Five Minutes or Less for Health Weekly Tip: Make Your Home Safer

Housing conditions can significantly affect your health and safety. Take a few minutes to make your home healthy and safe.

Remove hazards that increase the chance for falling, such as rugs, loose cords, and objects on the floor.
Check or change the batteries on your carbon monoxide alarm at least twice a year.
Test smoke alarms monthly to ensure they work properly. For smoke alarms that use regular alkaline batteries, replace the batteries at least once a year. For smoke alarms that use lithium (long-life) batteries, replace the entire alarm unit every 10 years or sooner if it chirps or stops working.
Keep cooking areas free of flammable objects, such as potholders and towels.
Keep candles, medicine, household cleaners, and other chemicals out of children’s reach, in locked or child-proof cabinets.
Don’t use a gasoline or charcoal-burning device near a window, door, or vent, or inside your home, basement, or garage.
Test your home for radon (a radioactive gas linked to lung cancer). You can purchase a kit at your local hardware or home improvement store. If testing shows levels higher than 4 pCi/L, seal or vent your basement, and monitor your radon levels to make sure they lessen.
Make your home smoke-free.
Keep medicines in their original bottles or containers.

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