We’re all running at 200 miles per hour as we enter 2024, NASCAR drivers trying to get 48 hours of work done in 24 in this crazy race called life.
It’s easy to overlook the little things, especially the hiding in plain sight threats that can damage our home’s livability, structural integrity, or our very lives.
“They are hazards that can do irreparable harm to you and your loved ones, and some of them are even killers,” Homes.com notes. “But, they can all be protected against and some of them can be removed entirely from your house.”
Here are some of the most common home health threats that the average Eastern Iowa homeowner may not have time to keep in check regularly. For there is no better New Year’s Resolution for 2024 than to make your home safer for you and your family.
Dangerous, Overworked Dryers
They are iron horses delivering us dry clothes whenever we call. Some work 365 days a year. Alas, dryers can’t deliver the dry goods without help.
The National Fire Protection Association reports the leading cause of home dryer fires is dust, fiber or lint buildup in the dryer exhaust vent. While many homeowners are diligent in cleaning the lint filter in-between laundry loads, Hippo’s Housepower Report reveals some homeowners wait more than two years to clean their dryer exhaust vent, if ever.
How to Prevent a Dryer Lint Fire Disaster:
- Remove the excess heat, moisture and lint that comes from the drying cycle
- Clean vents at least once per year
Radon
The ultimate invisible, deadly threat, radon is an odorless, colorless, naturally occurring gas that can cause lung cancer. It can enter like an invisible man, through cracks in slabs, basement floors or walls. And it’s a remorseless carcinogen.
Radon produces so many lung cancer deaths annually in the U.S., only smoking is more dangerous than breathing air with radon in it.
How to Prevent Radon from Poisoning Your Home & Family:
- Test for radon
- Regular maintenance
- Ventilation
- Consult professionals
“If these devices aren’t functioning correctly, there could be life-threatening consequences,” Rescuesaveslives.com stresses.
Carbon Monoxide
Radon’s silent tag team partner is found in many homes as a natural byproduct of combusting fuels to create heat for cooking. CO is extremely hazardous and can kill you as it makes your lungs labor for oxygen.
How to Smoke CO Out of Your Home
- Install CO Alarms in your home.
Dead Smoke Detector Batteries
You can’t escape a home fire you don’t wake up from.
“Disabled smoke detectors rob you and your family of the first layer of protection against the potential tragedy that comes with a home fire,” The Family Handyman’s Dan Stout writes.
The NFPA recommends working smoke detectors for every bedroom and each floor of the home.
How to Avoid a Dud Smoke Detector
- Change batteries regularly. There’s no better time to test your smoke detectors’ batteries than on January 1.
Mold
Disgustingly unsightly. An eyesore indicating deeper issues inside a home. Toxic to breathe. Mold has fewer positive attributes than the flu.
How to Avoid That Moldy Feeling in Your Home
Check for mold regularly, again, there’s no better time than the first of the year.
Faulting Wiring
Old wiring is not just dated worse than “The Macarana” or six month-old bread, it’s lethally dangerous. Aging systems such as know-and tube-used wires with cloth insulators pose issues when the insulators begin to fray and fall off over time. Other silent dangers include unfinished electrical projects that have leftover exposed wiring.
How to Avoid Faulty Wiring Hotwiring Your Home for Fire
- Have a professional electrician inspect your home annually
We are as busy as a 1,000 worker bees these frantic days, but don’t let the rush of life prevent you from overlooking what matters most: Your family. Make sure your home is safe for them and resolve this new year that no silent home safety threats will harm them in 2024.
Nothing is more important than keeping your family safe,” Safewise’s Rebecca Edwards writes. “Knowing which precautions to take makes your job as family protector a little easier, but no one can be on duty all the time. … Thankfully, though a number of serious safety hazards lurk around the average home, most of these concerns are pretty easy to address.”
