You may think that your home is a safe haven, and, if there is nothing obviously structurally wrong with your property then many homeowners believe this.  However, there are numerous hidden dangers which can not only affect the structural integrity of your building, but also your health.  Below you will find 6 of the most common home dangers which often go unidentified until it is too late, and there is also advice regarding what you can do to resolve any issues you may find.

1.  The Presence of Radon Gas

Radon is similar to Carbon Monoxide in terms of its properties; it is colorless and odorless but kills in excess of 20,000 Canadians each year.  It is also a major cause of debilitative lung diseases such as lung cancer and is a very real threat which does not receive much media exposure.  Any home can be affected by Radon gas and it is therefore advisable to regularly test for the presence of this gas.  Test kits can be obtained from any reputable hardware store and if your test kit returns a positive result then it is imperative that you contact a specialist who will be able to reduce the levels of radon present to safe levels.

2.  The Presence of Organic Compounds

Organic compounds can cause dangerous air pollution in any property.  The most worrying thing about organic compounds in your home is that often they are volatile at room temperature, meaning that they will pollute the air you breathe in on a daily basis which can have serious health knock on effects.  Virtually all standard household products such as carpets, plastics, adhesives and pain can release harmful gases and you will often be unaware of the harm that is being done until much later on.  The extent to which these products can affect you actually depends entirely upon you, unfortunately every person reacts differently to different compounds and as such you will only know how you react to such compounds when you actually come into contact with them for long periods of time.

3.  Mold

Mold is one of the most common issues to affect homes all across the world.  It’s not easy to totally protect your home against mold occurring, but one thing you can do is to limit its growth and activity within your property.  Not only can mold damage the structure of your home but it can also lead to serious health issues as it can seriously harm your respiratory system if left unchecked for long periods of time.

You’ve probably encountered the sensationalist media stories about house-eating toxic molds. The truth is, mold spores are actually floating everywhere, in the air inside and outside all of our homes. There’s no way to keep mold spores out of the air. The trick to controlling mold in your home is controlling moisture–mold thrives on moisture.  If you do locate mold growing within your home then a simple way to deal with it is to wash over it with detergent and water and this will solve most mold issues.  However, if the problem is persistent then you may wish to consider calling in professionals to eliminate it properly.  Some helpful tips for avoiding mold growth in the first place are to ensure that you have no leaking pipes and that your dryer vent points to outside your property, this will all help to limit the moisture present in the air in your home which will slow down the growth of any mold which may already be present.

4.  Biological Contaminants

Bugs and insects which thrive off moist conditions can also cause issues in homes.  For example, cockroaches, dust mites and pollen can all to allergic reactions which can be serious and even life threatening to those with the most serious allergies to them.  Simple steps you can take to limit the effect these things will have on you and your home are to purchase a mattress and pillow cases which are dust mite safe and to also consider an upgraded air filtration system which can help to eliminate or at least severely limit the issues discussed.

5.  Risks from Appliances

Normal household appliances such as your oven or boiler can all release potentially harmful gases with the most serious of these being Carbon Monoxide.  The emission Carbon Monoxide is most commonly associated with a faulty boiler system and is often fatal as unless you have a Carbon Monoxide alarm, the chances are that you would not be aware of its presence as it is odorless and colourless, similar to Radon gas discussed previously.  Steps you can take to mitigate the present of potentially dangerous gases are to install Carbon Monoxide alarms at regular intervals around your home and to have your boiler serviced at least yearly, these will all help to limit the chances of a Carbon Monoxide leak going undetected.

6.  Building Materials

Finally, a great danger in homes which were built more than 40 years ago is the presence of lead based materials or asbestos, both of which can be very damaging to your health.  Older homes are quite likely to have been decorated using a lead based paint, which, when disturbed through sanding down for example can cause harmful particles to be released into the air within your property which you will of course breathe in.  If you suspect lead based paint has been used on your property at some point and are considering redecorating, then it is always advisable to hire a professional to carry out the work for you in a safe manner.  In older homes asbestos can also cause a problem, it is one of the leading causes of lung cancer and has been banned for in excess of 40 years now.  If disturbed in can be very damaging health wise and again if you are considering redecorating an area of your home which you believe to contain asbestos then you need to contact a professional.

