Tyler Dishman

One of the best investments you can make for your health and home is to purchase a quality dehumidifier.

Most people know that humidity is simply the moisture in the air. What a lot of people don’t know is that cold air holds less moisture than warm air. This is why your house is typically dry in the winter and moisture-filled in the summer. The relative humidity is expressed as a percentage of the current moisture level relative to the maximum moisture level for the current temperature. This means that if the temperature inside your house is 68 degrees Fahrenheit then 1 cubic meter of air can hold 18 grams of water. If the air contains 9 grams of water per cubic meter, then the relative humidity is 50%. (9/8=50%)

Are you one of the few people who believe your house air filter is helping you remove indoor air pollutants? Guess again. Find out how to check for a home air filters MERV rating. This rating will determine the amount of pollutants filtered out of your home air. With the right MERV rating you can effectively  improve the indoor air quality of your home and likewise improve the health of you and your family.

Have you ever noticed condensation collecting on windows in your home during the cold winter months? An excess of humidity is what causes this condensation, forming on the coldest area of a wall, which is normally the windows. As modern homes become more energy efficient, window condensation can be a year-round problem for observant homeowners. This condensation can eventually collect on the windowsill, causing wood to rot and mold / mildew to form, which is neither good for your home nor your health.

With the chill of winter quickly approaching, many people are wondering how they're going to handle the increased energy prices. Luckily for you, there are many ways homeowners can make their homes energy efficient while purifying their indoor air from pollutants and allergens.

There are many effective methods for the modern homeowner to improve the air quality inside his or her home. From specially designed furnace filters to ultraviolet lamps, Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) or Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) - there are several options for those of us who are concerned about the quality of the air we are breathing in, and the resulting health of ourselves and our families. Below you will find several different tips for improving the air quality inside your home.

For parents of young children there is not much as frightening as the presence of lead paint in the home.  On the one hand research seems to show that keeping the lead encapsulated with a high quality paint should be sufficient to keep lead out of the indoor environment and out of our children's bodies.  However we were faced with lead paint in our upstairs bedrooms windows including my 4 year old son and pregnant wife.  With the Summer months winding down, we really wanted to remove the health threat and be able to open our windows without fear of the particles of lead dust and flaking payment covering our living environment.

Water quality can vary greatly from city to city but the majority of U.S. cities have some sort of pollution in their drinking water. City water must be filtered by the city to take out contaminants such as motor oil, sewage, acid from rainwater, as well as more dangerous toxins like bromate, total trihalomethanes, chlorine, antimony, cadmium, copper, fluoride, atrazine, chlordane, picloram, styrene, alpha particles and uranium. However, even after the city filters out these harmful contaminants some may continue to exist in low levels.

Radon is a color-less, odor-less gas which is produced by the natural decay of soils containing uranium. The gas rises through the soil and seeps into cracks or spaces in a building foundation, basement, or crawl space.

Maintaining clean air throughout the home is essential to the health of yourself and your family. Germs and diseases are often spread through dust mites and mold in the air. Indoor air quality usually worsens during winter when most windows have to be kept closed. However if you want to keep the air in your home clean and fresh all year round here are 10 steps to do so.

Although many furnace manufacturers recommend changing the furnace filter only twice yearly, the demands of good indoor air quality, energy efficiency, and proper airflow call for more frequent changes.

In general, the type of filter may not be as important as its cleanliness. That is, unless there are allergies or COPD- related conditions suffered by any of the family members. In which case there would arise a need for more expensive HEPA-type filters (about $10-$12) apiece.

Maybe you've seen those late night infomercials and heard about those popular and expensive ionizing air cleaners that are supposed to clean and improve the quality of air inside of your homes and office. Consumers have been purchasing these pricey air cleaners thinking they are getting the best product for their money. In reality they may be causing more health problems for themselves then they realize.

High humidity can cause huge problems for homeowners, especially in the wintertime. When the outside temperatures go down, the doors and windows stay closed and indoor air circulation sometimes slows. When these conditions are present, several problems can arise. Indoor air quality can deteriorate dramatically, causing problems with allergies, mold, and a myriad of detriments to the home and its residents.