Summer and Skin Cancer. Tips on making your outdoor room UV safe.

This summer we’ll be heading out to our patio’s and our garden’s with our family to enjoy the lounging in the summer sun, and genuinely deserved.  After spending months huddled up in sweaters and bundled up in the home, it’s time we step out and warm up under the sun.  Time to lounge and sunbathe!  However, remember that there are harmful UV rays to contend with.  The American Cancer Society has said:

Most of the more than 1 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related.

Source: Skin Cancer Facts

Melanoma, one of the most serious kinds of skin cancer, can be prevented also treated.  But why take the risk?  There are plenty of things we can do to keep our family safe, like using sunblock, preventing sunburns, keeping to the shade.  But I’ve outlined some tips on how to prepare your patio and home for the summer months, and protect your family from skin cancer risk.

The most important tip is to provide plenty of shade.  This might seem like an easy answer, but take a few moments to think about the shade areas around your home.  Do you have any?  A comfortable backyard or patio or garden should always have a pleasant shaded area  to sit in between 10AM and 4PM.

Most people think that if it gets too sunny or too hot, you can just step back inside your home.  But energetic children aren’t most people.  They’ll play out in the hot sun no matter how they feel.  Start teaching your children the simple shadow rule.  If your shadow is shorter than you, time to hit the shade.

Trees are an excellent way to add shaded areas to your home.  Research a bit to find out the best shade trees for your geographic area.  Banana and Palm trees are good, but they don’t grow in every climate.  Trees are a great way to frame your home’s exterior, but remember to place some trees apart, in different sections around your home, so that there is shade within reach.   If trees are not an option, large leafy plants will always be a great way to shade.  Group them together around a framed gazebo for an excellent shady spot.

Keep your patio furniture close to a shade area.  If you like to entertain around your patio, and everybody is lounging about on the patio furniture, make sure it’s close, or even better, under a shade.  Falling asleep on a chaise lounge might be great, but under the sun, you’ll not only wake up with a nasty sunburn, your risking your health.

Use your home as the shade area.  Watch the sun and judge the best and longest shadow caused by your home.  Make this area a lounge area and play area.

Of course, patio umbrellas with Sunbrella fabric are a great way to prevent harmful UV rays from hurting your family.  Sunbrella fabric has been recognized by the Skin Cancer Foundation as protective against the harmful effects of the sun, and is on their list of recommended products.