To conclude, hopefully this post will have demonstrated how dangers in our homes do not always reveal themselves in a visual format; often it is those dangers which we cannot see which are potentially the most dangerous.

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In the study, David Layton and Paloma Beamer found that over 60 percent of house dust originates outdoors. They note that household dust consists of a mixture that includes dead skin shed by people, fibers from carpets and upholstered furniture, and tracked-in soil and airborne particles blown in from outdoors. It can include lead, arsenic and other potentially harmful substances that migrate indoors from outside air and soil. This can be of special concern for children, who can ingest these substances by spending time on a dusty floor, or by putting dusty toys and other objects into their mouths.

They estimated that nearly 60 percent of the arsenic in floor dust could come from arsenic in the surrounding air, with the remainder derived from tracked-in soil.

So then, I wasn’t too far off base when I wrote Please Remove Shoes Before Entering, extolling five reasons for removing shoes before entering the home: number two being toxins-toxins-toxins! Even so, many people are wildly opposed to removing their shoes when visiting others’ homes. To each his own and all, but still.

Aside from keeping dust out of the home in the first place, I like microfiber cloths to tackle surface dust once it has invaded. They are eco-friendly because they reduce the use of cleaning products and paper towels or other disposables, and they thoroughly remove dust, allergens and bacteria.

To clean dust from the floor, the right vacuum is essential. Suction alone often isn’t enough to get much dust out of carpet; for best results, use an upright vacuum with an agitator, although some canister vacuums with agitators work well for carpet too. For wood, tile or vinyl flooring, use a canister vacuum without an agitator–or with an agitator that can be turned off–using an agitator on hard flooring actually kicks up more dust than it sucks up.

By Melissa Breyer via Care2

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Although there is no strong evidence that reducing dust and dust mites in your home will reduce symptoms of asthma or allergic reactions, the following steps may be helpful.

Air

• Do not use window or attic fans, which bring air containing pollen, mold spores, and other allergens into your home.
• Use air conditioning so you do not have to open windows. This will help reduce the amount of pollen and mold spores that enter your home.
• Use an air cleaner with a special high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. This can help remove some allergens (such as pollen or animal dander) and tobacco smoke from the air in your home.

Furniture, carpets, drapes, and bedding

• Avoid carpet, upholstered furniture, and heavy drapes that collect dust. Avoid furniture covered with fabrics. Use pillow and mattress covers made from a tight-weave fabric that keeps out dust and mites.
• Use furniture made of wood, plastic, leather, or vinyl (including vinyl mattress covers) that you can wipe clean. Note: Vinyl mattress covers can be uncomfortable to sleep on.
• Remove rugs and wall-to-wall carpeting. Talk with your family about this and about how this will affect family life. If you cannot or do not want to remove carpeting throughout the home, consider removing it only in the bedroom.
• Use smaller rugs (throw rugs, area rugs) that you can wash.
• Replace drapes and blinds with roll-down shades or washable curtains.
• Remove “dust collectors” from bedrooms, such as stuffed toys, wall hangings, books, knickknacks, and artificial flowers.
• Avoid wool blankets and down quilts.

Cleaning

• Damp-mop hard floors (tile or hardwood, for example) once a day.
• Dust and vacuum once or twice a week to remove the buildup of allergens. Use a dry cloth to wipe hard surfaces such as countertops, tables, and other furniture.
• Vacuum the carpets and cloth-covered furniture to get rid of as much dust as you can.
• Use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter or a special double-thickness bag, which collects dust-mite particles and pollen. Standard paper bag filters may allow the stirred-up allergens to escape back into the room.
• Dusting and vacuuming stir up dust, making the air worse until the dust settles. Wear a mask if you do the cleaning yourself. If possible, try to have someone without allergies do the cleaning.
• Consider wet-vacuum cleaning when possible. This can help remove allergens from carpeting because it actually washes the carpet. Also, consider steam cleaning carpets when possible. In addition to cleaning the carpet, the heat of the steam kills dust mites.

