Important Areas In Your Condo To Keep Clean
Keeping your condo clean and free of bacteria and mold is crucial to good health.
No environment can be entirely germ-free, of course, but there are easy and practical steps you can take to ensure your condo stays clean and doesn’t harbor elements that are hazardous to your health.
Air Quality Is Important
Many people keep their windows shut, either because the weather is much too hot or too cold. However, if you must keep the windows shut the majority of the time, there are several ways you can revitalize the stale air in your condo.
The easiest way is to simply open all the windows once a week for an hour or so and allow the fresh air from outside to circulate inside your home.
If opening the windows isn’t feasible, consider purchasing an air purifier; these units can destroy germs, mold, and bacteria that are airborne, and they circulate fresh air back into your home.
Airborne germs, mold, and bacteria can adversely affect your health and make you susceptible to colds and influenza. Buy a unit that is suitable for home use and that doesn’t produce ozone.
Keep Unwanted Water Out Of The Bathroom
Black mold is a serious health hazard; it forms and propagates in warm and humid places such as a bathroom. People who inhale excessive quantities of mold spores are subject to respiratory infections and other serious health problems.
You can’t always see or even smell mold, so it’s critical that you keep your bathroom surfaces clean and dry. Keeping the visible surface areas clean isn’t hard, but you should be on the lookout for hidden mold problems.
If your bathroom smells earthy or if your bathroom floor feels spongy, you could have a leak or a moisture problem that is rotting the wood. In addition to harmful mold forming under those conditions, the moisture can attract carpenter ants and termites and cause serious structural damage.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the longer mold grows the more damage to your health. Excess water allows mold spores to thrive; keep all of the surfaces in your bathroom as dry as possible, and be on the lookout for hidden moisture problems.
Don’t Let Food Make You Sick
The biggest risk of contamination in the kitchen is through raw meat, which can cause a variety of infectious diseases. But damp areas harbor germs and mold spores, also.
Keep counter tops, faucet handles, appliance handles, cutting boards, and sink drains clean and disinfected. Use soap, water, and a disinfectant.
Clean dish sponges and dish cloths daily, especially if you don’t use disposable towels or cloths when you clean surfaces where raw meat has been. Sponges are easy to keep disinfected; pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds on high, wash them with the laundry, or run them through the dishwasher with each load.
Keep The Chimney Clean
If your condo has a fireplace, you must have the chimney cleaned every two years, but once a year is preferable. Burning wood all winter causes creosote to build up inside the chimney’s walls and it creates a fire hazard.
Even if you burn only artificial logs there will be some creosote buildup, so don’t take chances; have your chimney cleaned annually in the spring or the fall so that it is ready for winter use.
Encourage your neighbors to do the same; a chimney fire can spread quickly through a condo building, especially if there are no firewalls.
