You are about to breathe easier.
“I realized my house was making
my family sick…”
“I’m a survivor of an experience that I think
every mother should be aware of…”
The symptoms most commonly reported by those affected by a “sick house” are many and varied, depending on the sensitivity of the person and the severity of the issues in the home. These are only a few of the more common symptoms.
It is the "I don’t feel right" feeling that is often the most important symptom. You feel "like the flu" but it doesn't become the flu. Or, it feels "like" you are coming down with a cold but the cold doesn't manifest. Sometimes you experience a nagging congestion or a slight cold that doesn't run the usual course in a week or so as with a real cold.
Sometimes, it is simply “when I leave the house I feel better.”
Each person is different, and each home is different, making it difficult to identify all of the changes an unhealthy home may cause in its occupants. All of these symptoms may range from moderate to severe, both in intensity and frequency.
In severe cases, the occupant may go through many complaints, many doctors, many diagnoses and many unsuccessful attempts to identify and address the root cause of their discomfort.
This happens because the symptoms of a sick house are typically “like” something else and never quite manifest as a diagnosable disease.
What you can do if you think your home
may be causing health issues for you and your family
The most common house complaints reported by those who live in a “sick house” are many and varied, depending on the sensitivity of the people living in the house and the severity of the house problems. These are a few of the most common complaints:
Unhealthy houses are an unintended consequence of the way homes have been built for the past 100 years.
Healthy houses address the leaky air, moisture accumulation and chemicals in our building materials, furniture and carpets that collect dust, pollen and dander. The causes of an unhealthy house are many and varied, and they can come from sources inside or from outside.
Some of the most common causes include:
Specific causes may be things like excess water indoors, dust, deferred maintenance, or pest intrusion. Deodorizers and fragrances may cover up underlying problems and add additional chemicals to the environment.
Excess water indoors can be caused by long showers and/or lots of cooking with inadequate ventilation, roof or pipe leaks, leaky windows or improperly installed door thresholds. Toilet or tub overflow, shower door leaks, and flooding in the basement or crawl space may also be contributing factors.
Dust buildup may also contribute, particularly if the home has been recently remodeled. Deferred maintenance often results in more pathways for undesirable chemicals, particles or animals to enter living spaces. The presence of pests is of great concern to occupants but is typically not connected to symptoms or other reactions reported by house occupants.
Some of these issues may predate the current occupants. Water intrusion in particular, once dry, may not be easily detected, but it may have resulted in mold and bacteria growing in the walls of a home. Since issues such as odors, dust, chemical outgassing, stuffy or dry air, dampness, water stains and swollen wood are usually not considered a health risk; they are typically dismissed as conditions not worthy of investigation because their presence is considered “normal.”
Low-level-long-term types of exposures are rarely considered and therefore are routinely discounted as a problem because they don’t violate occupational exposure regulations. Additionally, many inspections fail to identify the more subtle issues and therefore fail to offer a diagnosis because they are usually focused on singular conditions rather than on the interactions of the various house systems. Thus, as with human complaints, discovering the true causes of house complaints can often be perplexing.
You can change your quality of life by improving the quality of the indoor air.
The difference is palpable. People living in healthy houses feel better. They quickly notice the air feels fresh and clean. They complain less about allergies and asthma and they feel sick less frequently. This happens because their bodies experience a lower burden to defend themselves while inside of the home.
A healthy home often creates a greater sense of well-being for all of its occupants.
Additionally, when people live in a healthy home after living in an unhealthy home, good things happen:
A healthy home will last longer than an unhealthy home. It will be more energy efficient. Its occupants will take better care of it.
Learn more about how your home may be harming your health.
Download our free “Guide to a Healthier Home” by simply filling in the information below and clicking on “Send me the Guide”
Contact Carl Grimes at cgrimes@haywardhealthyhome.com to discuss the next steps. Carl is an expert on how people can make their homes more healthful places to live.
Click here to read more about Carl Grimes and how he has helped thousands of homeowners make their home a more healthful place to live.
Click here to watch the construction of the first Hayward Healthy Home in Carmel, California.
Bill Hayward, President and CEO of Hayward, is building the first Hayward Healthy Home.
If you live in California, contact Hayward and find out more about the first Hayward Healthy Home® in Carmel, California.
Also learn how you can build or remodel your own house to incorporate the building materials and systems needed to build a Hayward Healthy Home.
Click here to visit haywardlumber.com