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Mold, Mildew or Musty Odors Solutions

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Mold, mildew or musty odors

Diagnosis:

healthy-homeA water leak or high humidity can lead to mold, mildew, or other biological growth. Depending on the severity, conditions can lead to rot, structural damage, premature paint failure, and a variety of health problems. Water can seep into your house from the outside through a leak in your roof, foundation, or small gaps around windows or doors. Water can also come from inside your house from a leaking water pipe, toilet, shower or bathtub. High indoor humidity caused by normal activities of everyday living such as showering, cooking, and drying clothes, can also be a source of mold, mildew or musty odors. Indoor humidity levels between 30% and 50% are ideal. For more information consult EPA’s Brief Guide to Mold in your home.

Prescription Checklist:

Where does the problem occur? Attic? Basement? Below a bathroom? Ceiling? Where the problem occurs can lead to what is causing the problem. If the problem is localized (a spot on the ceiling, wall or corner) it is possibly caused by a water leak. If the problem is in a large area like a whole wall, room or basement then it might be caused by high humidity.
Stop water leaks immediately to minimize the potential mold growth.

* If a leak is the source of your problem, have it fixed first.
* If the leak is in your roof hire a roofing contractor to repair the leak.
* If the leak is from a water pipe, toilet, bathtub or shower, hire a plumber to repair the leak.
* If the leak has caused substantial water damage or mold you will want to hire a contractor who specializes in mold remediation and water damage repairs.
* After repairing the water leak, dry out the area completely.

Reducing indoor humidity

* Do you have a crawlspace under your house? A dirt floor in a crawlspace should be covered with plastic (vapor barrier) to prevent moisture from the soil increasing humidity levels in your home. If there is standing water or the soil is wet, dry it out with fans before covering the floor.
* Use ventilation fans in kitchens and baths to control moisture. Check to make sure ventilation fans venting directly outside. In some cases the vent fan may have been installed to vent into the attic or become disconnected or blocked.
* Your clothes dryer should be vented directly to the outside. Inspect the vent duct. Make sure it is attached securely to the dryer. Check that it is clear of obstructions (e.g. lint). Check for holes that leak air. If vent duct is damaged replace it with a metal duct. The vent duct should be cleaned at least once a year. The Consumer Products Safety Commission additional safety tips for dryer vents Exit ENERGY STAR.
* Keep air conditioning drip pans clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly.
* Ask a heating and cooling contractor to check your heating and cooling system to make sure it is sized and operating properly to remove humidity. If you system is too big or the airflow incorrect your air conditioner will not remove humidity like it should. Also, ask the contractor to check your duct system for air leaks, and proper size and air flow to each room.
* Sealing air leaks (Home Sealing) and sealing duct air leaks can help to prevent high humidity levels in your home.

Filed Under: Healthy Home, Healthy Home Featured, Mold Tagged With: , , ,

Tips For Home Investment – List of Green Features For Remarkable Homes

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The massive impact of an ailing environment is already manifesting in many pressing issues and dilemmas the world is facing today. Global warming, climate change, air pollution, flood and the like are just few of the problems rooted from the destruction of the ecology. For home buyers and owners, there are viable alternatives for you to contribute in the protection of the environment through opting for green features incorporated in the design, renovation and construction of your home.

There are Eco-friendly or green means and approach you can use in order to assure that your activity and investment is making the most minimal impact on your surroundings. So what exactly are some green features to look for and utilize in a home?

One of the topmost alternatives for green houses is energy efficiency which is basically manifested in choosing efficient household appliances, high efficiency water heating system, air sealing and extra insulation and advanced framing technique.

Advanced framing and extra insulation is known to reduce the construction costs hence increase energy savings through minimizing lumber demands and production. Through proper water heating system, you also cut off the pipeline energy loss. Choosing household appliances and equipment especially with the labels that meet energy efficiency criteria helps you reduce the initial costs of your appliances as well as your electricity bills.

