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 ten years or sooner if it chirps or stops working.
- Keep candles, medicines, 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 any local hardware or home improvement store. If testing shows levels higher than 4pCi/l, seal or vent your basement, and monitor your radon levels to make sure they lessen.
- Make your home smoke-free.
Learn More
Falls among Older Adults: Brochures and Posters
Fire Deaths and Injuries: Prevention Tips
Prevention Guidelines: You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
This site contains documents in PDF format. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader
to access the file. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader, you may download a
free copy from the Adobe Web site.
Content Source: CDC Office
of Women’s Health
Page last modified: June 4, 2012
Page last reviewed: June 4, 2012
Page last modified: June 4, 2012
Page last reviewed: June 4, 2012