Autumn Healthy Home Threats

by | air quality, autumn, carbon monoxide, condensation, HVAC, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, moisture, mold, mould, natural pest management, pesticide, pests, seasons

Autumn Healthy Home Threats… What’s happening in your home?

Autumn is a beautifully colourful time of the year. Greens become yellowed with red and fade to orange and brown. Once fallen, there’s that lovely crunch to them as you walk. 

I remember when my first dog was a puppy and he walked on the dry autumn leaves for the first time. He was startled, then curious, and finally amused… it was then fun for him to walk through the crunchy crackly leaves… I digress.

In terms of our homes, there are healthy home threats that are closely matched with this one.

What is meant by a “healthy home threat”?

A healthy home threat is anything that hinders our efforts to establish a healthy home. These threats come in various forms, ranging from allergens and increased humidity to leaks, fresh paint, and modern technology. 

It’s important to understand these threats, and be vigilant in keeping our homes healthy, and today, we’ll explore the healthy home threats associated with autumn.

What is Unique about Autumn?

Autumn days are varied, and tend to be crisp and often clear, the days shorter and we tend to start wearing layers to accommodate the changes through the day.

As Autumn gains momentum, we tend to:

  • Start spending more time indoors
  • Squeeze in any final “hurrahs” from summer – like trips to the beach on the last of the hot days
  • Alternate between using cooling and heating as we transition between the seasons
  • Use artificial lights earlier in the evenings as it gets dark earlier
  • Prepare for winter – as do other critters
  • Let’s find out how these changes can become Autumn healthy home threats.

HVACs and Indoor Air Quality

“HVAC” stands for “heating, ventilation and air conditioning”.

It is absolutely essential that they are serviced regularly by professionals (check the manual as to the manufacturer’s recommendations). 

And equally important is the regular cleaning that you do.

Every week (all year), you should be vacuuming the filters for any HVAC units that you use – heating, cooling, air purifiers, dehumidifiers. The fins and all accessible areas should also be cleaned weekly with a moist microfibre cloth.

Too often, I’ve seen them absolutely caked with dust – and dust can harbour dust mites, allergens, mould spores and more.

Infrequent cleaning and servicing can mean that your HVACs could be spreading these contaminants around. 

SOLUTIONS

Here are some steps you can take to protect the indoor air quality of your home.

  • Have all of your HVACs serviced in autumn
  • Make sure you’re regularly cleaning the filters, fins and accessible parts – including ducts
  • Replace pre-filters on return air grilles
gas appliances HVAC autumn healthy home threats - Eco Health Solutions

Gas Appliances

Gas appliances are often not used throughout the summer months. Conversely, in winter, they tend to be heavily used.

Devastatingly, gas appliances can result in deadly gases being released into our homes if they leak, are improperly flued or the gases aren’t combusting properly.

I’ve had quite a few reports from people about intense fatigue and grogginess when using their gas heaters wanting me to come out to assess their homes. This is not something I need to assess – this is when you call in a licensed gas plumber as it is a potentially deadly situation. In every case, I’ve had the person contact me afterwards thanking me for identifying the problem.

Gas appliances include the oven, hot water system as well as heating units.

SOLUTIONS

  • Have all gas appliances serviced by a licensed gas plumber
  • Attend to any leaks
  • Maintain ventilation of your home, by opening windows and doors to exchange the air

    Artificial Lighting

    As the days become shorter, we use artificial lights earlier and earlier. 

    Natural lighting fluctuates throughout the day, with varying levels of blue and red light.

    Artificial lighting often doesn’t. 

    The result of this can be that it can cause problems with sleep.

    Now is a great time to invest in some lighting that will work for you – lighting your home and supporting your sleep (which is essential to health and wellbeing).

    Of the many products available on the market, the brand I like best is BlueLightBlockers.* Use coupon code bb88 to save 10% off their range.

    SOLUTIONS

        * These are affiliate links – if you don’t want to use them, just click here instead. I recommend them because they are excellent products and really are blue-light-free, and have therefore negotiated a discount for my community. (Not the other way around!)

        Condensation

        As the temperatures shift, the location of where condensation can form will also alter… 

        Where there’s condensation, there’s moisture. And, I’m sure you’ve heard me say: mould is a moisture issue.

