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Well, it is the month when love is in the air. Honestly, we should always have love “in the air”. But, that is all that should be in your indoor breathing air. We should be doing our best to keep all the harmful things out of our indoor breathing air. And what could be more loving than that. How do we go about that?
First, clean often. Especially vacuuming and mopping can keep particulates from getting into your breathing atmosphere. If you use a vacuum with a HEPA filter it helps even more.
Second, take out the garbage often. The gases and odors that ruminate from the garbage can get quickly into the indoor air. Get that stuff out of there quickly.
Next, keep the surfaces in your kitchen as clean as possible. That too can affect the breathing atmosphere.
Fourth, always make sure your home is well ventilated. That may even mean opening your window even for a few minutes during the colder months.
Last, but certainly not least, change your air filters consistently. The rule of thumb is generally once a month.
All of these things will help keep your indoor air clean and fresh. And what is more loving than that!
It’s that time when all of the holiday decorations have hopefully been put away. And, you’ve probably been doing a lot of cleaning. That’s a good thing. When you are doing all that don’t forget the indoor air.
Believe it nor not… all of those decorations, the heater, the fireplace, the cooking, the gifts can all wreak havoc on the indoor air. Make sure you are starting out the new year with clean air filters, super vacuumed floors, well mopped floors, dusted surfaces. Even washing the blankets and bedding can help improve the indoor air. I know it seems like a lot of work, and it is. But, the benefits will be worth it. Give it a try and see if you agree!
I love the holidays! The family, traditions, foods, music, decorations, worship…all of it. My thoughts rarely go to cleaning (although it is definitely necessary) or the quality of my indoor air. However, with all the hustle and bustle that are the holidays indoor air quality can take a beating.
Here are just a few very simple things you can do to make the quality of your indoor air the best it can be even during this time:
Keep your air filters checked/changed as necessary
Use natural/organic items to decorate with
Use essential oils to bring in the aromas of the season that you love
Vacuum often and use HEPA filters in your vacuums.
Make sure your dryer vents have been thoroughly cleaned.
Consider having your carpets cleaned.
Consider air duct cleaning if you haven’t had it done in the last 5-7 years.
These are just a few things that will go a long way to help you have the best quality indoor breathing atmosphere for your family. Enjoy everything about this holiday season. Take it one moment at a time and breathe it all in.
Yep, it’s spring. Most people love spring and hate the allergies that accompany it. Many, retreat indoors thinking it’s a safer place for indoor air quality. Maybe, maybe not.
At a fairly recent conference the pollution in our indoor breathing atmosphere was definitely a hot topic. Apparently what we tend to think as a “safe haven” from pollution may not necessarily be. The coverings we put on our floors, the furniture we buy, the cleaning products we use, even what certain things are packaged in can add dangerous chemicals to our breathing atmosphere. Even what and how we cook can add unwanted particles into the air. One article even said “Even the simple act of making toast raised particle levels far higher than expected,”. Really? Making toast?
All that can seem “over the top” or alarming. No one can go change everything all at once. The idea shared and the conference was twofold. One, make small changes by paying attention to what comes into your home going forward. Two, for there to be more efforts to hold manufacturers accountable for how and with what they make their products. My thought is that we need to be personally aware and responsible for what we buy and how we use things. It’s not really rocket science it’s just a matter of stepping up and paying attention.
So, if we want to take better care of ourselves and our families in the area of better indoor air quality, let’s commit to paying attention and making wise choices. Here’s to breathing better and easier!!
Honestly, I’m finding it almost unbelievable that spring is just about upon us. I love spring. I love the sun and the flowers and everything green and pretty. And then the proverbial allergies. I don’t love those. Although there is not much we can do about the allergens in the outdoor air, we can do something about our indoor air quality.
For the most part our homes have been shut up pretty tight all winter long. Unfortunately, that means dust, pollen, pet dander, and general yuck have collected in our homes. The places these things collect are in all the soft surfaces in our homes. They collect in our upholstery, carpets, nooks and crannies and in the air ducts. In order to truly start spring off fresh, all of these things needs to be cleaned. You can do all of these things yourself with the exception of the air duct cleaning. Of course, you can get help with all of it but air duct cleaning is not something you should attempt yourself. Make sure you check reviews and pay attention to the way the ducts are cleaned. It is very important.
Start spring off right. Get to all those things that need your attention and don’t forget the air ducts. Give your indoor air a fighting chance!
Ready or not they are here! The holidays! I love them and they make me crazy, but I mostly love them. You might wonder what in the world they have to do with indoor air quality. Well, quite honestly they can have a lot more to do with it than you might think. You’d be surprised at how much of what goes on during this time affects the quality of the air we breathe indoors.
Believe it or not the things we love about the holidays can adversely affect our indoor air. Candles, live greenery, other fragrances and decorations can emit chemicals and gases into the air breathe. Those same things can even irritate respiratory tracts and trigger asthmatic reactions. All of the extra cooking can also add to the problems. Not to mention just the sheer number of extra people that can be in our homes.
Great! Now I’ve made the holidays into a major bummer. No, not at all. There are things we can do so that we are not putting our families and our guests at risk.
One of the first things we should always consider is to make sure our homes are properly ventilated. Ventilation is huge. Proper stove and fireplace ventilation are the two biggest helps but also proper bathroom ventilation. Cleaning often is a big help as well. Vacuuming and dusting are huge. Using a vacuum that has a great HEPA filter can do wonders. Of course, changing those air filters regularly is helpful as well. Using essential oils instead of some of the chemical based fragrances may also be a good option for you.
Rest assured there are things that can be done to promote good indoor air quality in your homes and still enjoy the smells, and feelings they emit, for the holidays. Be well and enjoy each and every moment!
Despite the reading on the thermometer, today is typically viewed as the first day of the fall season. This generally means a migration indoors for the majority of us. Soon the HVAC systems will go from cooling to heating and the indoor air quality could quickly deteriorate. Of course, we want to avoid that. Here are a few to tips to keep your indoor air quality top notch.
First, make sure your system is checked and maintained regularly. If you didn’t have it checked right before summer definitely do it now. And, of course, make sure you are checking/changing those air filters monthly. That point cannot be stressed too much.
Next, make sure you are keeping the humidity levels in check. A level of 35-50% is optimal as temperatures begin to fall outside (see what I did there;))
If you have not had your air ducts cleaned in the last 5-7 years, now would be a great time to do this as the heating system will be being utilized soon. You would probably be surprised at what can collect in the ducts over the years and what a huge difference having them cleaned can make.
If there are those in your household who are “blessed” with allergies and/or asthma, investing in a nice HEPA filtered air purifier would also be a great defense against poor indoor air quality.
This last one will probably be unpopular. However, avoiding the use of those lovely seasonal candles and fragrances. As much as we love them, they introduce many things into our indoor air that is not very helpful. Of course, everyone has to weigh their own issue.
Hopefully, these tips will start you at least thinking about your indoor air quality during these fall months. Everything we can do to help keep our families healthy is worth it and indoor air quality is a big part of it. If you have questions don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Summer! Most of us absolutely love this season. Honestly, it ranks right up there for me. It is not without its drawbacks. The least of which is the heat. While it is mostly terrific it can definitely get extreme. As the temperature rises, in this season we love, several not so favorable things can occur which adversely affect our indoor air quality.
The first thing is that humidity tends to go up and we run the AC a whole lot. These things can cause mold to form and grow which is always bad for the indoor air quality.
Next, because we are using the AC so much we tend to keep the windows and doors shut very tightly. This, in turn, causes the inordinate accumulation of airborne particles that contaminate the indoor air.
Also, because the windows and door are closed so tightly, toxic chemicals and dust accumulate. This occurs because there is such poor ventilation and circulation during this time.
