Three Regular Checks to Perform in Your Home

Homes are busy places. Filled with love and laugher, but with people and pets come some dust, dirt, mess, and more. 

While a deep clean once a week, or maybe every two weeks, is enough to stay on top of most household dusty spots – there are a few items that need to be checked regularly to make sure that there is nothing dangerous lurking. 

Performing regular inspections of the places that don’t see a lot of foot traffic ensures that you protect yourself and your family from potential dangers. 

Deep cleaning your home takes time, and often we do smaller daily cleans to keep our homes feeling and smelling fresh. But some dangers come with hidden dust, mold, and pests. 

So here are three checks that you should perform at least once a month. 

Photo by Jacques Bopp on Unsplash

Dust

Dust can gather without being noticed too much, but it can have an impact on your health after a while. If you have pets, then pet dander will clump up with the dust and cause respiratory issues. 

For most people, a bit of dust might cause some sneezing and potentially some coughing. For others, it can have disastrous consequences. 

Breathing in dust can be the cause of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. This condition is an allergic reaction to dust and will cause shortness of breath and coughing. 

Dust gathers in a couple of places around the home. 

• Clothing and bedding – if you have airing cupboards or piles of clean bedsheets that aren’t often accessed, be sure to check these once a week for dust. 
• Blinds and curtains – the tops of curtains and blinds aren’t often checked and dusted. Blinds also gather dust when they aren’t switched from open to closed often. A specially designed blind cleaner used once every few days can reduce the build-up. 
• Inside cupboards – cupboards stocked with canned goods and long-lasting items can gather dust with ease. 

A slightly damp cloth and regular vacuuming in these areas will reduce the dust build-up; just be sure to add it to your deep clean list. 

Mold

Mold can be one of the most dangerous unseen issues in the home. We all know how horrible it is to find a stray piece of moldy bread or the orange squashed at the bottom of the fruit bowl. 

But mold growing in unseen corners poses a severe health risk. The spores from mold can take hold and multiply rapidly in as little as 24 hours. 

With the right combination of warmth and some moisture, it doesn’t take long before mold starts to grow. 

Mold can also make people sick; it triggers an immune response in the body and can cause multiple health issues. 

The big issue with mold is a small amount can turn into a large amount within 21 days, and most of the time, it isn’t visible until there is a lot of it. 

Mold is most often found in bathrooms and kitchens, but it can also appear where condensation gathers. 

A small amount of mold can sometimes be treated with chemicals purchased from a hardware store – however, mold problems are usually deeper than the surface we see. Mold Remediation Services is the first port of call to have your mold issues tackled professionally. 

Check bathroom corners, behind large furniture, throughout the garage or outdoor buildings, in the kitchen, and anywhere there might be water or condensation. 

Pests

Pests are sneaky, and most households have a pest or two. Many people think about mice and rats when it comes to pest problems. But they are just one of many issues that can occur. The spaces between the walls, under the floor, and even between skirting boards are perfect for many different pests to breed and live. 

Your daily and regular deep cleaning will minimize how likely you are to have pests, but like mold, it is the area you don’t check often. 

Depending on where you live, you may encounter some or all of the pests that can cause significant damage to your home. These are the most common:

• Termites – termites are not easily controlled, and this one will require an expert. 
• Carpenter ants- these little guys can cause incredible damage, they don’t eat the wood, but they do carve out holes and make nests – weakening the structure. 
• Rats and mice – usually noticeable from their droppings before they are seen. They chew through wires and wood, carry diseases, and their nests leave an unpleasant smell in your home. 

Inspect all of the cupboards and hidden areas of the home that you don’t typically clean daily. Look for droppings, odd smells, and any damage. 

Read more: A Simple Guide on the Most Common Household Pests.