Keeping Your Home Healthy Archives

April 18, 2013 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Tips to Maintain a Healthy and Safe Home

Maintaining a healthy and safe home should be everyone’s goal. Just as the proper function of a home involves the interaction of numerous systems, there are many factors that must be addressed to ensure your home provides as healthy and safe an environment as possible. Here are just a few items of the many items to consider.

Order a radon testing kit for your home. January was National Safety Radon Month but it is certainly never too late to test your home for radon. Even if you tested your home several years ago or a recent test of a neighbor’s home did not indicate a concern, it does not mean that present conditions in your own home are the same. House renovations, energy retrofits, and weatherization projects can all contribute to changes in radon levels. The only way to find out if radon levels are elevated beyond the recommended action point is to test for it. Experts estimate that radon causes more than 20,000 deaths from lung cancer each year. Contact your local HouseMaster office to arrange a radon measurement test.
Make your home smoke and particulate free. Never let anyone smoke in or near your home – especially if someone in your family is pregnant, has asthma or other respiratory issues. But it is not just cigarette smoke that can create a health hazard. Poorly vented fireplaces, excessive candle burning, the overuse of aerosols and products advertised to “clean” the air all add potentially harmful particulates. If you are not concerned about your own health, realize that parents control 90% of their children’s exposure to secondhand smoke and other airborne hazards.
Check for fall hazards. Do a 3-minute “clean sweep” of your house, particularly the stairs and hallways – and especially if children or older friends or relatives spend time in your home. Regularly pick up clothes, shoes, bags, and any other clutter and clear it out of the way so it won’t cause falls. Make sure guard rails and hand rails are present and securely attached. Accidents on stairs are a leading cause of a significant number of accidents in homes. Falls, particularly on stairs, are the leading cause of injury-related deaths for adults over age 65.
Test your smoke alarms. If they aren’t working and you are unable to replace the battery or otherwise get them working properly again, don’t delay. Call a friend, relative, professional electrician or your local fire department and ask for help right away. Don’t let one night go by without protection. Having working smoke alarms in your home cuts your risk of dying in a fire in half.
Program your phone for poison control. It is estimated that everyday more than 300 children under age 20 are treated in emergency departments for poisonings from product found in the home. In the event of suspected poisoning emergency medical assistance should be called for immediately. However, contacting a poison control center may help provide helpful information related to the particular incident (or piece of mind) while waiting for help to arrive. In the U.S. nationwide assistance is available at 1-800-222-1222. In Canada, there are Provincial Poison Control Centers that can be contacted for local information.

Also visit the websites of the U.S. Healthy Home Program and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for more tips on maintaining a healthy and safe home, including topics like lead-based paints, mold, radon gas, asbestos containing materials, carbon monoxide, household pests, senior safety and childproofing.

Note: These tips are only general guidelines. Since each situation is different, contact a professional if you have questions about a specific issue. More home safety and maintenance information is available online at www.housemaster.com.

P.S. Spring is just around the corner! It is never too early to start your home search or get your home ready for the Spring market. This past year was the busiest year we had in home sales in 5 years. This year could be even better! There are large numbers of homes at below-market prices & the Interest rates are hovering around 3.5%! Contact me for details today!

March 12, 2013 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Tips for Correcting Smokey Fireplaces

Even though we've made it to March, we're likely to keep using our fireplaces for a few more months! So here are some tips to help prevent a smokey fireplace

Any number of conditions can contribute to smoking problems in a wood-burning fireplace. In some cases, cleaning or some relatively simple measures may improve conditions. In other cases, further evaluation and extensive repairs may be necessary.

The first step in most cases is to arrange for an inspection or cleaning of the chimney flue. A certified chimney sweep is usually the appropriate professional person to contact for chimney cleaning or investigation of fireplace or chimney problems. Many sweeps now have equipment to take a video of the chimney flue so that you can see exactly what problems may truly lie within the flue, as well as to confirm if it was cleaned properly.

Here are some possible practical solutions to aggravating smoke problems:

Raise the hearth. A fireplace opening that is too large compared to the opening of the chimney flue can lead to poor drafting (the movement of the gases that result from the burning wood up the chimney). By building up the base of the fireplace, the opening will be decreased. To experiment with this approach, a sheet metal hearth can be supported on bricks placed on the existing hearth. If this change improves the draft, the hearth can be raised using firebrick masonry. The hearth extension can also be built up to the same level.
Add a canopy hood. An experimental model of a canopy hood can be made of sheet metal and temporarily attached over the top of the fireplace opening. Try various designs and sizes. If the hood works well, a permanent metal hood can be installed.
Extend the chimney. The higher the chimney, the better the draft. A good draft is usually provided by a chimney which is 20 feet or more higher than the hearth. If the existing chimney is short a good draft may just not be able to develop. One or more metal chimney sections can be temporarily installed on top of an existing chimney to test whether the draft is improved before a more permanent (and expensive) fix is tried.
Trim surrounding trees. Wavering smoke patterns above the chimney may indicate that tall trees are causing a downdraft (air forced down the chimney by the wind). The surrounding trees should be trimmed and/or the chimney flue height extended to prevent this condition.
Add a chimney cap or flueguard. If a downdraft appears to affect the exhaust gases, adding a chimney cap or flueguard of metal or stone may help deflect the air before it entering the chimney.

These suggestions for correcting smoking fireplace conditions may be only the first step in some situations. If there are major fireplace deficiencies or the chimney is deteriorated, more drastic measures will be needed. The only practical options in severe cases may be to rebuild the fireplace and/or chimney. A less expensive option would be to retrofit a masonry fireplace or chimney with a gas-fired fireplace coupled with a new metal flue inside the defective chimney – or to use an electric fireplace and seal off the old chimney. Simply maintaining a small fire may help as well.

