Controlling Air Quality TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-243 -- More Projects » Air-quality expert Mark LaLiberte shows how to easily rid your home of various pollutants.
- Because plants thrive on air pollutants and give off oxygen, keep a plant in each room of your house to help re-circulate the air.
- The first step to ridding your home of pollutants is detecting them. To do this, you need to make sure that you have a carbon-monoxide detector. Keep in mind that these won't do any good unless you check them. Test them and change batteries on the same schedule as the smoke detectors. A carbon-monoxide detector is one way to check for this dangerous gas, but do not rely only on this method.
- Keeping in mind that carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, you may perform a simple test to check the source of fresh air for exhaust-producing appliances (clothes dryer, microwave, kitchen fan, bathroom fan, hair dryer and vacuum cleaner). Begin by powering up each appliance that you feel may be used at one time. Go to the furnace room with an incense stick, lighting it and placing it near the furnace to see if the smoke is drawn up the furnace or if it is pushed back into the space surrounding the furnace. If the smoke is not drawn up the furnace, crack a window to allow the smoke to flow up and out of the furnace.
- One tip-off that your furnace may not be operating properly is checking your laundry after it has dried in the dryer. Sometimes clothes may come out smelling like natural gas or not as fresh as they normally would. Natural gas may be pulled from the furnace and used as the fresh air source for the exhausting dryer. Again, crack a window. If cracking a window does not help, you may have to bring in four-inch piping from the outside into the furnace room to aid in fresh air return and allowing the furnace to run properly. Even during cold months, this may seem contradictory, but remember, carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that is dangerous and if not monitored properly may result in hospitalization or even death.
- One other place to watch for unsuspecting carbon monoxide poisoning is the fireplace. Check to see if the fireplace is venting correctly when the flu is open. Check to see, via incense, if the fireplace is drawing the smoke up and out, rather than pushing the smoke back into the home. To resolve the situation, crack a window. Again, even if it is cold outside, it is necessary to let in fresh air to properly and to safely vent the air.
- Mold is another severe polluter of air quality. Make sure the home is draining properly, that gutters and down spouts are draining away from the home. Remember, the water coming off your home, if not directed away properly, will come right back in. Your foundation will be damp, and if you have a basement, it will become a mold garden where harmful spores could grow and possibly cause health problems.
- Firewood is another producer of mold. Therefore, you want to keep your firewood outside until you are ready to use it. The spores that grow on firewood can contaminate your entire house.
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