What we do
When your floor is dirty, you vacuum. When your hamper is full, you do laundry. But what do you do when the air in your home is unclean?
We spend 90% of our time indoors and EPA studies show that indoor air can be two to five times – sometimes up to 100 times – more polluted than outdoor air. It’s simple: you need clean air in your home to keep you and your family healthy.
We’re here to help.
The American Lung Association, with generous support from the City of Seattle, offers a free program to help you protect your family from harmful indoor air by showing you free or low-cost ways to keep the air in your home safe to breathe. This program educates you to understand the issues causing bad air quality, then empowers you to do something about it.
Who is eligible for a Healthy Home Check-up?
Anyone who lives in the city of Seattle – really!
There are no income or other requirements to qualify, we only ask that you have a physical address in the city of Seattle. On top of that, if you have a child with asthma in the home, you may be eligible to receive additional support and tools to keep their lungs safer at home, including an air purifier, vacuum cleaner, or dehumidifier.
Don’t live in Seattle, but still want to assess and improve your indoor air quality? You can access our Do-it-Yourself Assessment, which will walk you through how to make your home a healthier place to live.
This handy guide is also available in: Spanish | Vietnamese | Chinese | Japanese
What to expect during your Healthy Home Check-up
Every person has a right to clean and healthy air, and you deserve to know how you can keep your indoor air safe. We believe in empowerment through education. By providing you the tools to improve your air quality, you can make your home a safe and healthy place to live.
During a Healthy Home Check-up, a trained staff member conducts a thorough assessment* of your home to identify health hazards, including mold and moisture, lead and dust, hazardous products, along with allergy and asthma triggers. After our assessment, we work with you to develop a Home Action Plan, which outlines free and low-cost solutions to improve your home health and provides resources for further action if needed.
Visits typically take less than 90 minutes and include a free Safer Cleaning Kit with safe household supplies and a doormat to reduce pollutants in your home.
One month after your visit, we’ll give you a follow up call to check in on your health, review your action plan, and answer any questions you might have.
And did we mention that the visits, assessment, action plan, and supplies are FREE to all Seattle residents?
*Please note: We do not offer housecleaning or testing services. While we often get requests for “mold testing” of homes, we do not offer nor recommend them for most residents. More information about mold testing or sampling can be found on the EPA’s website: https://www.epa.gov/mold/mold-testing-or-sampling.
Have a child with asthma?
If you live in Seattle and have a child under 18 with asthma in your household, you’re eligible to receive extra support and tools to keep their lungs safer at home, like a clean air device (air purifier, vacuum cleaner, or dehumidifier) and dust mite mattress and pillow covers.
For households with a child with asthma, we conduct 2 home visits and a follow-up phone call. Here’s what it looks like:
It’s proven that keeping your home’s air clean is an effective way to improve the quality of life for those with asthma, including reduced symptoms, fewer missed school and workdays, and more. This is just another reason why our Healthy Home Check-up is helpful for households of those with asthma and other lung conditions.
Request a free Healthy Home Check-up
If you live in Seattle, sign up online or contact us via phone or email. You’ll be asked several questions about your household and home – this helps us understand your situation so we can be prepared to conduct your Healthy Home Check-up. You can expect a staff member to call or email you within 2 business days of submitting your request to schedule a home visit.
Educational materials on indoor air quality
Just curious? These free educational materials were developed by our experienced staff:
Help us spread the word about MHE!
We love referrals! If you are a healthcare provider, school staff, social service agency, landlord, or passionate community member wanting to share information about the Master Home Environmentalist program with your Seattle-based clients, patients, friends, and neighbors, we’d love to send you free copies of our promotional materials. Send an email to [email protected] to request printed copies or print them out yourself:
Contact us
If you have questions about the MHE program or Healthy Home Check-ups, get in touch with us by calling (206) 512-3280 or sending us an email.
Page last updated: September 12, 2022
