Dr. Gokul Gopalan, regional director of Medical Affairs, Respiratory, Merck. “We are pleased to partner with these experts to build homes with asthma-healthy features and educate about the importance of a healthy indoor environment, coupled with proper asthma management, Build Smart, Breathe Easier reinforces Merck’s ongoing commitment to educate people about their asthma and provide appropriate treatment options to physicians and their patients.” Merck joined with Habitat for Humanity, the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) and HGTV personality and carpenter Carter Oosterhouse to run “Build Smart, Breathe Easier” campaign.

If there are asthma patients in your family, try to maintain a proper house for him/her that is free from asthma triggers and provide a better place so that they can live in a comfortable and allergy free environment. This will help you to maintain an asthma healthy home. Carter Oosterhouse from HGTV said “A house built with materials that are easy to clean and less likely to contain irritants, such as hard-surface floors or non-toxic paint, may have a positive impact on a family, especially one dealing with asthma, I am excited to be a part of this program which will help build sustainable homes with asthma-friendly features in partnership with low income families and will also educate about simple ways to try to reduce and avoid common household asthma triggers.”

Following are some tips that will help you to maintain an asthma healthy home:

1. Go for hard surface flooring i.e. wood, vinyl and linoleum and do not use carpets because it absorbs the dust that can accelerate the allergic reaction in asthma patients.
2. Apply paint with least VOC levels to reduce the effect of fumes on the asthma patients.
3. Evade the condensation on the doors and windows particularly, and prevent the growth of mildew.
4. Make use of high quality central heating and cooling systems and proper ventilation system.
5. Keep the pets away from furniture, sofa and beds if there is any asthma patient in your home because their hairs can prove to be asthma triggers for them.

Habitat for Humanity and Merck Fight Asthma, Larry Gluth senior vice president of U.S. and Canada for Habitat for Humanity said, “At Habitat for Humanity, our mission is to provide simple, decent and affordable shelter in partnership with low-income families, we are excited to partner on Build Smart, Breathe Easier to complement our mission and help improve the lives of our partnering families.”