Your Healthy Home

Dover Housing Authority strives to keep our residents healthy through a variety of policies and practices. We have long-term partnerships with a number of health non-profits, universities, community-based organizations and public agencies to promote this goal.

Basic Principles

DHA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) emphasize the importance of clean homes for a number of reasons, including:

1. Health: Clean homes can help prevent disease and injury, and reduce the risk of asthma, lead poisoning, and other health issues.
2. Safety: Clean homes can help reduce the risk of injuries like falls, burns, and poisonings.
3. Cost: Creating healthier homes can help save billions in health care costs.
4. Well-being: Clean homes can help promote healthy growth and development in children.
5. Indoor air quality: The air inside your home can be worse for your health than the air outside.
6. Pests: Clean homes can help reduce pest infestations.
7. Mold: Damp homes can create an environment for mold, which can cause or worsen asthma

Fresh Air

Fresh air can lower exposure to chemicals and other indoor pollutants. Fans and windows can provide fresh air or remove pollutants (such as smoke and fumes from cooking) and humidity from the air. Use these helpful tips to encourage fresh air. Use the exhaust fans in your kitchen when cooking. If you have a vent in your bathroom, the cover should be vacuumed or swept out and cleaned at least once a year.

Open your windows when the weather is warm and dry.

How to Avoid Moisture Problems

Keeping your home dry and ventilated can help solve mold and pest problems. Too much water in your home or humidity in the air can lead to mold growth or pest problems. Water leaks also damage building materials and cause paint to peel, and can even cause structural damage. It is important to address these problems as quickly as possible to avoid bigger ones.

• Take care to thoroughly dry any spills as soon as they happen.
• Keep the thermostat between 55º and 72º if possible.
• Periodically clean and dry the walls and floors around the sink, bathtub, shower, toilets and windows using a common household cleaner.
• If you see mold beginning to grow, clean it immediately. Any cleaner will do. Wipe down the floor and walls after a shower to allow the bathroom to dry quickly.
• Open the bathroom door after a shower or bath to let steam disappear or evaporate.
• Do not let damp or moist stacks of clothes or paper materials lay around in piles for a long time.
• Use a nylon shower curtain and wash it often.
• If persistent mold becomes a problem in your unit, your development manager and maintenance supervisor will work with you to solve the problem.

When to Report Problems

It is important to inform management of any floods or water leaks in your apartment as soon as you notice the issue. The following issues should be reported to the Dover Housing Authority immediately.

• A water leak or too much moisture in your apartment or common areas.
• Mildew that cannot be removed with a common household cleaner and wiping the area.
• Broken windows or doors.
• Musty odors in your apartment.
• Problems with your heating or ventilation system.

Keep It Smoke-Free

Keeping your apartment and this community smoke-free is good for you, your family, and your fellow residents. Make sure to follow the smoke-free policy for your health. Smoking is one of the biggest health risks in your home, and it affects everyone living there and your neighbors as well. DHA has implemented a Smoke-Free Housing Policy which prohibits smoking anywhere on DHA property.

Secondhand smoke, either within the home or from a neighbor’s home, can affect your health and the health of your family. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke. Children and those with breathing problems like asthma are especially sensitive to the effects of secondhand smoke. Smoking is a major cause of fires within multi-family buildings.

Repair and/or cleaning costs of exterior or interior damage caused by nicotine, smoke, or fire caused by cigarettes or smoking materials is the responsibility of tenant and grounds for eviction.

What Does the Smoke-Free Policy Mean?

Smoke-free housing means that no one is permitted to smoke anywhere inside the apartment building or outside on DHA property. The non-smoking policy applies to every member of the household, as well as all visitors.  Violating the policy by smoking on property is a lease violation and could result in eviction. While quitting smoking can be difficult, there are resources available to help. If this is something you are interested in, see management regarding available services to help you quit.

Keep It Pest Free

There are many things that you can do to help prevent pest problems in your apartment.

Routine pest control inspections will be conducted by management. However, if you notice any problems with insects or pests in your apartment, notify the management office immediately. Your apartment will be scheduled for prompt pest control service. Please do not be afraid or embarrassed to report any problems. Your cooperation is needed and appreciated.

Pests need the same things humans do – food, water, shelter, and a way to come and go. Integrated Pest Management works by cutting off these basic needs. Roaches and mice like kitchens because they are warm and provide sources of water and food.

Here are some tips to keep your home clean and prevent pest problems:

• Clean up food crumbs promptly and limit food to the kitchen and dining areas only.
• Do not leave dirty dishes on the counter or in the sink.
• Use covered garbage pails and take out garbage regularly.
• Store food in closed containers.
• Wipe down your stove and the wall areas around your stove every time you cook. At least once a week, thoroughly clean the stove and around the stove with an all-purpose, non-abrasive cleaner.
• Clean out and wash down your cabinets regularly to keep food spills from building up.
• Check caulking around sinks and showers and call management if repairs are needed.
• Wipe up spills on counters, table tops and the floor as soon as they happen.
• Report any leaks and drips to management so they can be fixed.
• Eliminate Pests’ Homes: Clutter can provide a lot of shelter for both cockroaches and mice. Cockroaches also like to live in cardboard boxes. Clean up old newspapers, shopping bags, laundry, and other clutter. Erase pest travel routes by washing their paths with soap and water

In order to reduce pest infestation, please report the following conditions to DHA:

• Broken or damaged window screens.
• Cracks in baseboards and around pipes, especially pipes that connect one apartment to another.
• Holes in walls and cabinets.
• Any trash or discarded food in hallways, common areas, or on the development grounds. Be a good neighbor – help keep the community clean by picking up trash and litter.
• Any pest activity, such as rats or mice, on the grounds of the development.

Bed Bugs

Bed bug infestations should be taken very seriously. If you see bed bugs in your apartment or receive bed bug bites, you should report this immediately to the management office. This is a serious problem and should be addressed only by a professional. You should not feel any embarrassment – do not wait to inform the management office!

Signs of Bed Bugs

• Bites
• Blood spots
• Shed skins
• Living or dead bed bugs