Your Safe and Healthy Home

Make your home safe and healthy: learn how to avoid hazards and prevent problems in your home.

Most people spend at least one-half of every day inside their homes. Yet many do not realize the close connection between their homes and health. We can take action to promote health at home. The first step is to learn about possible hazards and how to prevent them.

Actions you can take

Some ways to make your home safe and healthy include:

• installing grab bars next to toilets and in showers and bathtubs to prevent falls,
• installing and maintaining smoke alarms to prevent fire-related injuries such as burns, and
• keeping cleaning products, pesticides, and other chemicals; and prescription and over-the-counter medications out of reach of young children to prevent poisoning.

Poor air in your home can cause breathing and other problems, including cancer, and can trigger asthma attacks. Improve your home's air quality by

• testing for radon and lowering high levels,
• installing carbon monoxide detectors near bedrooms, and
• prohibiting smoking in the home.

Housing problems and their solutions are often interconnected. For example, controlling moisture can prevent more than one poor health outcome. Excessive moisture can

• lead to mold (which can worsen asthma and allergic reactions);
• attract pests (which can carry diseases, trigger asthma attacks, and expose people to harmful pesticides); and
• cause paint to peel (which poses a health hazard for young children if the paint contains lead).

Learn more

CDC has been working to make it easier for the public to find information about protecting health and safety at home.

• The Healthy Homes Web site leads you through rooms in your home and provides tips for preventing hazards. Search for information by topic and for information about issues concerning specific audiences.

CDC has also developed resources for professionals through the Healthy Homes Initiative. The initiative promotes a more complete approach to preventing diseases and injuries that result from housing-related hazards and defects. Current activities include

• providing cooperative agreements to state and local health departments to develop capacity for healthy housing work,
• training public health and housing professionals, and
• conducting research on the health benefits of "green" housing.

Related Resources

• Healthy Homes
• Healthy Homes -- Parents with Young Children
• Healthy Homes -- People With Disabilities
• Healthy Homes -- Older Adults
• Healthy Homes Initiative and Lead Poisoning Prevention
• Lead Poisoning Prevention
• Indoor Air Quality
• Drinking Water
• Pest Management (mosquitoes, rats …)
• Injury and Violence Prevention
• Healthy Places
• Healthy Housing Reference Manual
• Three R's of Going Green: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle