SEPTEMBER Home Health For the month of September, we will focus on the health of your home. The following pages contain verbiage, tips, a printable poster and other articles and resources that you can reference and share with your co-workers and employees.

WHAT AND WHY: Home is where the heart it. It is also where good health starts. Home is where we're protected. It's where our health and spirits are restored. Because we spend so much time at home, it needs to be a safe environment to eat, play and raise our families. [INSERT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS MONTH’S ACTIVITY, WHERE TO SIGN UP AND HOW TO START.]

IDEAS FOR ACTIVITIES: Have your team members do an audit of their home to identify the number and locations of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors and check their batteries. Distribute this checklist for creating a healthier home: or distribute similar information via video: Clean out your refrigerator. Create a prize for odd or expired things that are discovered and discarded. Clean out the medicine cabinet. Take expired medicine or medicine that is no longer needed to a participating pharmacy ( for disposal.

THE MORE YOU KNOW! 25 TIPS, TIDBITS OF TRIVIA AND TWEETS ABOUT HOME HEALTH. SHARE ONE VIA EACH DAY OR POST THEM NEXT TO THE WATER COOLER. 1. Vacuum at least two times each week -- meticulously getting into corners, along the floorboards and moving furniture to get those dust bunnies. 2. Clean the vacuum bag and filter every time, so dust isn't spewed back into the air. 3. Have your home tested for radon. You can buy a $20 home radon test kit at most hardware and home stores. 4. To keep rodents away use simple steps such as washing dishes very carefully, cleaning up all food residue, keeping food packages and containers tightly closed, and sealing any cracks that are in your home. 5. To limit the exposure of bispheonal A (BPA), don’t microwave plastic food containers. Use glass or ceramic dishes. 6. Bring nature indoors. Any room is prettier with a fern, spider plant, or aloe vera. It’s also healthier. 7. Wash your hands with soap and water to eliminate the spreading of germs. 8. Use "green" cleaners that don't contain chlorine or ammonia. Choose ones that say "petroleum-free," "biodegradable," or "phosphate-free."

MORE TIPS: 9. To get rid of stale air, open some windows to let in fresh air. This can help get rid of any harmful chemicals that might be inside your home. 10. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a harmful gas that has no color, smell or taste. 11. Carbon Monoxide (CO) can build up in the air if you are using unvented kerosene and gas space heaters, gas water heaters, gas stoves, wood stoves and fireplaces. Anything that runs on gasoline can emit CO. 12. Put at least one carbon monoxide detector with a sound alarm in your home to detect for carbon monoxide. 13. To reduce mold in your home, hang up damp/wet clothes instead of leaving them on the floor. 14. Dust your home regularly from top to bottom. You can use a damp cloth to stop the dust from getting into the air. 15. If the furnace has a filter, inspect or change it monthly. Proper furnace safety can improve the efficiency of your appliance and reduce the amount of energy required to operate the unit.

MORE TIPS: 16. Leave your shoes at the door and use a natural doormat. Shoes are a common way we bring outdoor pollutants inside. 17. Anti-bacterial soaps do kill bacteria and microbes -- but so do plain soap and water. A U.S. FDA advisory committee found that use of antibacterial soaps provides no benefits over plain soap and water. 18. Keep electronic equipment dust-free by damp dusting it frequently; this is a common source of chemical fire retardants in dust. 19. Regularly vacuum the furnace and the area surrounding the furnace. This prevents lint build-up, which creates a fire hazard. For detailed instructions on how to clean the inside compartment of your furnace, refer to the manufacturer's instructions or call a professional HVAC specialist. 20. Keep flammables away from the furnace and any heat registers in the home. Items like rugs, Christmas trees, blankets and furniture should not block airflow. Lightweight objects, like newspapers, can easily can attracted to the unit, block the air intake, and create a fire hazard.

MORE TIPS: 21. Make your home a no-smoking zone. Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals. 22. Remember that unvented space heaters are not intended to heat an entire home. Relying on these appliances solely can greatly increase the risk of fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. 23. Wash plastics on the top rack of the dishwasher, farther from the heating element, or by hand. This will reduce wear and tear. 24. Protect your children from lead poisoning by painting before old paint chips and peels in older homes. 25. Run cars and trucks only outside the garage and away from any openings into the house to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. 26. Prevent old medications from falling into the wrong hands, or from falling into our water system, by taking them to a participating pharmacy for proper disposal. 27. Clothes dryer fires account for approximately 20 fatalities, 400 injuries, and over $100 million in property damage annually. Clean your dryer vent after each use.

APPENDIX: We can’t take all of the credit. In compiling this information, we referenced the following organizations and websites: