Tips for healthy indoor air...when you have to seal up your home

 As I'm writing this, the smoke is heavy outside my home. I know I'm totally not alone with smoke.  We are all closing up our homes...as we should.  However, by shutting off our ventilation we increase our need to improve our indoor air quality...ASAP.  

The tips I'm sharing are always good..but now they are truly necessary.

I've created a video for you on how to improve your indoor air quality with a closed up house.  Below that is a DIY video from WA Dept of Ecology for how to make your own air cleaner.

Hang in there...so much is going on this year but we will keep on moving forwards with the zest and creativity I know we all have.  

         Tips for healthy indoor air

Note:  In this video I mention smoke and particles.  What I meant to say is: the smoke looks like clouds or fog but is actually smoke and toxic particles which are hazardous to our health.

DIY for making your own air cleaner

Ounce of Prevention Tip:

The best defense is good prevention.  Keep viruses out of your home is easier than getting over a cold or the flu.  A few years ago when the H1N1 virus was a major health concern, the CDC ( Center for Disease Control) put out a bulletin with their top prevention tips.  I remember being surprised to see washing your hands as one of their top tips.  I expected some brilliant insight of unexpected wisdom but no it was simply:  wash your hands.

Hand washing reminders:
   Wash hands as soon as you return home from being in public.
          Make it a habit of washing your hands as soon as you walk in the door
   Wash your hands before eating
         This includes- eating in the car, fast food restaurants and snacking
    When you wash your hands- wash for 20 seconds
         Wash- rinse and dry

I know so simple and yet when you don't get the flu it's priceless!!!!!

Wishing you all health and vitality this winter!!
          Denise
  

Disinfecting wipes are the fast food in cleaning

    Disinfecting wipes:  uuugh...heavy sigh....deep breath....   Disinfecting wipes are like fast food:  easy, available and effortless.  But instead of high fructose corn syrup these wipes use pesticides.  Yup, our daily disinfecting wipes are monitored by the EPA and classified as a pesticide.  Crazy right???

    Today, I got an email update from the Women's Voices website on the concerns of disinfecting wipes.  I'm sharing it with you because it is indeed a message that should be heard!  Women's voices is a fantastic website full of solid research and helpful wisdom.
                                  click here to connect to Women's voices site and the article

  As it turns out the lesson I learned 25 years ago still holds true.  Be very careful and aware when using products that kill something- aka germ killers, mold killers, pesticides etc.  Because... and this is a huge point ... they kill or damage living organisms.  And we are in fact a living organism!
                                             
 Before you panic about germs and how to avoid keep this in mind:
     In most situations removal of germs/soil is a much healthier way of creating a safe environment than the killing germs.

Here is a wonderfully simple alternative for you:  Use Residue Free cleaning 
   1. Thoroughly wipe surface down with a damp towel and a little mild cleaner or a damp microfiber-            Rub back and forth
                Mild cleaners: dish washing liquid, liquid castle soap, baby wipes
  2.   Rinse with a moist/wet, clean towel, microfiber or even paper towel - Rub back and forth
  3.   Dry surface again rub back and forth

In this three step process you are loosening the soil/germs and breaking surface tension.  Then rinsing and removing the cleaner and germs/soil.   Finally with drying, you further remove the cleaner, soil/germs and moisture.  Leaving your surface clean and free of residue

After all, cleaning is the removal of germs, soil, etc not the addition of chemicals.

   By the way, I am not against disinfectants.  In some situations they can be life saving.  What I am against is using disinfectants daily, without reading, following the label and most importantly out of habit or fear.  This is unnecessary and total overkill.

  Cleaning is a science and an art.  Learn how to clean for the health of home and family.  We teach residue free cleaning which focuses on the science and actual system of cleaning.  Call if you would like to schedule a presentation or consult.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and simply clean home,
            Denise
 

An Ounce Of Prevention blog- Where did it come from?

    This blog, an ounce of prevention, was created after numerous phone calls from stressed clients.  The stress came from damaged done from cleaners or restorative chemicals- damaged that could have totally been prevented with just a smidgen of help.  And so I created this blog.  I wanted to give that smidgen of help to prevent what could be prevented.

   This afternoon, I'm working on an upcoming presentation for Piece County's Cancer Survivor Conference.  My class will be all about prevention.  Preventing stress and unnecessary chemical exposure.  In our world of speed and ease, sometimes our health gets lost in the dust.  If a splash of prevention will alleviate even a speck of stress or damage I will talk until the cows come home.

 If you are interested in attending this conference click here for more information

    As I'm gathering my key points, a lovely lady called me today.  As we were chatting, she shared with me her own frustrations with "normal old" cleaners.  She had used a "household" chemical that ended up causing her to be over exposed to a nasty little chemical - which gave her asthma!  This is not uncommon and actually a pretty high insistence in the cleaning/restoration/building industries.  While on the phone, she also told me about a friend who lost her eye from working with a toilet bowl cleaner!  I would love to say, these are rare incidences but I can't.

