Keeping your home healthy
Sometimes our homes can get too hot, too cold or have too much moisture in the air – and all of these things can affect our health. Here are some tips to stay healthy whatever the weather.
Simple activities like cooking, showering and hanging your washing inside can cause this build up of unhealthy moisture. The good news is that it’s easy to get rid of. Here are four ways to keep your home warm and dry
What can you do?
Eight litres of moisture builds up in Kiwi homes each day. For a dry and healthy home follow these three easy steps:
- Wipe any moisture or drips off your windows and walls.
- Open windows in the mornings, while you shower/bath, or while cooking.
- Hang washing outside to dry, if you can. Or in a room with a door closed and windows open.
There are a few things you can do to help make it easier and cheaper to heat your home:
- Open curtains during the day to let warmth in and close them just before dark to keep it cosy.
- Stop cold air getting into your home by sealing draughts around doors and windows.
- Heat your home using thermostats and timers so your heaters only come on when you need them.
When you're cooking:
- keep lids on pots, and make sure the pot fits the element and the lid fits the pot.
- use your rangehood or open the window.
- Keep beds and furniture away from walls, leaving a gap so air can circulate freely. Trapped air can cause condensation to form between the two, and mould will be in among your shoes and clothes before you know it.
- Keep wardrobe doors slightly open.
- Avoid putting mattresses directly on the floor.
- Create as much space as possible between sleeping children.
- Try ‘topping and tailing’ if your children share a bed.
- Try not to have lots of people sleeping together in one room.
Te Whakaiti i ngā Utu Hiko
Ko te āta whakahaere i te nui o te pire hiko tētahi wero i ngā wā katoa, heoi he tino uaua rawa atu i te hōtoke. Anei ētahi ara māmā hei whakaheke i te hiko, e āwhina nei i a koe ki te tiaki moni, ki te tiaki hoki i te taiao.
Kia maumahara ki te whai i te aronga whaitake ki te penapena hiko, ā, kaua e waiho kia mātao koe i te hōtoke.
Overheating is when a home gets uncomfortably warm inside.
Overheating can make it hard to sleep. It can also put stress on the body, especially for young children, the elderly, and people living with disabilities and health conditions. The higher the temperature and the longer you’re exposed to it, the greater the risks.
Here are some tips to stop your home from getting too hot:
- Open the windows early in the morning while it’s still cool outside and close them again over the warmest part of the day.
- Close curtains on the sunniest windows. Leave the windows slightly open behind them to help keep cool.
- Turn your heat pump to cooling mode with the temperature set to 24-25°C, before your home gets too warm. This uses less power than cooling to lower temperatures. You can also use a fan in the doorway to help move the cool air to other rooms.
- Remember! Turning your heat pump temperature down low and then back up again won’t cool your home any faster and will cost you more money.
If it’s humid but not that hot:
Heat pumps have a dehumidifying mode which takes the moisture out of the air – shut the windows and doors and turn this on to help make it less sticky and more comfortable.
- Change into light, loose fitting clothing.
- Rest in a cool room with windows open and a fan on, or outside in the shade and breeze if it’s cooler.
- Drink lots of water - avoid caffeinated beverages (e.g. coffee, cola, energy drinks).
- Take a cool shower or bath, or put towels soaked in cool water on your skin - particularly around the neck and head.
- Keep irritated skin dry, and apply a soothing ointment or powder to heat rash.
- Gently stretch any muscles that are cramping.
If your body temperature starts to climb and you’re unable to cool yourself, you may be experiencing heat stress. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are the two most serious types of heat stress.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness
- Fast breathing or heart rate
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Light-headedness or syncope (fainting)
- Low blood pressure
- Muscle aches or cramps
- Nausea and vomiting
- Weakness
Symptoms of heatstroke are similar, but can also include:
- Anhidrosis (dry skin that doesn’t sweat)
- Balance problems
- Delirium (being confused)
- Hot, flushed, or very pale skin
- Low or high blood pressure
- Seizures
He mate whakamate te mate pāwerawera - mēnā ki ōu whakaaro kua pāngia koe, tētahi o tō whānau rānei e te mate pāwerawera, me waea tonu atu ki 111.
Mō ngā tohutohu hauora ehara i te kōhukihuki, me waea atu ki Healthline i 0800 611 116.
Page updated: 24 October 2024