The Clean Air Act Blog: Archive for July, 2011

Considering Remodeling? Tips To Be Sure It’s Done Right

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Remodeling your home is a great investment and can be a satisfying accomplishment once it’s done. Any remodeling project is a major one, however, and therefore requires some strategizing and careful execution in order to prevent setbacks, added expense, and a great deal of frustration. Here are some tips to help your remodeling project go smoothly, and help you keep your sanity.

Think like a Boy Scout

The best first step in any remodeling project is to prepare yourself by planning ahead. Every little bit of time and energy spent on planning and preparation can greatly reduce the amount you have to spend on tough decisions and corrections later on. Before starting your project, be sure to:

  • Hire a professional, licensed contractor to perform the work.
  • Make sure the contractor you hire is well-versed on the most recent building codes in the area.
  • Use a detailed design process to develop a plan for the room(s), choose materials and fixtures, and create a realistic budget for the project.
  • Consider staging the work ahead of time to give yourself a realistic idea of the work to be done and cut down on labor costs.

Be Creative

For most of your remodeling goals and objectives, there will usually be more than one option. By considering all your options and discussing them with your contractor, you can save money while still achieving the desired result. Some examples include:

  • Rather than repairing minor blemishes on walls by doing costly structural work, considering using materials to mask the wall, as long as it is still structurally sound. With minor imperfections, discolorations or slight damage, you can use a decorative painting technique or a heavier, textured wallpaper to cover up the area.
  • Likewise, if a room just needs to be livened up, consider repainting first before getting more involved. You may find that the new color is enough to spruce the area up.
  • Rather than creating new space by knocking down walls or building new additions, try instead to create the illusion of more space. Mirrors, skylights, and additional windows are all simple ways to make a small room seem bigger without the trouble of adding square footage.

By keeping some of these tips in mind, you can help to ensure that your house becomes the dream home you have always wanted, without the nightmares of costly or incorrect updates.

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Pest Control

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Pests are a virtual inevitability in every home at some point, so it is important for every homeowner to know how to deal with that unwelcome stranger when it comes poking around.

Insects Be Gone

From ants to roaches, insects love to make themselves right at home. They invade in search of food, water, and habitable space, and they don’t care whether they are wanted or not. Here are some helpful hints to get rid of these multi-legged tenants.

Borax works just as well as a pest poison as more expensive commercial products. For roaches, sprinkle a bit in your cabinets. Make sure to take extra care that your dishes are free from the residue. Avoid areas where the borax could affect children or pets. Likewise, make a homemade ant trap by mixing equal parts sugar and borax in a jar with holes punched in the lid.

Ants are also repelled by the calcium carbonate found in common chalk. Draw a chalk line around any visible ant holes to keep them trapped inside. Keep termites away by keeping your yard free of wood debris and standing water. Fix any leaks immediately and clear out any thick growth close to the house.

Furrier Pests

Insects are not the only pests to be concerned with, as sometimes intruders come in a larger, furrier form. Mice and other small rodents are fairly common inhabitants, as well as the occasional garbage-scavenging raccoon.

The best way to keep animals from invading your home is to keep potential entry holes sealed. For a temporary fix, try stuffing small holes with steel wool and covering larger ones with wire mesh. Eventually, however, you should have all holes permanently filled by an exterminator or a contractor who is familiar with the strategies needed to stop these unwanted invaders.

In general, it’s best to avoid poisons that put your family or pets at risk. Not only do poisons create a dangerous environment, they often result in dead pests in your walls or under your floorboards where they are hard to remove. Traps are always best so you know where the rodents are at all times.

If you have tried these tricks to no avail, or you have a serious infestation problem, don’t be a hero. Call a professional and have the whole home treated so you can rest easy.

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Keeping Your Home Toxic Chemical Free

Monday, July 4th, 2011

So, you have decided you want to try to go chemical free in your home. Whether you want to be friendlier to the environment at large or just foster a healthier home environment for yourself or your kids, eliminating toxic chemicals is a big step. Below are some tips to help you go about it the right way.

Removing Toxins

The first step is to eliminate some of the major toxic chemicals that may already be in your home. First, make sure your home’s ventilation system is functioning properly. Clean vents regularly and inspect the system and change the filter annually.

