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The Air We Breathe (Part 4) Last edition

By
Home Inspector with JLC Inspections Inc.

GENERAL RULES TO HELP CONTROL THE HOME ENVIRONMENT ( recap of what we have talked about in the past 3 editions)

Controlling the home environment is the key factor of controlling asthma and allergy care as it relates to the home. Some general rules for home control for all members of the family are:

  • Reduce or remove as many asthma and allergy triggers from your home as possible.
  • If possible, use air filters and air conditioners -- and properly maintain them -- to make your home cleaner and more comfortable.
  • Pay attention to the problem of dust mites. Work hard to control this problem in the bedroom.
  • Make sure to keep pets out of bedrooms of asthmatic people.
  • Remove carpet and area rugs whenever possible. ( these are spore traps)

•·         Hire a trained and certified inspector to identify problems in your home. www.jlcinspections.com    www.iaqcouncil.org

  • Fix all water leaks as they happen. I have see a 5 gallon water bottle break and cause a big mold problem. Make sure everything get dried properly.
  • Check under your sinks and behind toilets. Replace old supply lines that may leak and cause moisture issues.
  • Keep a good airflow going through the home whenever possible.
  • Vacuum cleaners with poor filtration and design characteristics release and stir up dust and allergens.

Select a unit with high-efficiency filters such as micro filter or HEPA media, good suction, and sealed construction. Ask for test data from manufacturers to determine the quantity and size of dust particles captured (e.g., 96 % at 1.0 micron or 99.97% at 0.3 micron). Alternately, consider a central vacuum that exhausts particulate outside the home.

Anyone with asthma or allergies may want to avoid vacuuming.

Thanks for reading my Stuff! More to come!

Show All Comments Sort:
Mary Lockman
Windermere Real Estate Methow Valley - Winthrop, WA
Methow Valley Real Estate

Great Post with good info thank you. I can pass on to clients who are very sensitive to this (alot) and apply it to myself as well.  We are doing wood floors throughout our home and no carpets yuckoo who knows what lives in carpets and you are stuck with them for a while once you put them in. 

Feb 03, 2009 07:59 AM
Jack Clausen
JLC Inspections Inc. - Trabuco Canyon, CA

Hi Mary, thanks for the comments. If you have not read parts 1 thru 3 also please do.

Feb 03, 2009 08:25 AM
Calvin Cowles
Cowles Home Inspection Services Inc. - Newnan, GA

Jack,

If you didn't mention radon gas then you missed a big "killer" in many parts of the country.

Just go to www.radongas.org for ststs.

Feb 03, 2009 09:44 AM
Jack Clausen
JLC Inspections Inc. - Trabuco Canyon, CA

Did not miss it. Radon is not an issue in my part of California, but i know it is for you. Thanks

Feb 03, 2009 09:50 AM
Jack Clausen
JLC Inspections Inc. - Trabuco Canyon, CA

HI Calvin Again thanks for the blog. What is the weather like in Georgia. I have a retirement piece of property in North Carolina. Whats the mold business like in Georgia? I may be trying to start up something back in N.C. someday when i get back there. Also about the blog, if you did not read the first three editions to it, it was talking about allergen triggers. As you know Radon is a cancer causing gas, not what i would call an allergen trigger. Anyway take care. 

Feb 03, 2009 10:39 AM