        There are some simple steps that you can take to reduce the condensation risks. 

        SOLUTIONS

        • When heating or cooling your home be sure to do this for your entire home – keeping internal doors open will help to even out the temperature throughout your home.
        • To allow the air to circulate to maintain more even temperatures, keep furniture at least 10cm away from exterior walls.
        • Be on the ready for condensation and have a dry microfibre cloth ready to wipe it off. A flat microfibre mop is ideal if you notice it high up (like on the ceiling or high windows).
        rodents uninvited guests autumn healthy home threats - Eco Health Solutions

        Rodents and Other Uninvited Guests

        This is the time of year when critters prepare for winter – when traditionally food was not so readily available. 

        For this reason, you may notice an increase in activity as evidenced by droppings, holes in food packets and other strange occurrences.

        Not only are they looking for food, they are also looking for nesting materials (and even locations) – and we don’t want them setting up in our homes!

        Rodents are pretty clever and extremely nimble. Mice can fit through tiny holes (even as small as 1 cm) and they are also able to scale vertical surfaces up to about 90 cm!

        While it’s tempting to put poison out to kill them – especially when they “go away to die,” I strongly discourage you from doing this. These poisons are “second generation anticoagulant rodenticides” (SGARs) and cause whatever eats them to slowly die by bleeding to death. Decades ago, one of my dogs got into some and we very nearly lost him (he wasn’t even 2 years old)… SGARs are slow acting, so the poisoned animals go about normal activities – and if caught and eaten by a pet or wildlife, that animal will be poisoned, too.

        SOLUTIONS

        • Ensure that all of your food items are stored in glass or metal containers – this includes pet foods. What can’t be stored in these containers needs to go in the fridge or a well sealed cupboard.
        • Make sure you fill in any holes so that there are no easy entry points – in cupboards as well as around your home.
        • Avoid poisons – opt for traps instead. If you must use poison, BirdLife Australia have a list of safer options here.

            Autumn Healthy Home Threats… now under control!

            Now that we’ve addressed our HVACs, gas appliances, artificial lighting, condensation risks, and uninvited guests, we’ve got Autumn Healthy Home Threats sorted!

            If you’d like any help with this – then you can book a call with me, I’d be more than happy to help solve your healthy home issues.

            Winter Healthy Home Threats

            by | air pollution, air quality, carbon monoxide, condensation, earthing, electromagnetic radiation, EME, EMF, environmental sensitivities, environmental stressors, healthy home, healthy home threats, humidity, indoor air quality, indoor environmental health, moisture, mold, mould, occupant activity, seasons, smart meters, ventilation, VOCs, wifi, winter, wireless technology

            Winter Healthy Home Threats Occur in Every Home

            Winter with its cold and often wetter weather presents unique healthy home threats that differ from other seasons throughout the year.

            What is a healthy home threat?

            A healthy home threat is something that challenges our efforts in creating a healthy home. It might be something that undermines what we’ve done, or perhaps something that needs to be considered to prevent issues.

            Which Challenges Does Winter Bring?

            I like to start with looking at the way that our behaviours change with the seasons, as well as the climatic conditions. 

            The drop in temperatures, the increase in rain in many parts of the country, the advent of snow in the ranges, and the shorter daylight hours tend to see us:

            • Be indoors more of the time
            • Use heating
            • Perhaps light the fire, especially for date night 
            • Close windows and doors to keep the cold out and heat in
            • Draw curtains and blinds for more hours due to the earlier sunset
            • We wear more layers of clothing
            • Our clothes are thicker 
            • We may need to dry our clothes inside due to inclement weather
            • We often eat soups, stews and roasts – making the most of our ovens
            • Some people bathe more often or take longer and hotter showers to warm up

             You may be surprised to discover that all of these behaviours can create healthy home threats.

             Let’s take a look at the threats and what can be done to reduce any issues.

            frost on green leaves - winter healthy home threats

            Reduced Indoor Air Quality

            When we “close up” our homes (closing windows and keeping doors shut) to keep the heat in, we’re reducing the number of times that the air is exchanged. This means that the air doesn’t get diluted often, if at all, which can result in reduced indoor air quality.

            What happens is that VOCs, gases and other contaminants build up in the air. Oxygen levels often are reduced and carbon dioxide can increase – leading to feelings of sleepiness.

