Your house is supposed to be a haven that’s free from viruses. The reality is that your house is filled with dust, mold, etc. that can make you feel sick. Even if you attend to property management every day, there’s a good chance that you’re not cleaning the right things.
In this article, we’ll go over a few of the things in your house that are triggering your allergies, as well as how to solve these so you don’t end up feeling unwell every time.
What is Sick Building Syndrome?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ‘sick building syndrome’ or SBS is when the occupants of a building feel the health effects that can be attributed to the time they spent in the building. There’s no specific cause for SBS, however, it’s bound to be one of the airborne contaminants.
SBS isn’t long-lasting, however, some individuals, particularly those that live in the building, have reported developing long-term problems. Some people suffer from acute effects, such as itchy eyes and a headache, while others seem to need more time to recover even if they’re no longer in the building.
How is Your House Making You Feel Sick?
If you’re feeling flu-ish in your house, here are a few of the culprits:
#1 Your Heating and Cooling Systems
An HVAC unit that’s not well-maintained can become a breeding ground for mold that can cause respiratory issues such as asthma and allergies. In addition, your HVAC will accumulate dust over the years, so its filters will need to be swapped out. Hire a technician to tune up your HVAC units at least once a year so they can check if it’s in good working order. If you don’t, you will continue to breathe bad air for the rest of your life.
Since you’ll have to service your HVAC yearly, consider enlisting the services of a property management company to save. They have their own network of vendors that can provide their services at a lower rate. That’s more economical than hiring various third-party vendors every time your HVAC needs a tune-up.
#2 Your Air Fresheners and Scented Candles
Scented candles, air fresheners, and oil diffusers – if you’re addicted to these items, it’s time to toss them out. They’re the likely culprit for making you feel sick. According to the EPA, these scents contain chemicals that can cause asthma, headaches, and fatigue, among others. In fact, prolonged exposure can cause extreme side effects such as infections and cancer.
Instead of freshening up your house with synthetic scents, use natural oils or open the window to allow the air to flow naturally. If your house is starting to smell musty, chances are that it’s due to mold, so ask your property management company to look into that, too.
#3 Your Furniture
Your bed feels comfortable especially when you’re sick, but did you know that your bed is infested with tiny mites? Dust mites are in every home, and they thrive in warm environments such as beds where you provide warmth with your body. Although people rarely suffer from serious side effects, they can be detrimental for those with allergies.
If you’re one of those people, you’ll need to wash your sheets weekly to keep mites from surviving in your house. The same goes for other furniture such as carpets and curtains that mites can cling to.
Regularly washing your sheets, towels, etc. can be a chore, which is why homeowners prefer to hire a South Florida property management firm. Their team of property managers will work with top cleaning companies to make sure that your house is the safe abode it’s supposed to be.
#4 Your Bath Mat
Do you always remember to wash the bath mat when cleaning the bathroom? If not, you should throw it in the wash now. Your bath mat has probably become a breeding ground for mold since it stays moist. After all, it is where you dry yourself off when you step out of the shower. (That’s why you should dry yourself inside the shower.)
Your bath mat won’t show signs of mold and mildew if it’s in a dark color, so wash it once a week to be certain. If you share a bathroom with two people, you should wash it every five days.
Aside from mold and mildew, you should also worry about how filthy it is. If your bath mat is below a urinal, for instance, there’s a chance that it’s covered in urine particles by now.
#5 Your Vacuum Cleaner
Your vacuum cleaner is supposed to catch dirt, not spread it around. Unfortunately, homeowners tend to forget to replace the high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters on their vacuum – the filters that are meant to trap 99 percent of the particulates. Without these filters, the vacuum will end up spraying the particulates everywhere.
Inspect your vacuum to check if it has a HEPA filter, and make sure you hire a cleaning company that invests in a HEPA-filter vacuum. That way, you can ensure that your home doesn’t get contaminated with the dirt from the other houses they cleaned.
#6 Your Refrigerator
If you own a frost-free refrigerator (there’s a good chance that you do since it’s the most common type of fridge), be aware that it contains electric coils. The electric coils melt water that drips into a tray, where the water then evaporates with the help of the appliance’s compressor. However, if the tray is dusty, it also releases dust into the house. Plus, since the tray is a ‘catch-all’, there could also be mold on it.
The solution? Dust the electric coils. You can lift the front of the fridge’s grill to get to the coils. Don’t forget to turn off the refrigerator and wear gloves to prevent cutting your fingers.
Conclusion
Don’t let this list scare you – it looks like a lot of work, but these are activities that you can do over a week. By changing the way you clean, you can ensure that your house doesn’t make your household feel sick.
If you’d rather let the experts clean your house, get in touch with Luxury Property Care. We’ve established relationships with South Florida’s top cleaning companies, allowing us to secure their services at competitive rates. Call us at (561) 944 – 2992 or contact us online for more information.