Note: These tips are only general guidelines. Since each situation is different, contact a professional if you have questions about a specific issue. More home safety and maintenance information is available online at www.housemaster.com.

October 4, 2012 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

The Pros and Cons of Air Duct Cleaning

How do you know if you need to have your air ducts cleaned? You may be attracted to advertisements promoting duct cleaning, but before you hire someone to do the dirty work, consider the pros and cons. Here’s some valuable information on air duct cleaning from HouseMaster:

According to the (NADCA), National Air Duct Cleaners Association, a professional association based in Washington, D.C., air duct cleaning is a buyer-beware service. Some companies promoting duct cleaning may be either bait and switch operations or companies that do inferior jobs with unprofessional equipment.

Any professional cleaner would question a company that would employ only shop-vac sized machines with a single 2-inch hose. To do a good job, powerful machines mounted in specially equipped vehicles with varying types of hoses and attachments will be needed in most cases to adequately reach all duct areas.

But even if the technician is prepared, the above information begs the question: “Is air duct cleaning really worthwhile?” You can check some of your own ducts with a mirror and a flashlight. Unscrew several of your wall or floor vents and, using your mirror, look into the ducts.

If there aren’t any large deposits of dust, dirt or mold, or if no one in your home suffers allergies or asthma, having air ducts cleaned is probably unnecessary, according to advice provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Also, just because you have dirty return grilles doesn’t mean you have dirty ducts. It’s normal for dust-laden air to be pulled through the grates leaving telltale black streaks that can often be easily vacuumed or cleaned at the return.

The NADCA notes that ducts are more likely to need cleaning under the following circumstances:

The home has been remodeled.
Water has damaged the home.
There are four-leg pets.
Someone smokes.
Your carpeting is old.

According to industry experts, in cases where there are truly dirty ducts in a 2,000-square foot house, duct cleaners may fill three grocery sacks with dirt and debris. Expect to pay $250-500 for a typical home’s duct cleaning by a qualified professional. Larger homes with a more extensive duct system will cost proportionately more.

If duct cleaning is done improperly, or needlessly, the outcome can do more harm than good. Disturbing a basically intact and inert dust layer and then not removing the residue creates air borne contaminants that might not otherwise have been a problem. Homeowners should seek the advice and information on the pros and cons of duct cleaning before hiring a contractor.

The EPA advises that a professional cleaning should include:

Opening duct access points to allow the entire system to be inspected and cleaned.
Use of only high-efficiency particle (HEPA) air vacuuming equipment.
Protection of the carpeting and household furnishings during cleaning.
Use of well-controlled brushing equipment with powerful vacuums to dislodge dust and other particles.
Taking care to protect ductwork including sealing and re-insulating any access holes.

For more information on duct cleaning visit the EPA website: www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html

Remember, these tips are only general guidelines. Since each situation is different, contact a professional if you have questions about a specific issue.

If you are thinking about buying and selling a home in St. Charles, working with a Real Estate expert can help you make your home a safe and clean home. Sandra Meranda specializes in the St. Charles and St. Louis county home markets. Contact me for help with finding or selling your home.

November 3, 2011 by changescapeweb Leave a Comment

Tips for Keeping Your Home Healthy

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Maintaining a healthy home is critical for your family’s welfare – especially now as the weather in St. Louis and St. Charles cools and you begin to spend more time indoors. Applying a few simple solutions now will ensure your indoor living environment is safe and healthy for seasons to come.

Reduce toxins

Less desirable weather may make fall and winter seem like an ideal time to tackle your indoor painting projects. However, you need to be mindful of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) found in many interior paints and finishes. VOCs are one of the biggest threats to indoor air quality; they include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have both short- and long-term health effects. For indoor jobs, select paint with low or no VOCs to keep your air fresher. Additionally, some houseplants such as ivy and gerbera daisies can help to naturally remove VOCs from your indoor air.

Clean your indoor air

Ragweed and pollen will trigger allergy symptoms for millions of people this fall; however, the worst allergy triggers are often found inside the home. Installing a whole-home air filtration system can help to remove indoor allergens including dust, mildew, pet dander and pollen from the air you breathe. For example, the AccuClean (TM) System by American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning removes up to 99.98 percent of the allergens from your filtered air, so even if it’s allergy season outdoors, your indoor air is crisp and clean.

Prevent mold

During the cooler fall and winter months, people tend to seal up their homes and spend more time inside, which traps moisture and humidity – both significant contributors to indoor mold growth. Maintain healthy indoor humidity levels by venting bathrooms and clothes dryers and using an exhaust fan while cooking. Install an air humidifier to provide year-round control of your indoor moisture level, and keep your home at 50 percent humidity or lower to reduce the chance for mold growth.

Watch out for CO

Protect your indoor living environment from carbon monoxide or CO by installing CO detectors or alarms throughout your home. This fall, make sure your home’s heating system, including items such as a furnace or heat pump, vents and chimney, are inspected and serviced by a professional contractor. And, if there is a fireplace in your home, open the damper before lighting a fire to help prevent the buildup of potentially poisonous gases inside of your home.

Keep a seasonal routine

Most homeowners already know it’s important to test their smoke alarms on a monthly basis, but how often do you change the alarm’s batteries? One way to keep track of alarm maintenance is to make battery changing a seasonal activity. For example, beginning this fall, replace the batteries in your smoke alarms (and CO detectors), every time you reset your clocks.

By taking these simple steps now, you’ll create a safer and healthier home, allowing your family to relax and enjoy all the delights the St. Louis fall season has to offer – both outdoors and indoors.

Used with permission courtesy of Dan Main

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