Consumer Reports IAQ Dangers – Equipment Recommendations

As stated in the previous post, after reading the Consumer Reports article on IAQ dangers, I decided to share with you some general recommendations for protecting yourself, your family and your friends from health damaging indoor air quality (IAQ) problems (especially during this cold & flu season).  This first set of tips falls into the category of Indoor Air Quality Related Equipment.

Install Indoor Air Quality Related Equipment as Budgets Allow:

• Install a Carbon Monoxide alarm on each level of your home, including the basement.
• —Use an active air purification technology such as those produced by RGF Environmental, Green Tech Environmental, Best Living Systems or Vollara to address airborne particles, gasses, man-made chemicals, odors and biological contaminants (mold, viruses, bacteria, etc.).
• —Consider internal frame, antimicrobial coated, furnace/AC filters that contain no cardboard that could otherwise sustain mold growth.

That was a quick list, but having these 3 items in place can make a significant difference.  Do a little research and/or talk to an IAQ professional.  The “well worth it” costs can be from under $25 to over $1000 depending on which items you take on, depending on the size, age, architecture and other attributes of your home and depending on how the home is used (lifestyle factors).

Later I’ll share some tips on Maintaining Proper Indoor Moisture Levels, Filtration, Equipment Maintenance, IAQ/Mold Testing Remediation and Sanitization, Other IAQ Testing and lastly Other Lifestyle Practice Improvements.

New Carpet Odors and Health

Can chemicals coming from new carpets affect your health?  I strongly encourage you to check out this video by Dr. Doris Rapp showing the effects that new carpet can have on health. I think you will be surprised at the magnitude of effect. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=aBSGj28NCp8

There are safer choices, and there are risky choices.  Please do some homework and make a flooring decision that will not be a health issue for you and your family. 

If you already have chemical laden items in your house, one option is to consider upgrading materials (possibly moving from carpet to hardwood floors, as an example). Another viable option is to increase ventilation to get contaminated air out and more fresh air in.  And finally, you can install active air purification to break-down/destroy complex, toxic chemicals.  There are a number of great technologies to assist with that, among them products by GreenTech Environmental, Vollara, RGF Environmental, and Best Living Systems.  We can guide you if you have questions in these areas.

If you are not familiar with Dr Rapp’s work, I suggest you visit her website, and/or subscribe to her YouTube channel.  You can find helpful information at my website too: www.WisconsinMoldTestng.com

 

Seedling Damping-off and Air Purifiers

I have a theory and wonder if there have been any studies to verify it. I also wonder if there is anecdotal evidence other than my own experience to back the theory. When starting vegetables from seed, many gardeners get excited to see the thriving, lively seedlings emerge and grow, only to be suddenly disheartened when damping-off brings an early death to the seedlings.

 Phtophthora, Pythium and other fungi can be a problem for emerging plants, and there are a number of approaches gardeners use to address the problem: heating the soil before planting, extra care in selecting seed plant depth, limiting cross contamination from gardening tools, improving air circulation around plants and use of chemical fungicides. I am sure other techniques are employed as well. I wonder if using a hydroxyl generating air purifier would consistently provide significant protection.

Hydroxyls generated by several air purifiers have been proven in university studies to be highly effective against molds, virus, and bacteria on surfaces. Since we began using several hydroxyl generating air purifiers in our home, I don’t ever recall having problems with damping-off when we have started our garden seedlings in the house. I believe there is a causal relationship there.

It seems logically that the seedlings would have a better environment and be less at risk for damping-off with hydroxyl-based air purifiers on the job, addressing the fungi on and just below the soil surface. My personal experience, too, seems to suggest seedling benefits.

Do you have an air purifier in your home that improves indoor air quality by generating hydroxyls, such as those manufactured by Green Tech Environmental or Vollara (EcoQuest)? If so, do you start seeds indoors? Have you had damping-off problems, or not? I’d appreciate hearing your experience.

 

Springtime Allergies – Ugh!

It sure is great to open the windows now and let the fresh air in.  But many people find that an unfortunate catch-22.  They do bring a pleasant freshness into their homes, but for those that suffer seasonal allergies, it can bring problematic allergens as well.  Spring can be a difficult challenge for many.

The increased temperatures are a welcome change after a long cold winter, but the changing season also brings about pollen from trees, grasses and flowers.  That pollen can be a source of distress to many allergy sufferers.  We often think of our homes as a retreat, a place of refuge, but with the windows wide open, that might not be the case when it comes to allergies.

Like many problems in life, there is often no silver bullet, no single solution that completely eliminates the problem on its own.  I encourage you to take a multifaceted approach to dealing with spring allergies.  There are a number of things you can do to help with the problem.  There are certainly things you can do in and to your body that can better enable your body to deal with the allergens and to reduce unpleasant allergy symptoms.  I know many people, for example, that are able to enjoy springtime much more with Chiropractic care.  There are also things you can do to your indoor environment to greatly minimize your body’s exposure to the problematic allergens.

In our home we have high tech assistance from GreenTech Environmental and from Vollara, and it sure does make a positive difference.  With “active”, non-filtering air purification technologies, we are able to clean up the air throughout the house AND still get fresh air in though the windows.

Here are a few additional ideas for helping keep allergens out of your indoor air:

• Do not wear your outdoors jacket/coat in the house.
• Remove shoes when entering the house.
• When practical, have a set of outdoor chore or sport clothes that are not worn in the house.
• Use a true-HEPA vacuum when vacuuming the floors.
• As your pet spends more time outdoors, keep him/her clean and well groomed.
• Keep window areas clean of dust and mold.  I recommend enzyme-based cleaners.
• Keep curtains and blinds clean.

And of course, do not complicate the job your immune system has with exposure to chemical-laden cleaning products.  Rather, use natural, safe cleaning products.  Several good commercial sources are available and many effective cleaning solutions can be prepared in your own home.

I hope your spring is allergy-free!