DIY Healthy Home Checklist
Take the first step! This checklist is a great way to start
learning more about the conditions in
your home that could be impacting your health and safety.
You don't have to be an expert or a
professional to complete the list.
1. Living, Dining, and Family Rooms
❏ Vacuum carpets regularly to
reduce asthma triggers
❏ Move window blind cords out of
reach of children to prevent strangulation
❏ Check lighting and extension
cords for fraying or bare wires
❏ Avoid having lighting and
extension cords in floor pathways
❏ Purchase children's lighting
and extension cords in floor pathways
❏ Purchase children’s toys that
do not have small parts for choking and do not contain lead
❏ Secure heavy items
(television, bookcases) to walls to prevent tip overs
2. Kitchen
❏ Use a range hood exhausted to
the outside (or open window) to ventilate while cooking
❏ Clean up liquids and foods
right after spills
❏ Keep matches, glassware,
knives, and cleaning supplies out of reach of children
❏ Avoid leaving food and water,
whether for people or pets, out overnight
❏ Mop floors at least weekly
❏ Place Poison Control Hotline
number (800)-222-1222 on the refrigerator and in every room
❏ Do not allow children to be in
the kitchen unsupervised when the range or oven is on
3. Bedroom (s)
❏ If the home was built before
1978, check painted doors, windows, trim, and walls for lead
❏ Move window blind cords out of
reach of children to prevent strangulation
❏ Make sure room has a working
smoke detector
❏ Make sure the hall outside out
of bedrooms have a working carbon monoxide detector
❏ Use mattress and pillow
covers, and vacuum carpets regularly to reduce asthma triggers
4. Entry
❏ Use floor mats by entry doors
to reduce bringing in lead dust and other toxins into the home
❏ Remove shoes at entries if
lead is present in the soil or paint
❏ Repair or install weather
seals around the perimeter of the doors
5. Bathrooms
❏ Use an exhaust fan to
ventilate after shower or bath use
❏ Use slip-resistant mats in the
showers and tubs
❏ Clean up water from floors
right after spills
❏ Move window blind cords out of
reach of children to prevent strangulation
❏ Keep medicines and cleaning
supplies locked away and out of reach from children
❏ If an older adult or someone
with mobility or balance concerns is present in the home, install grab
bars at toilets, showers, and tubs
6. Laundry
❏ Vent clothes dryer to the
outside (through roof or wall, no into the attic)
❏ Keep laundry soaps and
detergents out of reach of children
❏ Wash sheets and blankets
weekly to reduce asthma triggers
❏ Regularly remove lint from
dryer screen
7. Attic
❏ Clean up clutter to prevent rodents
and insects from finding places to nest
❏ Check exposed attic insulation
for asbestos and consult with a professional for removal
❏ Make sure eave and roof vents
are not blocked with insulation
8. Basement (or Crawlspace)
❏ If the home was built before
1978, check painted doors, windows, trim, and walls for lead
❏ Seal holes in walls and around
windows and doors to keep rodents and pests out of living spaces
❏ Clean up clutter to prevent
rodents and insects from finding places to nest
❏ Test the home for radon. If
test shows radon above EPA action levels, seal slab and foundation
wall cracks, and if the problem persists, consider
installing a radon mitigation system
❏ Keep pesticides and cleaning
supplies locked away from children
❏ Seal all cracks in slabs and
foundation walls for moisture, radon, and pest protection
9. Garage
❏ Never run lawnmowers, cars, or
combustion equipment inside the garage with garage door
closed
❏ Keep gasoline, pesticides, and
cleaning supplies out of reach of children
❏ Clean up oil, gasoline, and
other spills immediately
❏ If a floor drain is present,
make sure it drains well beyond the outside of the home
10. Outside
❏ If the home was built before
1978, check painted doors, windows, trim, and walls for lead
❏ If painted walls, doors,
windows, or trim may contain lead, keep children away from peeling or
damaged paint and prevent children from playing around the
ground next to the walls
❏ Remove leaves and debris from
gutters regularly and extend downspouts to drain away from the
house
❏ Replace missing or broken
shingles or flashings
❏ Clean window wells of trash
and debris
❏ Install and maintain fences
completely around pools with openings less than ¼ inch
❏ If the home was built before
1978, check hardboard siding for asbestos
❏ Make sure private wells are
sealed and capped
❏ Consider testing well for
pesticides, organic chemicals, and heavy metals before you use it for the
first time
❏ Test private water supplies
annually for nitrate and coliform bacteria
❏ Do not leave open garbage
containers near the home
❏ Repair broken glass in windows
and doors
❏ Seal holes in walls and around
windows and doors to keep rodents and pests out of living spaces
11. General
❏ If the home was built before
1978, check painted doors, windows, trim, and walls for lead
❏ Check pipe connecting the home
to the water main and the piping in the home for lead. Lead
pipes are more likely to be found in home built before 1986
❏ No smoking inside the home
❏ Have a professional maintain
yearly all gas appliances and check for carbon monoxide leaks and
proper venting
❏ Do not use candles or incense
in the home when adult supervision is not present
❏ Secure balcony and stair
railings, and install no-slip nosings
❏ Replace burned out bulbs in lights
over stairs and landings
❏ If mold is visible in any
room, refer to mold removal guidance from the EPA, CDC, or HUD
❏ Install child-proof locks on
cabinets and child-proof covers on electrical outlets
❏ Keep water temperature at less
than 120 degrees
❏ Keep firearms in locked safes
❏ Use pest management
recommendations or safer alternative products before applying pesticides
❏ Keep all cleaning products in
original containers and do not mix two products together
❏ Keep all hazardous products
and chemicals in locked cabinets away from child
❏ Learn more:
www.hud.gov/healthyhomes or download the Healthy Homes App