Tag Archives: air quality

Carpets


We have a lovely cat named Fuzzy. Fuzzy has been my friend for 13 years and has lovingly been by my side since he was 3 weeks old. Fuzzy is a medium-long haired cat and thus, truly a luxurious item. And like most luxury items, he needs extra care. No matter how much I brush him, I see fur in the air, clothes, sofa and in tumbleweed form rolling across the floor.

But Fuzzy’s fur is no match for my vacuum.

Because we live on a planet with gravity, the particles in the air are going to come down. And if it isn’t removed, you’ll kick it back up. I try to remove as many of the allergans as possible. I personally get sick if there is too much dust and a good vacuum is important in my arsenal. I have a Miele with a HEPA filter that I also got soon after 9-11 for the same reasons that I bought my air purifier. Many of my friends swear by their Dyson. It is a bagless vacuum cleaner. My Miele is a canister type which uses bags.

Miele Vacuum

Last year, we learned that one of the biggest causes of indoor pollution, other than the use of household petroleum based detergents, is tracking particles from the street into your home. The tar, dog poop, pollen and other chemicals are tracked in on the soles of your shoes and find new homes in your floors and carpets. When you walk on your floors, you kick it up into the air and breathe it in.

We decided to enforce a no-shoe policy in our house. I bought these Moroccan slippers that I put in a basket by the front door to help guests feel more welcome. However, rarely does anyone use the slippers except us. Well, not true – my daughter likes to take them all out of the basket and lay them out on the floor.

At first, it felt a little strange for us because we had to think about taking off our shoes whenever we came inside. We persisted. After all, most of the world follows the same policy. Soon, it was second nature.

To clear out the pollution that we already tracked it, we deep cleaned our carpets. Hoover makes good models that you can use again and again. There are also professionals who can give the carpets a good cleaning. I am not sure about what chemicals they use, but it is worth asking.

Air Purifiers

My Blueair Purifier

A good air purifier can do wonders and improve the indoor air quality in your home. In addition, it removes the pollen, dust, fur, odors, fibers and hair that float in the air and then lodge in your nasal passages, causing inflammation and allergic reactions. At our house, we turn ours on at different times. Sometimes, like in Spring, when the pollen count is very high, we keep it turned on medium constantly.

 

Currently, there is a lot of construction going on next door. We live in a Philadelphia-style old row house near the Betsy Ross House. They are completely gutting the house next door and we share a wall. Dust and drywall odor are making their way to our house. The odor can be nauseating at times so we keep our air purifier turned on high and now, I cannot smell a thing and have no headache triggers.

There are many different types of air purifiers on the market. You want one that fits your budget and covers your home’s square foot area , at least for that floor. It may or may not have filters.

I bought mine right after 9-11 as I lived in downtown Manhattan at the time and there were many uncertainties about the air quality. I have a Blueair503 purifier. It has it’s pros and cons. Pro – it purifies fast and amazingly. Con- my model uses filters which I have to replace every year. I read of a trick where you can vacuum the filters so they last longer and that helps with the cost. The HEPA filter on this machine is amazing. It truly has improved the quality of my life.

The price outlay can be a bit steep. But a good quality filter will last you years. Mine has been a power workhorse and this year, the anniversary of 9-11, I will have had it 10 years with no complaints.