Create a Healthier Home for about $436
A Healthier Home for $436!Upgrade your Air-Filter for about $60!
3 filter changes/year @ $20 per filter
Use high-efficiency air filters rather than the standard fiberglass cheapie. A high-efficiency filter can capture up to 30-times more smoke, pollen, pet dander and other pollutants. The typical 1-inch thick filter lasts for 3 months, but since we don't heat our homes year round we can skip a filter change unless you have central-air. You might even run across the newer 4-inch thick filters that last an entire year!
Pay Attention to Water and Humidity for about $201
Plastic washers for less than $1 & typical dehumidifier for $200
It's a pain, but an easy fix for just about anyone. Fix those water leaks and drips throughout the home to discourage mold growth! Also invest in a dehumidifier to make sure that humidity levels stay low throughout the year. High humidity promotes mold growth too.
Use your Exhaust Fan for about $25
Wall timer-switch for $25-35
Kitchens and baths contribute large amounts of water vapor to your indoor airspace. Consider installing a wall timer switch for your bathroom exhaust fan. You'll use it more when you can set-it-and-forget-it . Don't forget to use the exhaust fan in your kitchen whenever you're cooking. Even when you're not making a smoky dinner, you're likely making lots of humidity that can be whisked away by your kitchen fan.
Keep your Home Clean for FREE
Put your kids to work
You might not be that amazed to know that getting rid of household clutter and vacuuming weekly prevents harmful particles from building up in your home. Pay special attention to your kitchen and your bath since these are the two areas of your home that mold, bacteria, and mildew thrive in. Clutter also gives pests places to hide. Overflowing waste-baskets, piles of school-papers, and heaps of clothes are potential fire-hazards as well.
Rip out your Carpeting
Especially if your family members have dust allergies or asthma, installing tile flooring or hardwood floors are easier to cleanup and don't trap pollutants and allergens or serve as a breeding ground for bacteria. Use an area rug instead, they're much easier to clean and can even be washed at your local dry-cleaners.
Check your Gas Appliances for about $150
Once a year, have your gas appliances (stove, water-heater, and furnace) professionally examined and cleaned. Routinely check your gas burners to ensure that they burn with a blue flame and make sure that all your pilot lights are lit.
Quit Smoking
Even though you've heard it before, indoor smoke does cause health problems for others, especially in children. Ask smokers to smoke outside or at the very least in a well-ventilated, out-of-the-way room of the house.
Promote Good Ventilation for FREE
Keep the doors to your rooms open to promote airflow within your house and use your ceiling fans. Open your windows at night when the weather permits. This not only allows fresh outside air to enter the home but it will keep your house cooler during the summer months and help save on your air-conditioning budget. If considering an air-purifier, stay away from ozone-generating (ionizer) air cleaners and opt for a HEPA air-filter, newer air-purifiers now feature an ultra-violet sterilization light as an added bonus.
3 filter changes/year @ $20 per filter
Use high-efficiency air filters rather than the standard fiberglass cheapie. A high-efficiency filter can capture up to 30-times more smoke, pollen, pet dander and other pollutants. The typical 1-inch thick filter lasts for 3 months, but since we don't heat our homes year round we can skip a filter change unless you have central-air. You might even run across the newer 4-inch thick filters that last an entire year!
Pay Attention to Water and Humidity for about $201
Plastic washers for less than $1 & typical dehumidifier for $200
It's a pain, but an easy fix for just about anyone. Fix those water leaks and drips throughout the home to discourage mold growth! Also invest in a dehumidifier to make sure that humidity levels stay low throughout the year. High humidity promotes mold growth too.
Use your Exhaust Fan for about $25
Wall timer-switch for $25-35
Kitchens and baths contribute large amounts of water vapor to your indoor airspace. Consider installing a wall timer switch for your bathroom exhaust fan. You'll use it more when you can set-it-and-forget-it . Don't forget to use the exhaust fan in your kitchen whenever you're cooking. Even when you're not making a smoky dinner, you're likely making lots of humidity that can be whisked away by your kitchen fan.
Keep your Home Clean for FREE
Put your kids to work
You might not be that amazed to know that getting rid of household clutter and vacuuming weekly prevents harmful particles from building up in your home. Pay special attention to your kitchen and your bath since these are the two areas of your home that mold, bacteria, and mildew thrive in. Clutter also gives pests places to hide. Overflowing waste-baskets, piles of school-papers, and heaps of clothes are potential fire-hazards as well.
Rip out your Carpeting
Especially if your family members have dust allergies or asthma, installing tile flooring or hardwood floors are easier to cleanup and don't trap pollutants and allergens or serve as a breeding ground for bacteria. Use an area rug instead, they're much easier to clean and can even be washed at your local dry-cleaners.
Check your Gas Appliances for about $150
Once a year, have your gas appliances (stove, water-heater, and furnace) professionally examined and cleaned. Routinely check your gas burners to ensure that they burn with a blue flame and make sure that all your pilot lights are lit.
Quit Smoking
Even though you've heard it before, indoor smoke does cause health problems for others, especially in children. Ask smokers to smoke outside or at the very least in a well-ventilated, out-of-the-way room of the house.
Promote Good Ventilation for FREE
Keep the doors to your rooms open to promote airflow within your house and use your ceiling fans. Open your windows at night when the weather permits. This not only allows fresh outside air to enter the home but it will keep your house cooler during the summer months and help save on your air-conditioning budget. If considering an air-purifier, stay away from ozone-generating (ionizer) air cleaners and opt for a HEPA air-filter, newer air-purifiers now feature an ultra-violet sterilization light as an added bonus.
