Duct cleaning is an important part of removing dust and debris from the forced air distribution ducting in homes. The routine maintenance for duct cleaning can vary from 3-4 years to as long as 10-15 years....

Bill

April 11, 2019

During the night your brain goes through wave cycles, which flush the chemicals you’re exposed to in the day. Your immune system wants to reset itself...

Joe

July 8, 2019

Even as a doctor and a mother, the thought that a home could make my family sick was not on my radar screen in 2008, when we bought our dream home by the beach in California...

Adriana

March 27, 2019

Dishwashers “clean” with high water temperatures and heat during drying cycles which can result in temperatures of 160º or more. The heat causes any pollutants or VOCs present to vaporize and get released into your home as steam. Visible steam usually dissipates a few inches from the dishwasher, but the invisible VOCs travel throughout your home...

Dana

April 1, 2019

Tidying is having a(nother) moment right now in part due to Marie Kondo’s new show on Netflix. The new show has pushed people to reconsider their tidying habits...

Dana

August 2, 2019

The first step in choosing a vacuum is to identify your personal needs. What kind of flooring or carpet do you have? What is the age of your carpet?...

Dana

March 25, 2019

Cold, stormy days may keep the family indoors – sometimes even without power! While it may be a great day to catch up on projects while the kids (and pets) play, it is also the kind of day when we hunker down with closed windows. When we start to not feel well, we blame it on the changing weather...

Dana

January 21, 2019

It comes as a surprise to most people that the air inside their home isn’t always “fresh air.” The air inside your home is a concentrated mixture of what is outside of your home (including pollution and pollen) plus what comes up from your basement or crawlspace, through your heating/cooling systems, and through all the hidden cracks and crevices....

Carl

March 26, 2019

While it is true that you can see some dust – like chunks of sawdust (90 microns) and barely visible house dust (20 microns) – more than 98% of all dust in the air is much smaller...

Carl

March 28, 2019

While changing your filter 3-4 times a year is typically sufficient, you may need to change more frequently if you are in an area that has poor air quality – such as areas impacted by a wildfire...

Joe

July 22, 2019

The "new construction smell" you are asking about is the combination of the entire mixture of chemicals "evaporating" from new paint, sealants, flooring, sheetrock, wood, and other building materials. They are properly called VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds...

Carl

March 15, 2019

Most articles about air pollution and health focus on conditions in third world countries, where people cook by burning wood or animal dung over an open flame, creating heavy smoke inside their homes with too little ventilation. In other words, we...

Carl

June 6, 2018

Cold, stormy days may keep the family indoors – sometimes even without power! While it may be a great day to catch up on projects while the kids (and pets) play, it is also the kind of day when we hunker down with closed windows. When we start to not feel well, we blame it on the changing weather...

Carl

March 21, 2019

In many parts of the United States, wildfires can cause widespread damage and impact health. The smoky and ashy conditions during wildfires, and the windy conditions after wildfires, pose health risks for everyone, especially for children, older adults, and...

Dana

September 30, 2019

A 2016 research study from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University explored healthy home concerns and behaviors among American homeowners and renters. One specific topic that they explored was how people discovered issues...

Dana

February 6, 2020

In the wake of disasters, people who lose electricity often turn to fuel-powered devices to cool or heat their homes or cook their food. While having a generator can be a great help while power is out, gas-powered generators need to be used safely...

Dana

September 20, 2019

Here is what clean should really smell like: nothing. Clean does not have a scent! A really clean and healthy home not only has no musty smell from mold or mildew, off-odors from pet hair or accumulated dust, but also no chemical...

Carl

February 6, 2020

Yesterday we mentioned research by the Joint Center for Housing Studies (2016) that explored what caused people to think that something in their home was making them sick. That same study also explored healthy home concerns and behaviors...

Dana

February 6, 2020

While some green plants may help you breathe easier by making your space a little cheerier, they do nothing to mitigate poor air quality and the unintended side effects of some energy-efficient homes like reduced airflow and ventilation...

Dana

November 8, 2019