If air at home seems to bother you, try to remove the sources of irritants first - Washington Post

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• If air at home seems to bother you, try to remove the sources of irritants first - Washington Post
• Spring Cleaning for Your Health: 9 Tips - Thrive Global
• The Coway Mighty Air Purifier is one of our favorite air purifiers, and it's on sale for nearly $70 off right now - New Haven Register

If air at home seems to bother you, try to remove the sources of irritants first - Washington Post Posted: 27 Apr 2019 11:00 AM PDT By Jill U. Adams April 27 at 2:00 PM When spring arrives, it's a joy to open your windows and feel the fresh air. All too soon it will be summer and we'll shut ourselves in again. This ritual raises a question: Which is healthier — outdoor air or indoor air? They're related, of course. The air inside our homes originates from outside and can carry pollen or pollutants, such as those produced by combustion engines. Indoor sources might add to the mix with tobacco smoke, cooking, mold spores, dust and pet dander. A tightly sealed home may allow this mix of particulate matter to become more concentrated inside than out. For good health outcomes, "The key is to catch small particles," says Stuart Batterman, an environmental health scientist at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. Particles that are 2.5 millimeters or smaller — called fine particles, particulate matter 2.5 or PM2.5 — are small enough to travel deep into the lungs and sometimes cross into the bloodstream. Fine particles are regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency because they can cause health problems. High particulate matter may be associated with serious outcomes, such as asthma attacks, heart attacks and premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease. Those affected may experience airway irritation, difficulty breathing and coughing. The most vulnerable are those with asthma, particularly children because their airways are smaller, and elderly people who have respiratory conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema, or heart disease. The first things you should do is try to remove the source of irritants, says Brian Christman, a pulmonologist and spokesman for the American Lung Association. While air filters can be helpful, says Christman, who also is chief of medicine at Veterans Affairs' Tennessee Valley Health Care System in Nashville, "they're about number four or five on the list of things you can do about air quality." "If you're allergic to cats, and have five cats at home, an air filter won't help," he says. Short of getting rid of pets, you can keep them out of your bedroom. If mold is a problem, you'd want to dry out areas of dampness — whether that means fixing leaks or seepage or using an exhaust fan when you shower. Use the exhaust fan over your stove when you're cooking with high heat, such as grilling or stir-frying. Reducing the humidity of your home makes it less friendly for mold and dust mites. Specialized pillow and mattress covers can reduce dust mite exposure. Christman also suggests avoiding harsh cleaners such as ammonia and bleach. "Those things are hard on your airways, particularly if you have sensitive airways," he says. Stick to more natural cleaners such as vinegar and baking soda. After you've managed source control, a good air cleaner may help filter out what's left. Air cleaners can remove particulate matter from the air inside your home. There are two basic setups: a portable appliance or adapting a house- or building-wide HVAC system. The stand-alone appliances, also called air purifiers, circulate the air in a room and trap particles. If you have a forced air system of heating and cooling, that system does the same thing for all your rooms, and you can upgrade the system's filter to improve particle removal. A 2012 study tested portable air cleaners in low-income households of children with asthma. Air cleaners, when used in the children's bedroom, reduced particulate matter by an average of 50 percent. But families didn't use the devices consistently. Batterman, who co-wrote the study, says the portable air cleaners do produce some noise and people who use them do need to change the filters. "They do a reasonable job for a small area," he says, such as a bedroom. Those with forced air should take advantage of that system to clean the air throughout the house, Batterman says. You already have a filter; for cleaner air, you need to upgrade it to better catch small particles. And you need to change it regularly — every three months is a common recommendation. The cheapest filters are worthless for catching particles, Batterman says. He recommends a pleated filter with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of 13 or higher (so does the EPA). The MERV 13 filters cost about $15 to $20. The filter works whenever the system's fan is running and the windows are closed. That means during heating or air-conditioning season; or you can turn on fan mode. Newer thermostats have a mode that cycles the fan on and off, so you get the benefits of filtering without running the system constantly. "If you have a child with asthma or allergies, it's quite effective," Batterman says. And if you avoid one emergency room visit or a missed work day, then the more expensive filter has paid for itself. A couple of things to watch out for: Don't use air filters that have an electrical field. Called air ionizers or electronic filters, these create ozone, which is harmful for health. (Slightly off topic, but another invisible health hazard is radon. It's best to test your home; the greater Washington area is in a high-risk zone for radon.) Specific air-quality problems might provide additional reasons for filtering your home's air, such as wildfires. Air quality trouble spots can be viewed daily at an EPA website, AirNow.gov. But unless you have a health condition that requires you pay close attention to indoor air quality, you really don't need an air filter. Batterman says he's not a proponent of super clean spaces. Christman says regular dirt and dust are not bad for you. There's evidence that growing up in very clean environments is related to the rise in autoimmune and allergic disorders, although the precise culprits have not been identified. Read more Battling asthma can get harder, and scarier, as you age Hospitals find asthma hot spots more profitable to ignore than fix How many years do we lose to the air we breathe?