            Ventilation is key.

            SOLUTIONS

            1. The simplest thing to do is to leave windows open just a tiny bit, as long as it is safe to do so, can dilute the air well.
            2. Regularly opening windows and doors several times throughout the day will exchange the air, and I recommend that this is done at least 3 times a day, and preferably every hour or two.
            3. If it isn’t possible to do this 2-3 times a day, then an air purifier would also assist.

            Carbon Monoxide Build-Up

            There’s a big difference between carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. 

            Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the gases that we exhale. 

            Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly gas that comes from combustion – gas appliances are one of the biggest contributors to CO levels within our homes. Cars are another big source, which is why I don’t like people idling their cars in their garages or driveways.

            Since we’re using gas appliances more during winter – heating, cooking, hot showers – there’s an increased risk.

            SOLUTIONS

            1. Have your gas appliances checked by a licensed gas fitter every autumn so that they are ready for use in winter.
            2. Ventilate your home often – as discussed above.
            3. Avoid idling your car in the garage or driveway.

            Poor Outdoor Air

            The levels of outdoor air pollution can become very high in areas where people rely on wood fires for heating.

            The smoke produced by wood fires can contain formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, chemicals (some of which are known carcinogens) and fine particulate matter. 

            According to the Environment & Human Health Inc. (n.d.) wood smoke “interferes with normal lung development in infants and children… can depress the immune system… [and, according to the WHO] can cause coughs, headaches, eye and throat irritation in otherwise healthy people.” 

            Whilst enclosed wood fires, such as Coonaras, don’t release the pollutants indoors, they are still released outdoors, and can readily affect your neighbours, particularly who are sensitive and/or have asthma or other respiratory complaints.

            SOLUTIONS

            1. Avoid using wood fires.
            2. Rug up and/or be physically active – this is a great time of year to get big gardening jobs done.
            3. Invest in an air purifier to help clean your indoor air.

            Increased Moisture Levels

            Did you know that “occupant activity” is one a big factor in indoor moisture levels?

            The obvious ones are bathing, drying clothes, and stovetop cooking. However, occupant activities that increase moisture also include using gas appliances, breathing and sweating (or perspiring).

            Given we tend to not only wear more layers in winter, but also the layers are thicker, they take longer to dry. As a result, many people dry them inside near a source of heat, or pop them in the clothes dryer.

            Combine our tendency to be indoors in winter with these activities, then add to it the closed windows and doors, you can see how quickly moisture levels can increase.

            SOLUTIONS

            1. Monitor the levels of relative humidity with a hygrometer – we’re aiming for 45-55% RH; 50% RH is ideal.
            2. Use extractor fans when cooking, bathing or laundering. 
            3. If your extractor fans don’t vent to the outside, or you don’t have efficient ones, then a dehumidifier can be useful.
              clothes dryer and shelves - winter healthy home threats

              Mould on Windows & Curtains

              In the cooler months, many people report condensation on windows and glass doors especially in the mornings.

              This happens because glass changes temperature quickly, and moisture in the air condenses out of it, forming condensation on this, and other, cold surfaces.

              It is due to the presence of this moisture that mould can readily form on blinds or curtains that touch the glass, and even on the glass itself.

              SOLUTIONS

              1. Dry your windows daily with a dry bamboo microfibre cloth.
              2. Dry glass that is high up using a flat mop.
              3. Leave your windows open a little to equalise the temperature.

              Increased Exposure to EMF/EME

              Spending more time indoors can also increase your exposure to EMF/EME if you have wi-fi or use wireless devices.

              Wireless technology is used in smart meters, Bluetooth equipment, smartphones and tablets, 3G, 4G & 5G, phone towers, home stereo systems, and more.

              SOLUTIONS

              1. Head outdoors to “discharge” and “ground.”
              2. Do without wi-fi and other wireless devices.
              3. Turn the wi-fi and wireless devices on only when you need them, ensuring they are off while you sleep.

               

              home office - winter healthy home threats

              As you can see, 

              Winter Healthy Home Threats Occur in Every Home – to Varying Degrees

              I trust that you are feeling empowered to take the relevant action in your home.

               

              If you’d like to get some advice on this, then please book a call.

              Book a Call Here