That is the bad news. There is good news. Adding a few simple houseplants can help naturally purify the indoor air even in summertime conditions. Don’t worry, the suggested plants do not require a ginormous green thumb (good thing for me).
The top five suggested house plants for purifying your indoor air are as follows:
Boston Ferns – Do not require direct sunlight and need to remain moist. Considered one of the very best indoor air purifiers.
Golden Pothos – One of the easiest plants to grow and is virtually indestructible. Indirect light (even fluorescent) and just keep moist without over watering.
English Ivy – Super air cleaner that ranks almost as high as the Boston Fern. Grow well in mid to abundant light and hate high temperatures (me too especially indoors).
Palm Trees – Excellent air cleaners and very easy to care for.
Rubber Plants – Grow well in low lightt and easy to keep alive.
Honorable Mentions go to the Spider Plant, great as hanging plants and enjoy semi-sunny or shaded environments. Also to the Peace Lily which are right up there with Boston Ferns and English Ivy for air purifying and are easy to care for with year round blooms.
Hopefully this has given you some great suggestions for enjoying your summer and keeping your indoor air as healthy as possible.
Whew! It’s getting warm already. And, it’s been really wet. Summer is truly on its way. Allergies have already accosted most of us and will continue to do so. How in the world can we improve our indoor air so that we have at least some refuge? The answers can be simple (mostly).
Of course the first thing would be to always check/change your air filters monthly. If your HVAC system is not terribly old you can use the newer high quality HEPA filters. If it is older, still consistently check/change them. But, you may need to consider also adding a purification system in your home, or, at the very least, in the rooms that you sleep and spend the most time in. There are so many purifiers out there. Just make sure you choose one with the HEPA filter and that has the most and best reviews. Research, research, research.
Next, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. This is particularly important if you have lots of carpeting/rugs in your home. The amount of dander and pollen and dust etc. that settles into carpeting is unbelievable. The summer element that makes it a bit worse is all the coming in and out of the house that happens because it is warm and we spend more time in and around the house. Not exactly what you want to hear I completely understand but it does a world of good.
The thing that naturally follows is to consistently dust your home as well. I’ve always believed that dusting should be done before vacuuming so that whatever get swepts into the air or onto the floor can be removed quickly and efficiently. Again, not exactly what you might want to hear but, again, it does a whole lot of good.
Each of these things are very helpful. However, the last thing I will mention is air duct cleaning. If you do all of the things mentioned earlier but have very dirty air ducts you are basically wasting your time. If you have never had them done or if you know they have not been cleaned in the last seven years it is essentially as must. It is really a must if you have allergy sufferers in your home. Again, research, research, research. Air duct cleaners are not all the same. You want one that uses a HEPA filtered vac system. You also want one that doesn’t sweep anything into your home. Preferably you’d want one that takes everything out through the trunk line to be sure everything is removed. Yes, we do all of these things. We would love to help make your home more comfortable and your indoor air cleaner.
So last time we discussed the fact that indoor air quality in schools can definitely affect our kids performance. This time let’s take a look at what we can do to help improve the air quality inside our schools. You are probably thinking you, personally, can’t do anything. But, that would be incorrect.
First, just understanding that problems with indoor air quality can affect your student’s performance is ahead of the curve. Since you are already aware it is time to take steps to do something about it.
Next, take what you already know and build on it. Do your own research or take some of what is here and spread the word. Let other parents, teachers and administrators know what you know. Chances are pretty good that they are already aware. However, it is good for them to know that others are genuinely concerned about the issue.
After that, get involved. Perhaps your school or school district has an IAQ team in place. Volunteer to be a part. If not, you could be the one to get it started. If your student has asthma or allergy issues its an even better reason to get involved. Get your student involved also. When students are concerned and involved in improving their learning environment it is a great catalyst to spur others to be involved.
With all the information that is available we literally have no excuse to not be involved. Let’s all do our part to make sure our kids have the best learning environments possible.