Secrets to a healthy home

There are a lot of essentials that go behind building a good home, more importantly keeping it safe and healthy. Let’s look at some of them.

Electrical safety

First and foremost, ensure that your house is electrically safe. Install smoke alarms on every floor and near all your rooms. Test these smoke alarms monthly and change the batteries every year. Clean up clutter so that insects and rodents do not have a place to hide. Keep your floor clear of electrical cords and other clutter such as shoes, toys and clothing.

Insulation

Insulating your home is the best way to make your home comfortable and safe and is also the most cost-effective one.
Insulation acts as a barrier to heat flow and is essential for keeping your home warm in winter and cool in summer. A sealed home also improves the indoor air quality.

Pest control

Seal openings to the outside, and between rooms to keep pests out of the homes. Keep your dustbins covered and ensure that you regularly clean garbage cans; this will not give the pests extra food to eat. Fix your leaks and wipe up spilt water so pests have nothing to drink. And ensure you get a pest control treatment done on a mandatory basis. Pest control treatments will help you keep away the cockroaches, drain flies, fruit flies, black and red ants that do not get cleaned through customary sweeping and mopping.

Kitchens

Always use a kitchen exhaust fan that vents outside; this will help avoid moisture in the house. Never leave food unattended on the stove. Use safe cleaning and pest-control products (keep them locked away from children, follow label directions, and dispose of these products safely).

Washrooms

Keep all medications locked in the medicine cabinet using childproof caps. Open the doors and windows post usage to get fresh air. Use a bathroom exhaust fan. Buff and sanitise the toilet sink and
shower. Wipe and keep your exterior shelves organised. Always clean and remove stains on mirrors and glass. Also, have the tiles, windows and exhaust fans in the bathrooms cleaned on a regular basis by a professional.

Living rooms

Ensure that you get floor marble polishing done in your living rooms. This treatment is recommended semi-annually in homes where the footfall is high. It will revive the gloss and shine of the marble by removing the dirt from the pores, hence leaving the rooms much cleaner and germ-free. Old carpets in the living rooms should be washed or replaced to ensure they do not slide. Carpets on bare floors should have on-skid mats underneath them.

Also, sofas and chairs that are upholstered with fabrics contain a lot of harmful chemicals having heavy dust in them, and they can act as asthma triggers. So, an upholstery treatment is recommended
especially with homes that have pets, as they carry a lot of bacteria in their fur.

Waterproofing

Bengaluru has the unique problem of having high groundwater levels (despite it having been depleted over the years) in a non-coastal city. This causes concrete constructions in Bengaluru that leads to facing an issue of rising damp (a rising damp is when groundwater seeps up through your structure).

A plastic or steel sheet will need to be vibrated into your wall. You could focus on applying a layer of liquid or self-adhering membrane available on the market to your wall. This will allow you to avoid the dampness in your wall from having adverse
effects within your home.

Quick cleaning tips

Dust regularly: Dust thoroughly and clean and replace air conditioning filters regularly, clean ducts and vents to reduce pollen and other airborne allergens.

Medicine cabinets: Ensure that your medicine cabinet is organised. Get rid of all the older medications and if some medications have expired, discard them safely.

Store rooms: Make sure you get rid of all the ‘toxic’ items on a regular basis i.e. cleaning products, paint cans, thinners, oils, solvents, expired food items and
others from your store room. Do not throw these items in your regular trash can; make sure you pack them separately and give it to your garbage cleaner.

Batteries: Make sure batteries are changed regularly and working. Do not throw batteries in the trash - dispose old batteries by recycling or taking them to a hazardous waste centre.

Pest control treatment: Finally, the most important one. Besides the fact that it is mandatory to get a pest control treatment done, also ensure that the treatment is eco-friendly, which includes herbal sprays and gel treatments only. It should also be odourless and safe for pets.

 

(The author is city head - Bengaluru, Mr.Homecare (SILA))