Spring Cleaning for Your Health: 9 Tips - Thrive Global Posted: 10 Apr 2019 12:00 AM PDT Tips to make your home healthier this Spring. When you're cleaning your home this spring, think about all the benefits it brings. Yes, a good scrubbing removes harmful allergens and bacteria, but spring cleaning also improves your mental health. A cluttered home raises stress levels. Over time, higher stress levels lead to health issues. So think of it as cleaning for your body and mind. And don't forget that cleaning and maintaining your home leads to annual energy savings — that makes for a healthier wallet. Understanding all these implications helps you make better decisions about how to clean your home. Here are nine spring cleaning tips that will have you healthier and wealthier. 1. Clean Your HVAC Air Ducts Replacing your HVAC system's air filter will eliminate the spread of allergens, bacteria, and mold. But don't forget your system's ductwork. It also collects mold, dust, and debris that your filter can't catch. Check for signs of dust and mold around your air vents. These indicate you're in need of a duct cleaning. Or if your home is ten years or older and has never had a duct cleaning, it's time to get your HVAC system serviced. Test your A/C to make sure it is in working order and the right size for your home. Regular maintenance ensures your system will last many seasons. 2. Check for Leaking Water Pipes As winter snow thaws, it may reveal leaking or busted water pipes. Left untreated, wet areas around your hot water tank or under your sink can grow toxic black mold. The spores from black mold can cause a range of problems, from chronic coughing to bleeding in the lungs and nose. Check all the areas of your home where water pipes are present, especially those within external walls. Look for evidence of mold around the base of your shower, dishwasher, and clothes washer. Even better, install a smart home leak detector. These devices will automatically alert you to leaks before they destroy your home and threaten your health. 3. Inventory Your Medications Now that cold and flu season is on its way out, inventory your medicine cabinet. Throw away any expired medication, both prescription and over-the-counter. Out-of-date meds and vitamin supplements aren't effective. They won't help you or your family when you need allergy or pain relief, so replace them instead. But don't throw them in the garbage or flush them down the toilet. Chemicals from medications can seep into the water table or poison animals that take them from the trash.  Follow FDA guidelines for how to dispose of unused medications. 4. Prepare Your Humidifier for Storage If you use a humidifier during the winter months, clean it properly before storing it for summer. Left uncleaned, humidifiers are ideal breeding grounds for mold, bacteria, and germs— serious health hazards for those with asthma or allergies. And dirty humidifiers can even cause infections of the lungs. 5. Clean Your Pillows and Mattresses Many people are allergic to dust mites — those microscopic bugs that live within our pillows and mattresses. When you remove these small critters by cleaning your pillows and mattresses, you eliminate symptoms of hay fever, sneezing, and runny nose. If you don't want to go to the trouble of cleaning your bedding, you can always buy new ones. Replace your mattress every ten years and your pillow every year or two. 6. Vacuum Under Your Bed By springtime, the space under our beds harbors a menagerie of dust bunnies and cobwebs. These nasty allergens are only a few feet from your sleeping face. Cleaning under your bed will cut down on allergy symptoms. Use your vacuum attachments to reach underneath your bed, or remove your mattress so you can vacuum and dust. 7. Replace Your Detector Batteries Most smoke and CO2 detectors alert you to batteries gone bad. But that doesn't mean these failsafes always work. Take time to test and replace your detector batteries. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced from burning fuels like propane, gasoline, charcoal, or wood. Unlike fire, you can't see or smell it coming. That's why CO2 poisoning is so dangerous for people who are asleep. They often can't feel the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning until it's too late. 8. Revamp Your Pantry The best way to spring clean your way to a healthier you is to throw out all expired and processed foods in your cupboards. Check the nutritional labels for added sugars and refined carbohydrates. Toss those unhealthy processed foods in the garbage bin and replace with mixed nuts, dried fruits, granola bars, organic fruit snacks, and kale chips. We tend to grab the first snack we see in the pantry, so place healthier options towards the front. Same goes for your refrigerator and freezer. And keep both well-stocked: A full refrigerator takes less energy to cool than an empty one. 9. Organize Your Bedroom for Better Sleep Your health depends on getting regular, restorative sleep. Without it, our stress levels rise, and our health declines. Clean sheets, mattresses, and pillows help. But so does an organized bedroom. While you clean your bedroom, rearrange it to be more conducive to sleep. Here are some ways to improve your bedroom's feng shui: Keep the air clean with an air-purifier or by opening the windows Cover up distracting light sources (e.g., alarm clock displays) Block external light sources like the sun or a street lamp with blackout curtains Install dimmer switches so you can control the brightness of your bedroom Cover up hardwood floors with rugs to dampen down noises Repaint the walls with calming colors like taupes, grays, whites, and beiges These nine spring cleaning tips are a good start. Some are simple, and others need more time and money investment. But all will help most people create a healthy home for their families. Your home is unique, so look for other ways to make it a healthier space, from rearranging your living area to investing in a new HVAC system.

