Winter’s end brings hope for brighter days and warmer temperatures. Unfortunately, spring also ushers in its own challenges and unique safety issues. There’s a lot more to spring cleaning than vacuuming up the dust mites that accumulated over the cold, dark months of winter. The fresh start of spring is the best time to ensure your home is safe, prepared, and nontoxic for another year.

As the snow melts and the sun starts to shine longer and brighter, keep this checklist handy to help you avoid any potential perils this spring and to provide a safe home for your family.

Before You Get Started:

Take It Slow

The first whiff of spring prompts do-it-yourself dynamos to begin beautifying their yards. Digging, planting, mowing, and trimming can be surprisingly strenuous after a winter of inactivity, so minimize your chances of limping back into the house. Stretch before vigorous activity, lift with your legs, use well-maintained tools, and break up heavy loads into multiple trips.

Dress the Part

A big part of staying safe is dressing for the part. Depending on the activity you will be participating in, make sure you’re using the proper safety equipment: wear safety goggles, sturdy shoes, and long pants, as well as gloves and ear protection if necessary.

Inside your home:

Replace Your Filters

Indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air — especially during the winter when we trap our indoor air inside with us. To help improve your indoor air quality, air out your house while spring cleaning, and clean or replace the filters on your air conditioning unit and furnace, as well as your dryer, vacuum, range hood, and refrigerator.

Go Green

Use organic cleaners to help minimize the risks associated with toxic cleaners. Be aware that “natural” does not necessarily mean “nontoxic,” and carefully review labels for dangerous chemicals before purchasing any cleaners. You could also make your own household cleaners out of common household items, like vinegar and lemon juice.

Test the Batteries in Your Smoke Detectors

To verify your smoke detectors are in good working condition, test each one individually. Ask a family member to stand as far away as possible from the detector you are testing — it’s vital that your family can hear every detector from anywhere in the house — then press and hold the test button on the detector. If it doesn’t let out an alarm loud enough for your assistant to hear, change the batteries and test it again. If it still doesn’t work, replace the detector as soon as possible.

Check Your Carbon Monoxide Detectors

You should have a carbon monoxide detector outside every room and on every level of your home, and check the batteries in each one every month. The gas sensors in CO detectors have a limited lifespan — and the test button tests only the battery, not the sensor — so replace or recalibrate your detectors at least every five years, even if the detector still beeps when you push the test button.

Review (or Create) Your Family Emergency Plan

Take advantage of the new season by reviewing your disaster preparedness plan with every member of your household and update it to reflect anything that may have changed in the last year. Your plan should include at least two rendezvous points, an emergency contact person, and an evacuation route. Once you have reviewed the plan, run a few drills for the natural disasters that can occur in your area, like fire, flooding, and earthquake.

Clean Out the Medicine Cabinet

Properly dispose of all expired and unused medications in your home. Many medications are considered too dangerous to throw away or flush down the toilet, so call your pharmacy or local poison control center to find any drop-off sites that will take your expired medications.

Update Your First Aid and 72-Hour Kits

Check your first aid kit and 72-hour kit and replace any missing or expired items. Make sure you have all the essentials, including bandages, water, and emergency phone numbers for the local poison control center and your family physician.

Check Your Fire Extinguishers

Every home should have at least one fire extinguisher in an easy-to-access location. Although fire extinguishers can have a long shelf life, they do eventually expire — and once they do[…]

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