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June Is National Healthy Homes Month
This June is the first National Healthy Homes Month—the perfect time to remember that a healthy home begins with healthy air. Why air? Because the air inside your home can contain harmful pollutants that put you and your family at risk. Keep in mind that health effects resulting from poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can be experienced soon after exposure and sometimes not until years later. Improving your home’s indoor air quality is important to your health and the health of your loved ones.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s theme for this first National Healthy Homes Month is Everyone Deserves a Safe and Healthy Home. Recognizing that people spend most of their time inside, National Healthy Homes Month introduces them to concepts and tips for keeping homes healthy and safe.
EPA’s Indoor Environments Division shares HUD’s vision for healthy homes nationwide: Healthy homes need healthy indoor air. These three strategies will help you improve your home’s IAQ:
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Source Control—Stop pollutants where they start. For example, adjust emissions from gas stoves and eliminate sources of mold and moisture.
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Ventilation Improvements—Open your windows to let in some fresh air. Turn on kitchen fans when cooking and bathroom fans when showering.
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Air Cleaners—Consider purchasing an air cleaner to remove pollutants from your home’s air.
Improve your home’s air quality by using “green” cleaning products, ceasing to smoke indoors, having your home tested for mold and radon, cleaning your air ducts, or upgrading your heating and cooling systems to be more energy efficient and cleaner, among other steps.
Celebrate National Healthy Homes Month with EPA’s Indoor Environments Division and HUD!
Follow the links below to resources that can help you improve your home’s IAQ.
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