For all the time we spend in our homes, it’s vital to know all the ways our living spaces affect our health. This is especially true in Florida, where storms, humidity, wind, rain, heat and more wear away at physical structures and allow insidious and unhealthy elements into our homes and even into our bodies. Whether it’s steady, unconscious stress affecting our mental health or dangerous chemicals in our air and water, a home inspection can illuminate the dangers lurking in your property before they cause long-term damage to yourself, your family and your pets.
Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, and the vast majority of that time in is their own home, according to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors. If you haven’t had your home inspected, you could be almost constantly exposing yourself and your family to health hazards. And over the last few months, many of us have been spending even more time inside–all in the name of our health. How unfortunate it would be to avoid a pandemic only to have our health damaged by our own home.
Of course, some health hazards are obvious: Exposed nails, loose fixtures, rotten supports, uneven stairs and flooring can all cause accidents, especially if you haven’t noticed them yet. You don’t want to discover them only when you scratch your skin or trip and fall.
But other, more hidden hazards can be causing you damage for a long time before you notice. Poor ventilation and leaks are at the root of a number of terrible conditions that can damage your lungs–especially mold, but also dust and other allergens. And the longer you’re breathing bad stuff, the more it affects your health.
Other health hazards that can be exposed by a home inspection include flaking paint (especially if you have children or pets that might get it in their mouths), pests (which can damage your home but also carry diseases), and electrical problems (which can cause fires or serious injury on contact).
It’s possible that some part of you is aware of some of your home’s issues, but you haven’t fully acknowledged the damage they’re doing to your health. Stress is real, and it can affect your mood, your mental acuity and even your body. A home inspections can help to hammer home just what’s happening in your house, which issues are most pressing, and what needs to be done to fix them.
Home is where your heart is, along with the rest of your body most of the time. Keep it healthy.
