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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!
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!
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.
There are a few things that probably make sense when they accumulate in the duct work of our homes and businesses. These things might include dust, pet hair and dander, pollen. Perhaps even some degree of mold or mildew. Slightly disgusting to think about but not unusual. These things are reason enough to consider duct cleaning.
Consider the possibility that there are things in there that don’t make sense. The first thing that comes to mind is construction/remodeling debris. For whatever reason the leftover wood, sheet rock, nails, carpet remnants, screws etc. have been found in the duct work. It doesn’t seem like an ideal location to deposit said items but they have definitely been found and removed on occasion by many duct cleaners. Another unusual find has been the remains of rodents. I know, gross! But, it has happened. Mice are the usual finds but some duct cleaners have actually found rats, squirrels and even one reported finding a fox. Of course, there are also bugs and an occasional reptile.
One of the most unusual finds that I can think of hearing about was a stack of VHS tapes and books that had apparently been missing from the home for months. Not exactly sure how it happened but they were there.
Obviously none of these things belong in duct work. And, yes, the presence of these things in your ducts can cause your system to run inefficiently and wreak havoc on the quality of your indoor breathing atmosphere. The good news is, all of these things can be located and removed by an expert duct cleaner. So, don’t waste time worrying about what might be in them and contact an expert, especially if you’ve never had them cleaned or if you haven’t had them in cleaned in the last 5-7 years.
There are a lot of things we already know are important in maintaining our homes. Most of them we are very aware of and do on at least a regular basis. However, there may be at least one you are either unaware of or just have never really given much thought. As you might have guessed, I’m referring to air duct cleaning. Quite honestly, a lot of folks have never even thought about it once. I get that. But, here are five of our top reasons that you should not only give it some thought but actually do it.
5. Cuts Down on Household Dusting. Seriously you could actually save valuable time by not having to dust nearly as often.
4. Vermin and Insects Could Have Taken Up Residence in Your Ducts. That’s really not even an exaggeration. There have been vermin found in ducts. Also, insects love dirty ducts.
3. Up to 40 Pounds of Dust is Circulated through the Average Six-Room House in a Year. One can only imagine how much of that just settles in the ducts.
2. Saving Money. That one probably grabbed your attention. It is true. Dirty ducts cause your heating and cooling system to have to work much harder than it should. Dirty ducts affect the efficiency of the heating and cooling of your home which can cause increased utility bills.
1. Giving Your Loved Ones the Best Quality Breathing Atmosphere Possible. We all want the best for those we love. Cleaning those air ducts removes all of the aforementioned issues and allows everyone to breathe easy.
These reasons only scratch the surface for all the excellent reasons to have your air ducts cleaned. With summer fast approaching it would be an excellent time to cross this maintenance issue off of your list.
It’s almost spring and our minds go to refreshing things, cleaning things, perhaps allergies and pollen and such. And, maybe even remodeling something in our homes to freshen things up a bit. That all sounds great. However, we need to still be mindful of our indoor air quality. Let’s concentrate on the remodeling aspects for now.
Some of you already understand the dust and mess that remodeling can bring. It always seems as though the actual remodeling takes at least twice as long as they say. In the mean time you see the effects. There is just dust and mess and yuck everywhere. It’s affecting your feelings of how clean your home is and what you are breathing in everyday. You just want the job to be done. Not just so you can enjoy the finished product but also so you can FINALLY clean up. Once you have gotten to do that it seems as though everything is right with the world again. But, what about what has gotten into your ducts during this time. It’s absolutely amazing what gets trapped in there during even the shortest of remodels. Of course, there is dust and dirt etc. Honestly, there is probably even some construction debris.
What I’m trying to get at is that even though the job is done, you love the results and you’ve gotten to clean up, there is another step you should seriously consider. I’m talking about duct cleaning. A thorough duct cleaning after any remodeling project can restore your home to breathing easy again. Thorough duct cleaning removes the dust, dirt, and even the construction debris that was quite possibly left behind. Think about how much less dusting you will have to do and how much better your indoor air quality will truly be.
This is definitely cold and flu season! Wow! Schools have even taken days off because so many students and teachers have been affected. We have probably all been affected by it one way or another. So, the question is, how can we avoid the colds and flu? Or, at the very least, reduce the symptoms and duration if we can’t avoid it altogether? Those are huge questions and there is no one answer. However, there are a few things we can put in place to at least give us a fighting chance.
First, the quality of the air we are breathing in our homes does play a part. Obviously once the viruses which cause the colds and flu come into our homes it gets tricky. Air purifiers are the best bet here. Just be sure they are quality purifiers made to filter out the smallest pollutants. Of course, as we generally suggest, get some fresh air introduced as well. And, always make sure to keep the air filters clean/changed. If the colds/flu keep recirculating through your family perhaps consider air duct cleaning as well. Especially if you’ve not had the ducts cleaned in the last five to seven years.
After that it’s the stuff we really already know. Wash your hands constantly! Try to avoid tight spaces and/or close contact with those who are already sick. For those of you with kids in school, give those backpacks and lunchboxes a good scrub. Perhaps even consider sending the coats, gloves, hats etc. through a good wash. Remind your kids also to keep their hands away from their eyes, noses and mouths. I definitely know that is easier said than done.
Of course, if you already feel that cold/flu coming on get lots of rest and drink plenty of fluids. Those words of advice have not changed for eons and won’t anytime soon. Here’s to doing our best to protect ourselves and our families from the cold/flu season!!