| Keep your indoor air fresh We
all know the importance of keeping our homes clean, by dusting, scrubbing and all that
not-so-fun stuff. But you may be forgetting about the air.
Good indoor-air quality is especially important during the cold months, when most of our
time is spent indoors and the influx of fresh air is limited. Lack of attention to indoor
air quality can lead to multiple problems, from warped window sills to health and safety
concerns for you and your family.
Consider the following issues, which may help keep your home's air cleaner and safer:
- Clean your air ducts (recommended once every 10 years). Most air problems center
on a home's furnace. When it blows warm air, it may also be blowing dirt built up in the
duct work. You may not see the dirt, but it's in there. A thorough duct-work cleaning,
which also will improve the efficiency of your furnace and air conditioner, may cost about
$300.
- Change the filter (recommended every three months). It's quick, it's easy, and
it's a sure way to increase furnace efficiency and cut down on air pollutants in your
home.
- Splurge on maintenance checks (recommended annually). Keep your home's gas
furnace, water heater, dryer and fireplace in top condition. When furnaces and other
appliances powered by a flame are not burning properly, they produce carbon monoxide. Low
levels of this poisonous gas can cause headaches, drowsiness, dizziness, nausea and rapid
breathing. Higher levels can lead to coma and death.
- Buy a carbon monoxide detector. There are many types of carbon monoxide detectors
on the market. The experts say a reliable one will cost about $50. These detectors should
not be placed in the furnace room, where they may give off a false reading. The number of
detectors needed depends on the size and layout of your home.
- Keep the humidity level down (between 40 and 60 percent). The level of humidity
in a home can create indoor-air problems. In newer homes, which are built much tighter,
humidity levels can reach unhealthy levels. If your home's windows sweat, with beads of
moisture on the sills, you ve got that problem.
One solution is an air-to-air heat exchanger (average cost about $1,500). This device
forces a portion of the home's warm air outside and replaces it with fresh, outside air
that is warmed by the exchanger to about 80 percent of the home's indoor temperature.
Another solution to high humidity: Open a window. But as the fresh air comes in, the
efficiency of your furnace will literally go right out the window. Expect a higher heating
bill.
This article was adapted from a story by Times Staff Writer Lisa Welsh Becker in the
March 1997 issue of Homes and Outdoor Living. |
