A lot of planning goes into making the decision to buy a home. You research the crime rate, the school systems, where parks and stores are located, and the condition of the property itself. Now that you own your home there are others things you should do in order to safeguard your home, protect loved ones and create a healthy indoor environment.

“Your home is a place of comfort

for you and your family.

It should also be a place that’s

safe and healthy.”

Pest Control

Insects and rodents are a common problem for any homeowner. They can get inside your home through the tiniest opening often undetected by the naked eye. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to prevent these critters from gaining access into your home. Check around the exterior for cracks, visible light, and moisture coming through. These are sure signs that your home is at risk for an invasion.

Make sure that you trim back scrubs or hanging tree branches away from the home and remove weeds. Clearing away debris from the gutters and your home’s foundation will also help to reduce the presence of bugs and rodents. It doesn’t matter which part of the country you live in. For example, using a pest control service in Dallas, TX can offer additional year-round protection, especially if insects, bugs, and rodents are currently present.

Alarm System

Even if you live in a safe neighborhood with a low crime rate, you are still at risk for a home invasion. Criminals look for soft targets, choosing the homeowner over the business due to the fact that most businesses secure their establishment with high tech equipment. Keeping you, your loved ones and your items safe is important. Thankfully, today you can purchase your own equipment or have a professional company install a security system with the same features once only offered to professional businesses.

Many of these updated systems include high-definition cameras and give you access to apps that you can download to monitor your home and your family inside the home from almost anywhere. In addition to installing an alarm system, there are many other things you can do to deter a would-be-criminal from casing your home, such as leaving your lights on, keeping doors locked and adding window guards and dowels in sliders. Before going on vacation, you should also notify your neighbors so that they can collect the newspaper and mail to give the appearance that someone is home.

Improving the Indoor Air Quality

You and your family spend a lot of time indoors. For this reason, it’s important to the overall health and well-being of your family that you maintain a healthy indoor environment. Smoke, chemicals, dust, pet hair and dander, and mold and mildew are just a few things that can pollute the air. Fortunately, there are ways to reduce or eliminate the presence of many of these indoor air pollutants. If someone smokes, limit it to outdoors. You can also make the switch to cleaning chemicals that come with the certified green label or better yet, make your own cleaning products.

Air purifiers can drastically reduce the presence of known allergens from the home. When properly installed into the existing ductwork they filter out mold spores, pet dander, smoke, and chemicals. Doing a thorough cleaning a few times throughout the year will also assist by reducing dust and dirt build-up.

Keeping Chemicals, Medications and Sharp Objects Up and Away

Keeping your home safe should also include keeping chemicals, medications and things like knives up and out of the reach of small children and pets. Make sure to go through the medicine cabinet and remove anything that can potentially harm children such as aspirin, laxatives, pills, peroxide, rubbing alcohol, razors, and scissors. The same goes with the kitchen and the laundry room. Manufacturers often use colorful labels to attract people to buy their product. Unfortunately, these bright colors attract young children too. Laundry pods, bleach, and even dryer sheets are dangerous.

Your home is a place of comfort for you and your family. It should also be a place that’s safe and healthy. By adding a few safety measures and using common sense, you can have peace of mind.