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