A dirty and disorganized house is more than just an eyesore: It can also be a legitimate health hazard to you and your kids. The good news is that it’s possible to beat back these perils if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and take action, so here are just four ways to remodel and revamp your home into something a little more livable.

Tend To Your Chimney

Many people don’t even think about their chimneys unless they hear birds chirping in there, but animals are only one of the concerns that you should have about a disused fireplace and flue. If your chimney cap is falling apart, you might be exposing your roof to dangerous sparks. If your interior chimney walls haven’t been cleaned in a while, you could be breathing in hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) or volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Raise Your Cupboards and Cabinets

According to Poison Control, 99 percent of child poisonings are unintentional. This means that kids are getting under the sink and into the medicine cabinet to ingest things that they shouldn’t be ingesting. One option is locking your cupboards from curious fingers, but if you already know that you’ll be terrible about remembering that kind of thing, consider raising your cupboards off the ground entirely. This will protect your pets from an accident poisoning, too.

Get Smart

Smart technology is controlled by wireless signals that send information from one device to another. It’s available in everything from baby monitors to home security alarms, and it can be a real help in making your home a safer place to live. You’ll no longer have to worry about locking your doors, turning off your appliances or shutting the dog gates. Your smartphone can do it all for you even if you’ve already left the premises.

Repair Your Roof

You’ve been meaning to fix those shingles for years, but little did you know that water damage is creeping into your entire attic space and compromising the structural integrity of the ceiling. It’s quite common for small roofing problems to become big disasters over time, so do yourself a favor and call some roofing contractors, like those at Select Exteriors, when you first notice that something is amiss. Your future self will thank you.

These are just a few ways to remodel your home with safety in mind. While you shouldn’t live in fear of things like dirty chimneys and unlocked cupboards, you shouldn’t brush them off, either. An important part of protecting your family is dealing with household issues even when they’re annoying.