Ensuring the indoor air quality of your home is another viable feature of an Eco-friendly home. You can do this through the right choice on your carpet, ventilation and paints. It is important to choose carpets with less allergen-attracting components and low-pile features in order to improve the quality of air in your home interior. Use low-toxic and low-VOC paints and make sure that your home is well-ventilated to avoid potential air quality hazards. You can use quiet and automatic electric fans or through heat recovery ventilators.

Lastly, it is of utmost value and importance that you deliberately use materials and equipment for your home project that is amenable in conserving natural resources. For instance you may opt for plastic lumber, engineered wood, brick and fiber cement siding. Plastic lumber materials are actually preferred as reliable construction materials for houses and buildings. This is a good alternative in building benches, decking, docks and fences among others. For engineered wood, a good example is laminated veneer lumber that composes of raw materials with superior performance quality which are equally viable options to traditional items used.

Most importantly, consider recycled building materials which are still of high quality without the hefty price tags. It is also making sure that the demand for construction materials is reduced which eventually means that you are also lessening the demand for the production of needed items from the environment particularly trees.

Green alternatives and features are naturally integrated in modern day houses and establishment due to its incomparable benefits to both home owners and the ecology. Educate yourself of the different green choices you have which are advantageous in your investment as well as sound and wise choices to nature.

Filed Under: Green Homes, Healthy Home Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

What Every Parent Needs To Know About Asthma

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There are around seven million children in the US alone who have asthma. Shockingly, over one million of these children are less than five years old! Asthma can cause children to miss school and have a serious negative impact on health. The symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing and a sensation of tightness in the chest.

Asthma attacks can vary greatly in terms of their severity. Parents can get valuable information from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program, which provides asthma guidelines and works to help parents and children cope with asthma.

These asthma guidelines are used by physicians in managing childhood asthma. The exact treatment used will depend on the severity of the asthma attacks in the child; doctors also monitor the children’s progress in controlling their symptoms using prescription medications.

If the child in question starts to improve, the physician may begin lowering the dosage of their asthma medication in the interests of being able to take the child off of medication. However, if the child’s symptoms become more severe, than either an increase in the dosage or a change of medication is called for.

The asthma guidelines set out goals for the treatment of childhood asthma. If the course of treatment is not successful in meeting these goals, then the physician will adjust the regimen of treatment. One of the things which the doctor will look for is if your child’s asthma is preventing them from attending school or playing with their peers.

Your physician will also monitor the child to see if he or she is experiencing any side effects from their asthma medication, particularly in the first few days after beginning the medication. They will also use this initial period to gauge how well the medication is suppressing asthma attacks.

There are different classifications of childhood asthma laid out in the asthma guidelines. One classification is mild intermittent, meaning that the child has symptoms no more than twice a week. The next most serious classification is mild persistent, where the child displays symptoms more than twice a week, perhaps daily.

The next classification is moderate persistent, meaning that there are daily symptoms and the highest level is severe persistent. This classification indicates daily and nightly symptoms of asthma. If your child suffers from asthma, you should discuss their health and the asthma classifications with your physician.

Filed Under: Asthma and Allergies Tagged With: ,

Cork Flooring – One Green Option For Your Home

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healthy-homesChoosing the right floor is an important part of putting together a green home. It’s about more than just picking a floor that’s produced in a sustainable, responsible manner. You also need to pay attention to how your body reacts to the floors you walk and stand on. There are lots of options out there, but not all of them are healthy and good for use, as well as for the environment. Cork flooring is one option that’s both ecologically friendly and inviting.

Conventional flooring products are neither attractive, or eco-friendly. Most of them are also bad for our health. For instance – the majority of floor covering in the US is nylon carpet. This substance wears badly, and tends to off gas volatile organic compounds, which are hazardous to our health. Once nylon carpet is removed from a home, it’s disposed of in a landfill, since it’s not biodegradable.

