The Healthy Home

While the weather may still be too cold to begin tackling outdoor home improvement projects there are plenty of things to be done indoors. Typically, interior painting and simple home repairs have topped the list of things to do around the home during cold or inclement weather.

However, one of the newest and healthiest trends in home improvement involves taking the necessary steps to keep the indoors healthy. These tips and ideas from remodeling contractor Danny Lipford, host of television's Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford and longtime home improvement expert for The Weather Channel, will help ensure that your home is a healthy place.

Testing for Black Mold

If you notice any of the following, toxic black mold may be present in your home.

• Discoloration or black mold on baseboards, wallboards, or wallpaper
• Cracks in shower tile, lack of caulking, loose toilet seal, leaks under sink
• Carpet and padding in direct contact with concrete slab
• Poorly maintained or dirty air conditioning/heating vents and filters
• Damp basement or crawl space
• Water penetration (water marks on walls, mold spots on walls)
• Musty/ moldy odor

A mold test kit will help you determine whether toxic mold spores are in the air you breathe. Many of these kits also offer optional lab analysis to detect the exact type of mold and how much is present so that you're better equipped to remedy the problem.

Testing for Radon

If you have any of the following in your home you should perform a radon test.

• Cinder-block, brick or rock wall
• Spaces between walls and floors
• Cracks in the basement wall or foundation
• An open sump pump hole or floor drain
• Exposed soil in the basement or foundation
• Exposed pipes or loose pipe fittings

Though you cannot see, smell, or taste radon, it is there and may be a problem in your home. Radon gas rises through the soil and seeps through cracks, holes, and drain pipes in the foundation or basements of buildings.

If radon test results are high there are ways to reduce the level of radon yourself or by a trained professional. To start, take the following steps and then contact your State Radon Office or EPA Office for additional information on reducing radon in your home or office:

• Seal or caulk areas of entry such as cracks, holes and openings
• Keep vents to crawl spaces open
• Minimize time spent in low areas such as your basement
• Increase the circulation of outside air into your home or office
• Discourage cigarette smoking in your home or office