Consider using a water purification system to remove chemicals like chlorine — which is used to kill microbes in many water systems — as well as drug residues and heavy metals. Remember as well that lead is a dangerous toxin, so have your home inspected for it. Remove and replace any paint, pipes, or other materials made of lead. This is especially important if your home was built prior to 1978.

Finally, have your home checked for radon and asbestos. These are both harmful toxins that can easily be breathed in without being noticed. Check for radon especially if your home has a finished basement, or if your family spends a significant amount of time in the basement.

Keeping them Out

Now that you have expelled these contaminants from your home, look for ways to avoid inviting other potentially dangerous chemicals in. Most of us use toxic chemicals every day without even realizing. To help keep these toxins out of your home, you should look for cleaning supplies that are chemical-free. Companies that manufacture and distribute chemical-free cleaning products include Method, Seventh Generation and Ecover.

You can take it a step further by using DIY cleansers. Baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar and salt are all useful in household cleaning and are much safer for children and pets than chemical-based products. Drain clearing products contain extremely harsh chemicals that can contaminate water supplies and even damage your plumbing. A combination of baking soda, vinegar and boiling water can be just as effective without the toxicity.

Finally, use soap as an alternative to chemical air fresheners. Simply leave a few bars around the house in strategic locations. The soap will absorb nearby odors. For added effect, use scented soap.

Start with these simple steps and you will be off to a good start in keeping harmful chemicals out of your home and away from your family.

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Sealing Your Home Can Bring Big Rewards

Friday, July 1st, 2011

You use a lot of energy – and money! – keeping your house at a comfortable temperature. But if there are holes in the “envelope” or “shell” of your home, air from the outside can get into your home and drive up your energy costs.

Sealing the envelope of your home is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency and comfort. Energy Star estimates that appropriate sealing can save up to 20% on heating and cooling costs.

There are three ways to seal the envelope of your home:

  • Sealing air leaks to stop drafts
  • Adding insulation
  • Installing Energy Star windows when replacing windows

Sealing leaks. It may be easy to find some of the leaks in your home, because you can feel and sometimes even see them (for example, around windows and doors). You can seal these leaks with caulk, foam, and weather stripping.

Other leaks may be hidden in attics, basements, and crawl spaces. Common leak spots include:

  • Recessed lights
  • Outdoor faucets
  • Dryer vents
  • Attic hatches
  • Around light switches and cable, phone, or power outlets
  • Chimneys and furnace flues
  • The tops of walls that lead up to attic space

To find and seal these hidden leaks, it may be advisable to hire a contractor who can use special diagnostic tools. The expense is often quickly paid back in increased comfort and reduced utility bills.

Adding insulation. There are several common types of insulation — fiberglass (in both batt and blown forms), cellulose, rigid foam board, and spray foam. Different types are appropriate for different places in your home.

The strength of insulation is measured by “R-value” – its ability to resist heat flow. The higher the R-value, the more insulating power. Different R-values are recommended for different parts of your house, depending upon where you live.

Insulating your attic may offer significant savings, and can be a good DIY project if you are handy. To see if your attic can benefit from more insulation, look across your uncovered attic floor. If your insulation is level with or below the attic floor joints, more would probably be helpful.

Remember, however, that even well-insulated attics need appropriate ventilation to prevent mold growth in the summer and ice buildup in the winter.

Installing Energy Star windows and doors. Replacing windows and doors is a big project and may not generate enough energy savings to justify the cost. However, if you are remodeling or building a new home, be sure to choose Energy Star windows and doors. Energy Star windows and doors will not only help seal and insulate your home – they will also act as a sunscreen to protect your pictures, furniture, and carpets.

After Sealing Your Home: Check Air Quality!

After any sealing or insulating project it’s very important to have a professional perform a Combustion Safety Test on your gas and oil burning appliances to ensure that they are still operating safely.

It’s rare that homeowners seal their homes too tightly – especially if it’s an older house. However, if you are concerned, you can hire a contractor to test your home’s ventilation. If your home is too tightly sealed, he or she may recommend that you install a fresh air ventilation system.

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