Vinyl flooring, such as you’ll see in many bathrooms and kitchens, has similar problems. Phthalates found in this material have been blamed for problems in child development. Synthetic laminate woods aren’t much better. While they use recycled lumber waste, this mostly goes into them in the form of fiber board, a short lived product that contains a lot of formaldehyde. Hardwood floors are healthier and fully natural, but may not have been produced sustainably. You should also pay attention to the finish that’s used on any hardwood floors – most are petroleum based and bad for air quality.

Cork as a flooring is solid, sustainable, and long lasting. This material comes from the bark of the Mediterranean cork oak, harvested by hand about once every ten years. Cork grows back without harming the tree, and the tree itself can live for over two centuries. That makes cork one of the greenest possible options, since even the excess material gets used in bottle corks. You can get different colors and textures, depending on how the cork has been treated, and the material is naturally resistant to insect damage, moisture, and fire.

Cork also has many insulating problems, both for heat and sound. It’s gentle to walk on, sparing your back, knees, and feet. Just remember to pay attention to how your cork floor has been installed. Some urethane finishes may contain VOCs, much like other petroleum based products. Wax is a safer option, but it’s less durable. For cork, installation in a glue less tongue and groove style is recommended.

Since cork is a hypo allergenic material, it’s good for use in playrooms and kids’ bedrooms, as well as for people who suffer from allergies to other materials. Remember that cork isn’t a permanent type of flooring. It can be scratched, and needs to be replaced after about ten years. High traffic areas will wear faster, and lower traffic ones may last longer. Resealing your cork floor may also be necessary, but a well sealed floor can be mopped or cleaned with gentle, non abrasive cleansers.

Filed Under: Green Homes, Healthy Home, Healthy Home Featured Tagged With: , , , ,

A Sustainable House Makes Good Sense!

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A sustainable house is one which is ideally built without the use of building materials containing toxic, allergenic ingredients. A synthetic house is therefore a safer and healthier environment for your entire family and is less likely to cause allergic reactions than are homes built using conventional methods and materials.

A Sustainable House is Healthy:

A sustainable house has a smaller environmental impact and has a much higher level of air quality than do homes built with synthetic materials. A lot of furniture and building materials include the known carcinogen formaldehyde, which also can cause skin irritation and respiratory problems. A lot of fabrics (including upholstery) and plywood products contain this deadly chemical.

A sustainable house is made with organic products and has furniture made with non-toxic treatments and organic fabrics. In the last 30 years, asthma has more than doubled in most countries, which is largely due to the way that our homes are built and furnished. The result is that the air quality in our own homes is in many cases as much as 100 times more toxic than the air outside – even if you live in an area which is polluted.

A Sustainable House is Energy Efficient and Saves You Money:

The more recent models of appliances, water heaters and HVAC systems are much more energy efficient than are their older counterparts. Using as much as 80% less energy than incandescent bulbs, compact fluorescent bulbs are becoming very popular as a way to save on energy costs and reduce the environmental impact of one’s home. Many homeowners are also choosing to install programmable thermostats and seal windows and doors as a energy saving measure.

There are other easy steps you can take towards making your home a sustainable house such as installing low flow showerheads, insulating your water heater and making a habit of changing your furnace filters regularly. Insulating your attic well can also reduce your energy usage – and your energy bills!

A Sustainable House Uses Green Products:

People are increasingly interested in green building and there are more choices than ever before when it comes to green building materials. Non-toxic paints and finishes are widely available, as are sustainably harvested woods – bamboo flooring is particularly popular. For those who prefer carpet, there are wool carpets and even carpet which is manufactured from recycled materials.

A Sustainable House Uses Solar Energy For Additional Light And Heating:

You can make your house more of a sustainable house by taking advantage of solar energy. Even without installing solar panels on your home, you can use skylights and windows to increase the amount o flight and heat which come into your home.

Installing tinting on your windows in the warmer months can also reduce your cooling costs. You can find organic window treatments which can keep energy costs down and make your house a sustainable house.

There are simple steps you can take to make your house a more sustainable house and save a lot of money on your energy bills in the bargain, even as you help to protect the environment.

Filed Under: Energy Efficient, Green Homes, Healthy Home Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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