Controlling dust mites

Dust mites are visible only through a microscope. People are allergic to dust mites’ droppings, not the dust mites themselves. Allergy to dust mites is a year-round problem.

• Keep the house aired out and dry. Dust mites do well where humidity is greater than 50% but do not do well in dry conditions. Try to keep the moisture level (humidity) below 50%. This may be difficult in some seasons and some climates. Plants and fish tanks contribute to humidity, so keep these out of the bedroom.
• Dry vacuuming doesn’t pick up dust mites. Consider steam cleaning carpets when possible. In addition to cleaning the carpet, the heat of the steam kills dust mites.
• You can buy chemicals (ascaricides) that kill dust mites to use on carpeting and furniture. However, many experts do not consider them effective enough to be worth the trouble and expense of using them.
• Wash bedding, including pillowcases and mattress covers, in hot water [130 ° F (54.4 ° C)] every 2 weeks. You can also dry bedding at high temperatures.
• You can limit your contact with dust mites by using allergen-proof covers on your mattress, box spring, and pillows, and washing them regularly. This works well as part of an overall plan to reduce allergens in your home. It is not enough to use mattress and pillow covers without some of the other methods mentioned above.

Because adults spend one-third of their time and children spend half of their time in their bedrooms, it is important that you take steps to prevent allergens in this room.

Source: Health.com

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Whatever the causes of your symptoms or suffering may be, there are ways to reduce allergens in your home. Just a few simple steps can improve the symptoms of respiratory problems like the ones above.

Dust Mites

You cannot escape dust no matter how clean your home is, and dust mites are a large cause of respiratory problems. These tiny insects live in households in places such as furniture, curtains, mattresses, pillows and carpets. They multiply in warm, humid environments. Dust mites live off dander or dead skin cells. They do not spread disease, but can cause allergic reactions when breathed in. According to many scientific studies, dust mites are the culprit in more than half of asthma cases in young people.

So how do you get rid of dust mites? First of all, you need to dust often. You need to make sure your bedding is clean by washing weekly in hot water. Also, make sure your draperies are cleaned once a month. Either store or get rid of toys no longer being used, and make sure they’re wrapped in plastic if you keep them. Any stuffed animals you keep should be washed weekly, and can be put in the freezer overnight for a quick kill if you think they have dust mites on them.

An important and efficient way to fight dust mites is to vacuum your house once a week using a HEPA filter. Doing this along with using allergen sprays as well as wrapping your mattresses and pillows in a vinyl covering will make a huge difference in your quality of life.

Mold

Mold is a particularly nasty enemy in the fight against allergens because you can have it and not know it. It also loves moist environments where it thrives, and spreads itself by planting airborne spores in house dust. These spores are inhaled, and in susceptible people, cause allergy symptoms.

You can reduce your risk for mold growth in your home by making sure it is ventilated adequately. You also need to vent your kitchen and bathroom properly. If you have a high humidity level, use a dehumidifier to bring it down. Keep areas prone to mold clean by using a water/bleach solution. If you suspect you have mold, call in a professional to make sure, as it has the capacity for making you and your family very ill.

Ultimately, you can use a HEPA air purifier to make sure mold spores are eliminated from your air and keep your allergy symptoms to a minimum.

Pet Dander

Do you love animals but don’t think you can have a pet? This is not necessarily so and is a common misconception among allergy sufferers. Allergies to pets are caused by contact with pet dander, not pet hair or skin. Pet dander is comprised of dead skin shed from your cat or dog that become airborne. If you have an allergic reaction to this dander, you don’t have to start finding a home for your animal yet. Try getting the dander out of the air first.

Keeping your cat or dog off the furniture or out of your bed can help a lot. Making sure you keep your home vacuumed on a frequent basis will help keep the dander out of the air as well. A HEPA filter can make a great difference in the situation in fighting the causes of allergens which will improve your indoor environment as well as quality of life.

Source: Clean Air plus

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