Can you believe the holiday season is practically upon us? For so many of us, it’s a very exciting time of year. The holidays are the highlight of the forthcoming winter season, bringing joy to children of all ages. This year, however, COVID-19 may prevent traditional gift-giving. With that said, you may want to consider giving your home a gift before the holidays.
Give it the sock treatment.
Canadians are known for removing their shoes at the front door. When entering the home, most of us are well aware that there’s no good reason to track in the dirt on our shoes. This is a practice that doesn’t seem to be as popular south of the border. However, if you’re looking to keep your home clean and its air as pure as possible, leave the outside at the front door. As Envirovent.com recommends, remove your shoes when coming inside.
“When you enter your home, make sure you remove your shoes to avoid bringing in chemicals, pollen, dirt and dust indoors,” the website instructs, “If you have a porch it is a good idea to leave your outdoor footwear here or just inside the front door if you don’t have a porch.”
Increase ventilation.
It can never be stressed enough that the air in your home needs to circulate with the air outside your home. That way, you can ensure that there is good air circulation as well as good heat flow. The simplest way to make sure that your home is getting the ventilation it needs is to crack open the windows for a short periods of each day.
Canada.ca also advises you to leave your interior doors open so as to not make rooms stuffy. It also suggests you use your bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans; keep your baseboards and heating vents clear of furniture; keep your beds, bedding and furniture away from outside walls to allow enough air and heat to flow around furnishings and use a mechanical HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system in your home with a filtration system built into the duct work.
Make it a smoke-free zone.
Arguably, the greatest treat you can give your home is air that is 100% free of cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke is deadly. Both secondhand smoke (the air emitted from smokers’ mouths and inhaled by non-smokers) and thirdhand smoke (the residue left behind on clothing, bedding and furniture) can cause major respiratory issues.
“Although fewer people are taking up smoking, it remains a primary cause of dangerous pollutants being breathed in the home,” says Envirovent.com, “If you smoke, try to ensure that you do so outside, even if you don’t have children. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known cancer-causing compounds which build up inside your home when you smoke.”
Can Enviro-Works Inc. help you give your home a gift before the holidays?
We proudly offer a number of laboratory services to help ensure that your home is free of pollutants. They include VOC Testing which employs the EPA TO-17 using GC-MS method for the determination of VOCs. Our services also include detection of Mould In Air as well as through sampling bulk materials, using tapelifts and swabbing, also known as the Bulk/Tapelift/Swab methods.
For more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at 780-457-4652 or email us at info@enviro-works.com.