that you can, do not use a vacuum cleaner. Do not use your bare hands. Scoop up the glass fragments and powder. Wipe the entire area with disposable wet wipes, or moist paper towels. Use duck tape or sticky tape to pick up the small pieces of glass and powder. (Warning: when they break it is like a small explosion that result in tiny glass particles and powder spread out over a wide area.)
3. Put all fragments and all clean up materials in a bag and seal it. Dispose of product, and thoroughly wash your hands.

Change a Bulb, Change the World

Change the world is a national campaign from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) encouraging all Americans to join with millions of others and take small steps that make a big difference in the fight against global warming. Together we can all make a difference.

Join the fight against global warming.