Archive for the ‘Allergy Busters’ Category

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Green your Clean!

June 5, 2009

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You want your home to be environmentally friendly, but you don’t necessarily want hints of the environment on your floors, right? So let’s finish that bowl of granola, put out the recyclables and have a look at how central vacuum systems make your home cleaner and greener. With a central vac, green is as easy as 1, 2, 3 . . .

1. The Hollies had it right . . . “All I need is the air that I breathe”

But that was then and this is now, so we’ll add the caveat, “to be cleaner.” According to a recent study published in the JIACI (Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology), “Indoor air pollution is one of the most common problems addressed by allergists as troublesome for their patients.” The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside air, a little-known and alarming fact! The same JIACI study compared central vacs to conventional vacuums to see which method worked best to reduce allergy symptoms. “Interestingly, in all seven domains of the evaluation, including activity, sleep, non-nasal symptoms, practical problems, nasal symptoms, eye symptoms and emotions, use of the central vacuum proved to be superior.” Central vacs work more efficiently to remove allergens, and since the power unit is located outside the living space, no exhaust particles are released back into the home’s air.

2. LEEDing the way to a green home environment.

The growing demand for central vacuum systems as part of today’s green lifestyle was recently reinforced by their inclusion in the National Green Building Standard™. In addition, LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) will award points toward a green certificate to homes equipped with central vacuums that are vented outdoors. Central vacuum systems provide an opportunity for LEED points in a variety of ways, such as indoor air quality and the use of recyclable steel. Even if you’re not applying for a green certificate for your home, it’s nice to know you can!

3. Less is more…

Less noise—central vacuum systems are quieter than conventional vacuum cleaners! Less energy consumption—the power unit is more powerful, so you spend less time cleaning! No bags—helps save our forests and helps save your wallet!

So leave the soil and the ragweed to the earth where it belongs, and leave the pollution cleanup projects outdoors. Be central vac clean and green!

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Dog’s Best Friend!

May 28, 2009

picture-1Remove pet hair at the source . . . that’s right, Fido himself.  Use a Pet Hair Tool. It’ll save you cleaning time and waive the sneezing time. Two combs on either side of the suction help bring hair and dander to the surface so you can vacuum it up before it hits the floor, the furniture and your sinuses. Best of all, Fido sits still, because the central vacuum power unit is out of earshot and all he’s hearing is you telling him what a good boy he is!

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Spring Cleaning 101: Beyond the dust bunny

May 28, 2009

stockxpertcom_id11782481_jpg_53bf66110820e601a95fef767f60046dWe often associate spring with that sudden (more often forced) burst of energy known as “spring cleaning.” Time to eradicate those dust bunnies before they populate, right? But true spring-cleaning is more than blindly probing the vacuum head under your bed to grab that errant blob of dust that escaped your normal weekly cleaning. It’s about maintaining a healthy home environment and reducing the dust, dirt and allergens that can trigger seasonal allergies. A central vacuum system is the ideal spring-cleaning weapon to combat allergy triggers, as it won’t release dust and dirt back into the home’s air. Its powerful suction and the fact that the power unit is located in the garage, helps remove allergens and then keeps them from recirculating so you and your family can literally breathe easier. An easy way to do it is to break your spring-cleaning into manageable “zones.” The best part of using this method. . . You do a little at a time. Here’s three zones to get you started:

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Zone 1: Bedroom

Mattresses are the ideal hiding place for dust mites, a major cause of allergies, not to mention just plain disgusting. Turn your mattress and use your upholstery tool and central vac to clean your mattress surfaces. Clean surfaces and de-clutter. Go through the undershirt drawer and remove all holey or stained shirts. You’ll need those old shirts to clean other rooms. They make excellent rags. And hey, spring fashions are out . . . Good excuse to buy some new stuff!

male-web-be-goneYour central vac has a dusting brush that can be used to remove dust from lights and to de-web ceiling corners and baseboards. Old dryer sheets also make good cleaning cloths. It’s about using what you have and making cleaning easy. Just like Hide-A-Hose’s retractable hose technology, right? :)

dusting_brushZone 2: Bathroom

Bathroom surfaces are a perfect mold and mildew breeding ground. Empty drawers and throw away expired medications. Reduce your collection of bottles to the ones you use and only put things on surfaces that you use daily. Buy shelves or other devices that can hang in the shower to get them up and off of surfaces where water and mold can collect. Replace or wash shower curtains in bleach. Use your central vac’s dusting brush to de-dust exhaust fans and dry dust drawers.

crevice_toolZone 3: Kitchen

Empty your refrigerator shelves completely and wash all surfaces. Remove expired food. Unplug and clean behind your fridge. Use your dusting and crevice tool to clean the refrigerator coils; this makes your fridge last longer and run more efficiently. Empty and dust surfaces in pantries and drawers. Your central vac’s dusting tool is excellent for dry dusting and removing crumbs before you damp wash with those old undershirts. A little vinegar and water is all you need to safely clean surfaces. Keep a donation bag for anything you haven’t opened or eaten in 2 months. Your community food bank and hungry families will thank you. And really . . . do you need 7 spatulas? Before you put things back in drawers, box up items that are duplicates or unused. The Vietnam Vets will pick up household items for free. And recycle all those empty mayo jars, Chinese takeout food containers and pill bottles. There. That was easy, wasn’t it?