[Credit]
Our homes should be places we can go to unwind, relax, and generally enjoy our best lives. But sometimes they can become dysfunctional in a way that hurts our health.
The concept of the “sick house” has gained traction in recent years. The idea is that some abodes actively harm the health of their inhabitants.
But what’s weird about the idea is that what precisely is causing the sickness isn’t well-known. It seems to be a mysterious agent that moves through the air, like some kind of miasma.
Modern science, however, has identified some of the causes of an unhealthy home. And they generally make a lot of sense – everything from radon gas to drafty doors.
In this post, we take a look at some of the telltale signs that there’s something a little “off” with your home, and what you can do about it.
Telltale Sign #1: Mold Growth
Mold growth is perhaps the biggest single cause of a sickly home. The spores it creates circulate in indoor air and eventually makes their way up residents’ nostrils, leading to lung problems and asthma.
Mold also puts a damper on your entire living space. You can’t really relax when you get home because there is this awful, dank smell all the time.
There are services, such as Crawlspace Medic, that can resolve issues like these. If a leaking pipe or damp wall is causing an issue under your floorboards, you can get it fixed.
Telltale Sign #2: Drafts
Drafts are another common sign of a sickly house.
Drafts cause all sorts of problems for your health. But perhaps the most obvious is a constant biting cold that encourages the growth of certain types of bacteria.
Modern homes should have proper seals around the windows, doors, and roof. But if they don’t, then it allows pathogens to circulate freely inside, potentially causing an infection.
Telltale Sign #3: Indoor Pollution
[Credit]
You would hope that architects would be sensible in their choice of building materials. It makes sense to construct homes with materials that aren’t a hazard to human health, right?
Unfortunately, in the past scientific knowledge wasn’t as good as it is today. And many construction companies had no idea that the materials they were using could damage people.
Indoor pollutants are a serious issue in many properties. It’s not just asbestos in the insulation. It’s also the chemical outgassing from paint and some hazardous flooring materials.
If you believe you might be living in a sick house, it’s worth having a materials audit to find out whether there are any unnecessary toxins in your home. Getting rid of them could help you feel better.
Telltale Sign #4: Poor Air Quality
Most people are surprised to discover that outdoor air quality is often much better than indoor quality. You would think it would be different with all those factories and cars belching out fumes all day, but it’s not.
Indoor air quality tends to fall mainly because of household cleaning products. These produce toxic fumes which then get into your body and start disrupting hormones. Plus, many contain compounds that don’t break down naturally in the environment, meaning that they can accumulate in the body.
The best way to deal with poor air quality is to change the type of cleaning products that you use. These days you can get wholly natural alternatives.
If you’re particularly worried about chemicals, you can use regular soap and vinegar for the vast majority of cleaning jobs. Both these compounds are found naturally occurring in nature and shouldn’t have any toxic side effects on your body.
Telltale Sign #5: Chronic Fatigue
Do you feel tired all the time? If so, your home could be to blame.
The cause of your chronic fatigue could be a lot of things. But there are several common culprits.
The first is excessive radon radiation. Most soil underneath your home is slightly radioactive. It’s not enough to make your hair fall out or give you classic radiation symptom sickness. But too much of it can cause you to feel tired and lethargic all the time.
Getting a radon test can help clear up the issue and tell you whether you have a problem.
The second issue is carbon monoxide poisoning from your boiler. Some older models may leak this odorless toxic gas, causing your energy levels to collapse. Carbon monoxide preferentially binds with the hemoglobin in your blood, preventing oxygen from getting to where the body needs it the most.
Again, you can easily test for CO using a CO detector (which looks a little bit like a smoke alarm).
Candid Mama
Recommended To You
