In today’s real estate market, one of the main selling points of houses is the amount of sunlight it lets in. Allowing natural sunlight to penetrate the insides of your home not only adds charm but also makes your home healthier. Sunlight helps reduce germs and other microbes. It also helps improve someone’s mood. However, there is also a downside to sunlight exposure. It could also expose us to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays.
The scary thing about UV rays is that you do not have to be under the sun’s scorching heat to be subjected to them. Even in the confines of your home, you could be exposed to these harmful rays without noticing them. UV rays could easily penetrate the glass windows of your house, causing premature skin aging, sunburn, and tanning. Prolonged exposure to UV rays could also destroy the vitamin A found in your skin cells, increasing skin cancer risk.
What Is Harmful About the Sun’s Rays
UV light is essential for the plant’s photosynthesis and vitamin D production in our bodies. However, since UV lights are high on energy, too much of it can harm our skins and DNA and common materials we have at home when the UV rays could cause degradation to different materials such as paint, plastic, wood, and rubber. It could cause these substances to crack, fade, and weather over time, as the rays dry them out and cause chemical bonds to break apart.
Frequent exposure to UV radiation of your furniture and flooring could severely damage their structural integrity. They are likely to fade and wear out faster if you leave them unprotected from prolonged sunlight exposure. It would also mean spending on repairs and replacements, which could have been avoided. Keeping your home safe from the harmful rays of the sun is just as important as keeping your skin safe from it. Here are some helpful guidelines on how you can prolong your home’s structural integrity while minimizing, if not avoiding, the damaging effects of UV radiation.
How to Protect Your Home From UV Light Damage
Windows
Windows are the primary avenue for allowing the sun’s rays to enter your home. And that is not a bad thing. We need natural light for several reasons. However, too much of it can have damaging impacts on our health and houses. One way to block UV radiations from penetrating the insides of your home is to use blackout curtains and blinds. Although standard glass windows could provide protection, they could only block 25 percent of UV rays. You could opt to use window films, as they could block 99 percent of UV rays.
However, if budget is not an issue, you should consider installing tinted windows. Not only will it protect your home from harmful UV rays, but it also helps keep your home well-insulated. This means your home stays cooler during summers and warmer during winters.
Indoor Furniture
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to avoid having your furniture destroyed by UV radiation is rearranging them. Keep furniture out of windows and areas where they are directly hit by sunlight. But if it cannot be avoided, there are plenty of stylish slipcovers you could choose from to put over your furniture. Nonetheless, even basic covers and sheets could do the trick in protecting your upholstery. When picking out furniture to decorate your home, consider avoiding those made with cotton materials and choose nylon or polyester upholstery blends instead. Cotton materials degrade faster than synthetic ones. Light-colored fabrics Should also be preferred over darker shades as the latter fades more quickly.
Flooring
Though you cannot move your home flooring, there are still some precautions you could take to protect your floors from UV rays. If you are using hardwood floors, consider investing in special sealers with UV protection properties. Hardwood floors are susceptible to sunlight exposure, so you must not overlook their maintenance and care.
If you have carpets, you may opt to use some chemicals to protect them. However, they can be costly and harmful to your family’s health. One easiest solution to avoid carpet fading is to use your window blinds and blackout curtains whenever the sun’s rays are strong.
For rugs that only get partial sunlight, you may simply rotate them often to minimize exposure.
Deck and Patio
Your deck and patio also run the risk of sunlight damage if not properly maintained. Although treated woods could resist moisture, frequent exposure to the sun’s rays could destroy the pigments and break wood fiber bonds. Paint may provide protection, but it is only temporary. The most viable option to protect your deck and patio is by applying sealant now and then. Sunshine is not at all bad. And by following these suggestions, you can keep your home safe from UV rays exposure.
