How Healthy Is Your Home? Series Final

Homes can be surprisingly dangerous places with the potential for both environmental hazards and safety concerns.  They can contain lead-based paint, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon, mold, imported drywall and other substances that can cause illnesses or chronic health problems. Homes are also full of safety hazards from stairs and stoves to bathtubs and swimming pools that can contribute to accidents, injuries or deaths. In this 3 part series we will explore ways to improve the health of your home.

 

6 Home-Safety Tips

Preventive measures can make a home safer as well, according to Amy Artuso Heinzen, program manager at the National Safety Council, a nonprofit organization in Itasca, Illinois.  "Every family and every home is different," Heinzen said. "Walk around and assess potential hazards, particularly for the dynamics of your specific family."

Here are some of her tips:

1. Install a fence around a swimming pool to keep out unsupervised children who can slip silently into a pool and drown without a sound being made.
2. Keep toilet seat lids closed, never leave a bucket of water unattended and never leave a young child in a bathtub without an adult present. A young child can drown in a small amount of water.
3. Create an emergency evacuation plan and practice it twice a year with your family, preferably during the day and at night. Plan at least two ways to exit your home in case one route is blocked.
4. Make sure your home's windows aren't painted or nailed shut. If they are, get someone to open them so you and your family can escape in an emergency.
5. Install smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home. Test alarms monthly. If you or someone in your family has impaired hearing, install alarms that vibrate or flash a light.
6. Make sure your hallways and bathrooms are well-lit at night to prevent slips, trips and falls.

"We all live with a certain amount of hazard," Heinzen said. "It's important to educate yourself and take proactive safety measures to do your best to avoid illness and injury while actively living and enjoying life."
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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Healthy Is Your Home? Series Part 2 - Four Healthy Home Tips

4 healthy home tips

Homes can be surprisingly dangerous places with the potential for both environmental hazards and safety concerns.  They can contain lead-based paint, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon, mold, imported drywall and other substances that can cause illnesses or chronic health problems. Homes are also full of safety hazards from stairs and stoves to bathtubs and swimming pools that can contribute to accidents, injuries or deaths. In this 3 part series we will explore ways to improve the health of your home.

These tips from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) can make your home safer and healthier:

1. Keep your home clean and dry to discourage mites, cockroaches, rodents and mold
2. Be careful with pesticides. Improper use can make health problems worse since residues pose serious health risks.
3. Keep your home free of lead paint, radon gas, pesticides, carbon monoxide, asbestos particles and other hazardous chemicals
4. Keep your home well-maintained. Remediate peeling paint promptly, especially if you live in an older home.

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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Healthy Is Your Home? Series - Part 1 - Home Inspection

Homes can be surprisingly dangerous places with the potential for both environmental hazards and safety concerns.  They can contain lead-based paint, asbestos, formaldehyde, radon, mold, imported drywall and other substances that can cause illnesses or chronic health problems. Homes are also full of safety hazards from stairs and stoves to bathtubs and swimming pools that can contribute to accidents, injuries or deaths. In this 3 part series we will explore ways to improve the health of your home.

Home inspection

Many home hazards were originally introduced by builders and contractors, says Jay Gregg, director of marketing at Pillar to Post Professional Home Inspections, a Tampa, Florida-based franchise company with 450 outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

One way to find these hazards is get a home inspection, but that's only a starting point. A home inspector can't move furniture or boxes without the homeowner's permission and even a vacant house isn't 100 percent accessible.

First-time homebuyers especially should seek the help of a home inspector as they have never been through the home buying process before and are not aware of the potential problems they could encounter as homeowners.
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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.

 

Be Ready, Nat´l Preparedness Month is Here! - Series Final - Maintain a Healthy State of Mind

September 2014 marks the eleventh annual National Preparedness Month, sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the US Department of Homeland Security. One goal of Homeland Security is to educate the public about how to prepare for emergencies, including natural disasters, mass casualties, biological and chemical threats, radiation emergencies, and terrorist attacks.   Take note of this final valuable tip for preparing for unexpected events.

Maintain a Healthy State of Mind

Everyone has their own ways of dealing with stressful situations. Resilience—the ability to adapt well to life's ups and downs—can help manage stress and feelings of anxiety. Everyone can develop resilience. It involves thoughts and actions that can be learned and practiced over time.

Anyone who experiences a disaster is affected by it, whether directly or indirectly through location, family or friends, or exposure to media coverage of the event.

Even if a disaster, such as a terrorist act, produces little physical damage, it can bring fear, confusion, and uncertainty into daily life. Strong and varied emotional reactions to such an event are natural. People are resilient and able to recover from difficult experiences.

Given the uncontrollable nature of disasters, some people question whether they can take steps to plan for catastrophic events. Actually, we know that the more people prepare for the unexpected, the better they manage these situations.
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This blog is brought to you by SERVPRO^® of Great Neck/Port Washington, a leading provider of fire and water cleanup, mold mitigation, remediation and restoration services. For more information and a full list of our services, please visit us online at www.servproofgreatneck.com or contact us at 516-767-9600.