The Coway Mighty Air Purifier is one of our favorite air purifiers, and it's on sale for nearly $70 off right now - New Haven Register Posted: 23 Apr 2019 06:47 AM PDT Remi Rosmarin, provided by Published 9:47 am EDT, Tuesday, April 23, 2019 Insider Picks writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective. Amazon A lot of the indoor air we're breathing is filled with irritant particles from sources like paint, cleaning supplies, cigarette smoke, pet dander, pollen, mold, and many more. An air purifier is a safe and simple way to cleanse the indoor air around you by filtering out nasty pollutants that can cause allergies, headaches, and other health issues.  Right now, you can save 30% and get the Coway AP-1515HH Mighty Air Purifier for $161.99 (originally $229.99) at Amazon Spring is in the air — and with it comes an increase in pollen, mold, and other common allergens. If you have seasonal allergies, you're probably stocking up on some quick fixes for dreaded itchy eyes, runny noses, and scratchy throats. You can't control the environment and just rid outdoor air of allergens, pollutants, and irritants. But there is some air you actually can control — the indoor air inside your home.  While your home serves as a refuge from most of the risks posed by the outside world, it still hosts plenty of irritants like bacteria, viruses, pollen, pet dander, and fumes from cleaning supplies. Evidence has suggested that most indoor air is actually more polluted than outdoor air, according to The Environmental Protection Agency.  An air purifier removes most of the pollutants from your indoor air, ultimately leaving you with fresher, cleaner air.  If you're in the market, the Coway AP-1515HH Mighty Air Purifier is a great option. It's effective, efficient, and "the most affordable purifier of its abilities," according to Wirecutter, which chose this product as the best air purifier out there. Right now, you can save $68 on Coway's Mighty Air Purifier at Amazon and snag the product for just $161.99. We recently swapped the Coway Mighty out for Coway's newer model, the Airmega 200M, as our top pick for best air purifiers. Still, the Coway Mighty is a great product and at this price, a really great deal. Here's what you need to know about the purifier. Designed for medium-sized spaces like small apartments or living rooms, the Coway Mighty works for areas up to 361 square feet. It's a small, portable device that uses a four-stage filtration system to reduce up to 99.97% of particle pollution. The pollution sensor — a bright LED on the device — shows you real-time cleaning status, so you can gauge your indoor air quality at any time. There's also a filter replacement indicator, which will alert you when it's time to change the filters. Some other helpful features are the timer, which lets you schedule how long you'd like the purifier to operate (either one, four, eight, or 12 hours), and the three different fan speeds, which you can adjust based on your preference and purification needs. After testing the Coway AP-1515HH with new and old filters, Wirecutter found that year-old filters, which had been used 24/7, still cleaned the air just as well as brand-new filters. Ultimately, it's this combination of effectiveness and long-term performance that make the air purifier a worthy investment, especially at such a great price. Save $68 and get the Coway AP-1515HH Mighty Air Purifier for just $161.99 at Amazon Join the conversation about this story » See Also:

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