June is National Healthy Homes Month! At least it was last year, but HUD changed it to April on us. But regardless of when we celebrate it, a healthy home is an achievement we should all work toward in our living environments, especially if we’re homeowners (and June is also National Homeowners’ Month!). And there are many ways Detail View Home Inspections can help keep your home healthy from a whole home inspection before you buy to other periodic inspections thereafter.
Here are our tips to keep you healthy!
It All Starts with Water!
Water is vital to your heath for many reasons including hydration, cooking, and keeping you clean. But none of that works if the water you’re using is contaminated or if you don’t have water available.
That’s why Detail View Home Inspections takes care of one of your home’s most important resources with well inspections and water testing. You should get your water tested and your well inspected before you buy your home, but it’s also a good idea to have your well inspected annually.
The average homeowner doesn’t spend much time looking at their well and wouldn’t necessarily know what to look for if they did. So hire a certified well inspector to ensure it’s working correctly, not allowing in any contaminants, and producing clean water, and will do all those things for the foreseeable future.
Remember, we offer Wellgard protection too!
But Not Too Much Water…
Air quality is just as essential to your home health as water quality. And one of the worst things for your air quality it mold. A mold inspection is an important element in your whole home inspection, and checking for mold is something you as a homeowner should do periodically.
It’s always better to prevent mold than mitigate it. So check your basements and attics after a heavy rain to see if any water has gotten in. If you notice anywhere that isn’t fully water tight, repair it as soon as possible!
A Little More About Air
Of course, mold is not the only air pollutant in your home. When creating a healthy home, remember that indoor air is even more polluted than outdoor air! While much of that comes from the offgassing of indoor materials (like carpet, flooring, paint, etc) and the polluted outdoor air trapped inside, another major culprit that’s especially prevalent in Southwest Virginia: Radon.
Radon naturally occurs in our soil. But just because it’s natural doesn’t mean it’s good for you! In fact, Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer (after smoking) in the US. Southwest Virginia is in Radon Zone 1, meaning one of the parts of the country most at risk of Radon.
You should test your home for Radon when buying a house and retest it every two years. Luckily, you can easily mitigate your radon level with a radon mitigation system!
But What About the House Itself?
Of course, you can’t have a healthy home without a sturdy home! Before you buy a house, you should always get a certified home inspector to give it a thorough walk through and protect your investment.
When we do a whole home inspection, we look for everything that can cause you potential problems. Some of that is health-related, and some is budget!
Beyond a whole home inspection, you should get periodic termite and wood-destroying insect inspections, especially if your home is partially made of wood or it’s surrounded by other wood material (mulch, trees, outbuildings, etc.) that can feed these little home wreckers!
Healthy Homes Through Home Inspections and Maintenance
You can do a lot on your own to keep your home healthy, but for certain problems, you should always trust professionals like the certified inspectors at Detail View Home Inspections.
