Home is Where the Heart is
Here are some of our top standards for creating and maintaining a healthy home. With the right guidance, you will feel well equipped to design, own, and maintain a healthy home of your very own.
What are some key components for building a healthy house?
Besides avoiding things that can cause ill health, the best designs can also deeply nurture and enhance our lives and play a large role in creating a sense of well-being. Hopefully everyone reading this has experienced homes where they felt especially welcomed, nurtured, enlivened, and embraced. Unfortunately, homes often have the opposite effect and the occupants are often unaware of this until their health is compromised. Building Biology dives deeply into the principles that nurture human health in the built environment, in a myriad of subtle and not so subtle ways, and has been our primary guide to successful designs.
In our architectural projects, beyond specifying the healthiest materials available to us, we prefer to work with mass wall systems that are vapor open and very durable. A successful wall system will help produce good acoustics, a balance of healthy humidity, a comfortable indoor climate, and a balanced subtle electro-climate.
BUILDING BIOLOGY PRINCIPLE # 22
Create a living environment that meets human needs and protects the environment.
Other main key components to a successful healthy home include:
choosing a healthy site
avoiding air exchange between the garage and living space (consider a detached garage with a breezeway)
isolating the mechanical room
assuring good perimeter water management practices
detailing a well-drained elevated slab-on-grade whenever possible (rather than a basement or crawl space which are so often sources of mold and pest invasions)
designing well sloped roofs with generous overhangs
designing climatically appropriate passive heating and cooling features
using radiant heating as opposed to ducted central air handling (which can harbor dust, allergens, & mold)
designing an area for removing shoes combined with easily cleanable floors, (no wall-to-wall carpeting)
using non-toxic cleaning supplies for to maintain a balanced and healthy interior environment
including features for water damage protection from domestic plumbing and occupant use (such as self-priming floor drains and flood control shut off devices)
building in mechanical filtration and air exchange where the climate and circumstances warrant
building in electromagnetic radiation (EMR) protection, including ethernet connections, bedroom night-time shutoff switches, proper household wiring, and shielding from exterior sources when required
When buying a home what are some of the most important qualities to look for in the site?
When considering the purchase of a home, it is essential to meticulously assess various qualities in the site. Locations with inherent problems can impact both wellbeing and budget. The evaluation of a site encompasses potential naturally occurring and manufactured hazards. Some naturally occurring hazards to look for are radon, a high water table, unfavorable microclimates, unsuitable soils, fire danger, and geopathic stress zones. Manufactured site hazards to watch for include air quality, light and noise pollution, water quality, contaminated soils, and EMR issues from surrounding installations such as cell towers, power lines, power substations, and smart meters.
Another thing to consider is past and future pollution potential. If the land was used for industrial activity in the past, there is a higher chance of pollutants in the soil and water. Also, consider looking at the zoning in surrounding lots and their uses. It is important to see if the land is in a zoned area that may allow for undesirable density or activities in the future, such as the recently notorious pickle ball courts.
There is much to evaluate when choosing a site, so it may be beneficial to hire one or more consultants, especially if remedies to suspected problems may be costly. Some of the specialists to consider are environmental assessors, geotechnical engineers, septic engineers, water quality specialists and electromagnetic radiation evaluation and remediation specialists.
By ensuring a comprehensive assessment of the site and seeking professional guidance when needed, prospective homeowners can make informed decisions that align with their health, well-being and financial goals. More details in determining if a site is a good option for you can be found in our book in Chapter 6 Site Selection.
Building Biology Principle #25: Select building sites that are located away from sources of contamination, radiation, pollutants, and noise.
What are the key factors to reducing the toxic load in a house that is already built?
Key indoor health hazards most commonly found can be categorized into five major areas:
Harmful chemicals
Byproducts of combustion
Mold
Naturally occurring hazards
Electromagnetic radiation
With an existing home, an Indoor Environmental Quality Assessment is the best place to begin because each home, like each person, has its own unique health issues. Both visual inspection and air sample testing in the hands of a trained professional will reveal priorities for health. Special attention to places where the home has been affected by water leaks or floods, and where there are odors, is especially important. Older homes may contain harmful substances such as lead, and asbestos and are usually less moisture and air-tight than newer homes. Newer homes are more likely to have materials that have not fully out gassed and contain more synthetic finishes which can directly or indirectly affect our health and well-being. Water quality should always be tested and can usually be greatly improved upon. In some areas, there are Industrial Hygienists who will also work on air and mold aspects of residential assessment. And it is also important to assess the electro-magnetic radiation (EMR) levels with specialized assessment tools.
Building Biology trained experts around the country can perform air, water, mold and EMR home inspections and assessments. A listing of certified specialists can be found at Building Biology Institute: Find an Expert
What are your recommendations and favorite products to use for cleaning the home?
General maintenance and an effective cleaning routine are crucial in preventing and reducing the toxic load in a house. Those who are highly sensitive to mold and other toxic compounds, as well as those in the best of health, greatly benefit from regular and effective cleaning. A shoes-off policy at the entry with a bench, a place to store street shoes and a generous collection of indoor house slippers does far more to keep a home clean than most realize.
The first step in a healthy cleaning routine is to use a high-quality HEPA vacuum, focusing on visibly dirty areas and soft surfaces. Vacuums should always be serviced and emptied outside to avoid releasing dust and dirt back into the house. As John Banta, leading expert in developing protocols for cleaning toxic mold, often says, “ban the broom”. If your home has carpeting, then it most likely needs to be vacuumed more frequently and far more thoroughly than you may imagine in order to maintain healthy air quality. Carpet and underpadding are reservoirs of dust, dirt, pesticides and mold. Anyone who has ever ripped up old carpeting for the first time is usually shocked by the shear amount of grime that has accumulated under it.
When it comes to cleaning products, soap and water is very underrated and is the safest way to kill germs. Just add a small amount of soap or dishwashing agent to water to clean most things. One of our favorite cleaning products is Branch Basics, though there are plenty of other healthy and effective products also available. Some common household products that are also very effective are white vinegar, baking soda, borax, and hydrogen peroxide. There is a comprehensive product list in Chapter 8 and a homeowner’s guide for general maintenance and cleaning in Chapter 30 “Home Owner’s Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Home” new to our 4th edition of Prescriptions for a Healthy House.