In light of a global pandemic, many across the nation have become more aware of their hygiene and healthy habits – especially at home. Research shows that homeowners have been increasingly interested in healthy home features – whether that looks like germ-resistant materials, automatic faucets, smart toilets, or maybe even indoor air quality monitoring. Besides cleaning and disinfecting homes regularly, here are several home additions that could come in handy when you’re designing your new home this year.
Make sure you have a mudroom.
The concept of the mudroom is traditional, but extremely valuable. The less germs you track in from shoes, the better. With an increased focus on sanitizing and keeping germs out when you first walk in the door, it’s an underrated room to have in your home. Establish good habits with your children by encouraging them to remove their shoes as soon as they get home. Investing in a shoe bucket or rack offers an easy solution that doesn’t make it feel like a chore.
At Roberts Crossing in Cary, you can find townhomes that feature mudrooms in several plans. Even with smaller spaces, it’s possible to make sure this is a part of your floorplan.
Add a place to wash your hands as soon as you come inside.
Hand hygiene has proven to be the number one preventative measure for infection. Because of the frequency in which we touch our face, mouth, and hair, it’s easy to spread viruses without even realizing it. To combat this, seek out homes with a half bath right at the front of the home. Or, consider adding in a hand-washing station to your mudroom. If neither of these are an option, establish a house rule that you have to wash your hands immediately upon entering the home. After all, we all would like to enjoy a happy and healthy summer season.
Utilize automatic faucets.
In today’s homes, so many options are available that feature smart home technology. Builders all over the Triangle area are offering customizable things like automatic faucets. Especially when it comes to children, automatic faucets allow you to easily dispense soap into your hands to make for a mess-free experience. Drees Homes, Garman Homes, and many other area builders provide design studios with options to customize your homes with features such as these.
Ensure good indoor air quality.
Viruses like COVID-19, spread quickly indoors without proper ventilation. Improving air circulation makes it harder for viruses such as those to survive. We recommend using an air purifier with a HEPA filter, which can remove 99.97% of particles including not only viruses, but also things like bacteria and allergens.
Many builders have placed an increased emphasis on this as of lately, so don’t be afraid to ask!
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