Household Care 101: 5 Things You May Not Know About Your Home

Whether you're moving into a new home, or you have a home that's been a part of your life for many generations, it's safe to assume you want it to be a safe, efficient living environment. If your goal is to get the most out of the place you call home, there are some things you may not be aware of that could be costing you unnecessary money, or presenting certain health or safety risks. Read on to discover five things you may not know about your home—but you should.

1. Basements Can Hide Many Things

Your home's basement isn't just where holiday decorations hibernate until it's time to deck the halls. It can also be a source of unexpected home safety hazards you may not know about. For example, mold growth due to moisture exposure may go undetected for years in a basement that's not properly sealed. Additional basement dangers you'll want to know about include:

• Sewer gases coming through basement drains
• A dryer that's not properly vented
• Leaks coming from fuel-fired furnaces
• Toxic exposure from stored solvents
• A lack of ventilation

2. Indoor Air Can Be More Polluted Than Outdoor Air

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that indoor air quality can be more polluted than the air you breathe outside of your home! For this reason, you should know when you'll need to change your furnace filter, or your HVAC filters. If you can't find the manual that came with your heating and cooling system that contains this information, ask a trained HVAC technician the next time you schedule a routine inspection or professional cleaning. Dirty vents and ducts can also contribute to issues with indoor air quality in your home, so they should be inspected periodically as well. Signs your indoor air quality may be compromised include:

• Increased allergy symptoms
• Respiratory ailments
• Sinus congestion that's gradually getting worse
• Fatigue, headaches, and/or dizziness

3. Your Lawn Needs to Be Aerated

If your neighbors have greener lawns than what you have on your home's property, they may be doing something you're not doing—aerating their lawns! Aeration is a fairly simple process. It involves inserting small holes in the soil just below your lawn. Doing so allows air, water, and beneficial nutrients to get down to the roots that support your grass, and allow it to grow and stay healthy.

4. Solar Energy Can Save You Money

Investing in solar panels will be an investment. However, converting to solar energy could save you money in many ways. First of all, you may qualify for a tax credit, or state and local rebates. Secondly, you could get money back by giving your excess power to your local utility company. Look up what is net metering, and you'll get a more detailed explanation, but it's basically a solar incentive in the form of an electricity billing arrangement with your local power company. When your panels generate more electricity than you need, you'll be credited for the excess power.

5. Smoke Detectors Save Lives

Lastly, be aware that smoke detectors are life-saving devices, at least when they are properly installed and maintained. Even if you've lived in your current home for years, you may have detectors that are either outdated or not located in the right spots—on every floor, in bedrooms, and in areas where there are a lot of potential fire sources like the kitchen.

Lastly, be aware that you may not know everything that's going on with your home. If you're moving into a new home, a real estate agent is required to disclose everything that's known about its condition. Even so, there may be some potentially serious issues that aren't known. Get some added peace of mind by considering a home inspection. This is also a good idea if it's been several years since your existing home has been thoroughly checked from basement to roof.