There are almost 100 million housing units in the United States. In all likelihood, the majority of these homes could be made healthier. Homes with serious health hazards may require experts to undertake a formal investigation and a dedicated project to perform corrective action, but such “stand-alone” approaches tend to be expensive and are difficult to take to scale. Achieving the goal of healthy housing for all requires “mainstreaming” healthy homes considerations into all building, remodeling, repair, repainting, and maintenance activities.

Each year, about 1.8 million new homes are constructed and more than 20 million remodeling, repair, repainting, and weatherization projects are conducted. Done wrong, these projects can create or exacerbate conditions that cause health problems. With modest changes in work practices aimed at controlling moisture, improving ventilation, and controlling pests, these projects can contribute to a healthy home environment. Specialized experts may well be needed to identify and control complex problems through dedicated projects. But taking advantage of the opportunities presented by millions of existing projects requires incorporating healthy homes practices into the work of regular trades such as carpenters, painters, landscapers, and maintenance staff. The principles of healthy homes are based on common sense and can be incorporated into most projects with only modest changes in work practices. Either brief formal training or on-the-job training can raise workers’ consciousness about healthy homes and convey the basic “do’s and don’ts.”