words Alexa Wang
There’s nothing more important than your health and well-being. Anything you can do to enhance your overall level of health is something you should strongly consider. You may be surprised to find that the smallest changes have the biggest impact on your life.
If you don’t know where to start, here are some upgrades you can make to your home. With these, you’re taking a big step forward with your health.
1. Build a home gym
This can be as simple or as advanced as you want. What matters most is that you design a gym that allows you to workout without leaving home.
If you don’t have a lot of space for a home gym, get creative by considering all your options. Is there an unfinished space that could work? How about an outdoor space?
Flexibility is the name of the game. You may not see it right now, but a little bit of creativity will put you on the right path.
2. Install a whole house water filter
When you install a whole house water filter, you never again have to worry about drinking contaminated water. Just the same, this protects you when washing your clothes, bathing, and cleaning your dishes.
Before you do anything, test your water to determine if it has high levels of harmful substances. This will allow you to install the right type of whole house water filter.
If a whole house water filter doesn’t work, consider installing individual ones throughout your home.
3. Change your HVAC filter
This is one of the easiest and fastest ways to upgrade your home. It only takes a few minutes and $50 or less to swap out your dirty HVAC filter for a clean one.
As a general rule of thumb, change this filter every 90 days. Even if the packaging says that it’ll perform effectively for six months or longer, don’t push your luck. It’s better to be safe than sorry as this filter is imperative for circulating clean air throughout your home.
4. Clean your air ducts
Your air ducts have the potential to collect quite a bit of debris over time. This can include everything from pollen to dust to construction debris. If you let this sit in your ductwork, it’ll eventually circulate through your home.
Hire a professional to inspect and clean your air ducts. It’s a time-consuming and tedious process, but when it’s done you’ll feel much better about the air you’re breathing.
If possible, clean your air ducts once a year. Many people do so before the spring allergy season begins.
5. Test for mold
If you have any reason to believe that your home has mold in it, take the time to test it. Should the test confirm your suspicions, take immediate action. This means pinpointing where the mold is located and the type that you have.
You may need to hire a mold remediation company to assist you with this process. And of course, you’ll definitely need a professional when it comes time to remove the mold from your home.
If you don’t do this, you’re putting your health at risk. Mold can result in issues including but not limited to asthma, difficulty breathing, headaches, and fatigue. Do you really want to take a risk with serious side effects of mold exposure?
How to pay for these upgrades
It’s one thing to say that you’re going to upgrade your home, but another thing entirely to find the money to do so. If you have enough cash in the bank, that’s a good place to start. This allows you to make the necessary upgrades without taking on debt.
Should you need to take out a loan, there’s no shortage of options. Start by answering these two questions:
- How much money do you need to borrow?
- What are your current financial circumstances?
For example, you may need to use house equity with a low credit score while another homeowner relies on their credit card.
Final tip: you don’t have to take on all of these upgrades at the same time. Move through the list slowly based on what you consider to be the top priorities.
Have you completed any of these home upgrades in the past? Would you recommend any others?
