Does Your Home Make The Grade? Improve Your Home's Indoor Air Quality

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Indoor Air Quality And Overall Clean Factor (NAPSA)—Here’s the inside scoop on indoor air quality: It’s a hot topic these days because the levels of air pollutants indoors can be two to five times higher than outdoors. You can improve your indoorair by following a few tips. Clean Underfoot Avoid carpeting that absorbs much of the roughly three pounds of dirt, dust and allergens the average family tracks into its home each week. Instead, select hard floor surfaces—such as hardwood, tile or laminate flooring— that don’t hold in allergens and can be cleaned easily and often with either a vacuum or mop. Keep Furniture and WindowsDust-free Dust and dirt may not always be visible on furniture but they’re there. Leather and vinyl furniture is easier to clean than upholstered fabrics because it can be wiped of dust and dirt with a dampcloth. If you do have upholstered furniture, consider slipcovers that can be machine washed or dry-cleaned several times a year and be sure cushions are removablefor cleaning. Curtains, blinds and window shades trap more than just incoming light. Take them down and wash them several times a year in the bathtub or outdoors with a garden hose and vacuum between deep-cleanings. Wood blinds and shutters as well as vinyl styles are easier to clean than most fabric styles. Filter the Air HEPAair filters can be the best way to removeairborneallergens and other particles from the air in your home. HEPA, which stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Air, is an air filter that captures 99.97 percent of dust, allergens and other small particles. A HEPA fil- ter in your heating or cooling system can reduceindoorair pollution by up to 50 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s studies on energyefficiency and renewable energy. As long as your central air system is operating,all of your home’s air will circulate through this filter, but don’t forget to clean or change the filter monthly to keepit effective. Have the Right Tools Use a vacuum with a sealed HEPAfiltration system to keep 99.97 percent of dust, dirt and allergens locked inside and out of the home, such as the Eureka Capture+™ vacuum. To add an allergist recommendation to your vacuum, use Arm & Hammer premium vacuum bags, which reduce allergy triggers in the home by retaining up to 100 percent of dust mite debris, household fibers, grass and ragweed pollens, plus particles 15 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. These bags also use the power of baking soda to eliminate odors and keep air smelling fresh. For more great suggestions on how to improve indoor air quality and tips from an allergist on reducing allergens in the home, visit www.GoodCleanAir.net.

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