From the Surgeon General's Call to Action To Promote Healthy Homes
Bedrooms, Living Rooms, and Family Rooms
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Do not smoke or allow anyone else to smoke in your home
- If your home was built before 1978:
- Test your home for lead paint
- Fix peeling or chipping paint using lead-safe work practices
- Use safe work practices when painting, remodeling, and renovating to prevent spreading lead dust
- Keep floors clear of electrical cords and clutter
Kitchens
- Never use the stove or oven to heat the house
- Use a range hood fan or other kitchen exhaust fan that vents outside
- Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
- Use safe cleaning and pest control products
- Stop cockroaches, ants, and mice without pesticides:
- Keep them out- seal openings to the outside and between rooms
- Starve them- put away food, clean up, cover the trash and garbage
- Deny them water- fix leaks and wipe up spilled water
- When necessary, use closed baits, traps, and gels
- Never use bug bombs
Bathrooms
- Install grab bars next to the bathtub and shower
- Use mats with nonslip rubber backs on bathroom floors
- Clean up moisture and mold safely
- Use a bathroom exhaust fan that vents outside
Attics
- Check for water leaks from the roof
- Ensure proper ventilation to prevent moisture that can promote mold growth
- Seal gaps around roofing and attic openings to keep rodents and insects out
- Clean up clutter to deny rodents and insects places to nest
Stairways and Halls
- Fix loose or uneven steps and rails
- Attach stairway carpet firmly to every step- or remove carpet and attach nonslip rubber stair treads
- Keep stairs free of clutter
- Install handrails on both sides of the stairs
- Keep a working lightbulb in overhead lights in the hall and stairs
Basement, Crawl Space, Utility and Laundry Areas
- Set hot water heater to 120 degrees to prevent burns
- Change furnace/AC filter regularly
- Have gas appliances and furnaces checked yearly to make sure they don't release extra carbon monoxide
- Make sure the clothes dryer vents outside
- Test for radon. If there's a high level, hire a specialist to eliminate the hazard
Outer Parts of House and Yard
- Keep pests away:
- Fix holes, cracks, and leaks on exterior of the house
- Eliminate standing water and food sources
- Keep trash can covered with a lid
- Remove shoes before entering the house to keep dirt containing lead and other toxins outside
- Maintain gutters, downspouts, and roof to prevent moisture from entering the home
- Use safe work practices when painting, remodeling, or renovating a home built before 1978
- If you have a septic tank or private well, properly maintain it to prevent illness
- Be ready in case of disaster: have a kit for shelter in place and plan fire escape routes
Special Steps to Protect Children
- Make sure cribs, playpens, and play equipment are safe
- Keep cribs free of soft objects or loose bedding
- Use cordless blinds and shades, or tie the cords out of reach of children
- Place infants on their backs to sleep
- Place safety covers on electrical outlets
- Lock prescription and over-the-counter medications away from children and use childproof caps
- Use stair gates at the top and bottom of stairs
- Lock up products used for cleaning, car maintenance, gardening, and pest control
- In you have a swimming pool, make sure you have proper fencing and gates around the pool
- Complete a playground safety checklist if you have playground equipment in your yard
- If a firearm is kept in the home, it should be stored unloaded and locked in a secure container- inaccessible to children