   What is true is that we have all gotten so used to using chemicals in our food, on our bodies, to clean with to paint with, to make and to create with that we are not weary any more.  These products that are sold in our grocery stores, just a couple isles down from our food, must be safe...Right???

   Here is what I know:  
      We as a society use way too much chemical to get most jobs done- needlessly
     These chemicals are usually over kill for the job- too aggressive and too dangerous
     We have stopped using systems and physics but now rely only on the strength of chemical to get the
               job done
      Many chemicals:
               especially cleaners, pesticides, paints, disinfectants and fragrances are sprayed into our air
      Chemicals get accidentally mixed together all the time
      We are habitual by nature and become desensitized to what we are around all the time
      The labels, which are not great but still helpful, are rarely read or followed
      Safety measures are rarely implemented
      Change takes effort and so finding safer alternatives gets put on the back burner of our long to do lists
      We forget to ask questions about our chemicals- what, why, how, when, where????
      We apply lots of chemical and then leave them behind....
       We don't know where to start or how to use safer products and so we give up

    I'm not against modern improvements and our business is based on using chemicals to assist our work.  But what I am against is not pausing those few seconds to ponder our next step. It is in those precious seconds of questioning our next move, of listening to the little voice within, of pausing to ask for help that makes all the difference in the world.

   If you can, please come visit my upcoming presentations. 
                  If you cant, then I ask you a favor?...

 Before you use a chemical in your home or on your body...

1.  Pause - learn to pause and ask questions
             What are you using?
              Why are you using it?  How long have you used it? How do you feel when you use it?
              What is it?  What is in it?  What is that?
              Have I read the label- do I understand this product?
              Is there a better, safer, milder product or way to go forward?

2. Practice Doing no harm- always use the mildest and safest way
             Is this product safe for me, the environment, the material I'm working with?
             How am I using it?  Did it get into mouth, get on my skin or into my lungs?
             Is there a safer way?  Can I prevent needing this product?

3.  Leave nothing behind!  
            What is lingering behind?
            Did I remove this product-completely?
            How do I feel?

4.  Go outside and breathe
           Unplug for just a second and go outside.  Breathe in fresh air, look at the sky, the trees the water
           We typically spend 80-90% percent of our time indoors
           Our homes are usually 2-5 times more toxic than the outdoors.
           Sometimes our best solution is to look at life from a new angle.

Hope to see you on Sept 13th!  As always, wishing you a healthy, happy and residue free home!
        Denise
         

   
           

No healthy level of lead in our blood

Last week, I attended an all day seminar for Children's Environmental Health Training. Lead was once again a huge topic. Last night, I got to thinking it was time I posted about lead exposure and your kids. Please read on for sources of lead exposure, the effects lead has on our families health and finally tips for an Ounce of Prevention.

When a child or anyone tests high for lead exposure, finding the source of the lead is critical.
Toxic levels can be created by volume x frequency. Sometimes the exposure can be small amounts of lead from multiple sources or one source with consistent exposure. You can also have a one time high level exposure.

Common Sources of lead:

Houses built before 1978 (paint, varnishes, window and door sills)
Plumbing/water
Soil (smelt plants and leaded gas residues)
Shooting ranges (shot-bullets)
Weights (golf, curtain, lifting, fishing sinkers)
Garden hoses (the insides switch to white drinking hoses or run water through before use)
Pottery
Imported foods and spices (sometimes even US products)
Mini Blinds
Toys
Antique -painted furniture
Beverage containers

If you have a small child it is a good idea to get a blood lead level test. The ideal blood level would be zero ug/dl. There are no safe levels. The average level is 2ug/dl. A child's body is developing, this developmental time is a critical time to protect your child. Keeping a look out for exposure to lead is one of the best gifts you can give your child. "One out of every 40 American Children has too much lead in his or her body. The rate of lead poisoning is even higher in cities"

Blood lead levels of less than 10ug/dl can cause these health problems:

In children:
Decreased IQ
Increased Behavioral problems
Decreased learning ability
Decreased attention span
Decreased test scores
Decreased motor skills
"Damage can be irreversible, affecting children throughout their lives"

In adults:
High blood pressure
Physical fatigue
Hazardous to pregnant women - damages the baby

I hover between not wanting to instill fear and wanting to educate for a healthy family. In the case of lead, finding high lead blood levels and removing the sources is the side I landed on. An ounce of prevention is the best medicine.

An Ounce of Prevention Tips:

Wash hands after playing in the soil and before eating
Know when your home was built. Either have a certified renovator test or use the lead check kit from http://www.leadcheck.com/ (follow instructions very carefully)
1978 or older: test for lead before doing any remodeling, changing windows or painting.
1978 or older: damp dust, vacuum with HEPA filtered vacuum
1978 or older: clean up any paint chips around windows and doors. Lead is sweet children may eat the sweet paint chips or suck on window sills
Install effective and large entry mats to every entrance to home and take off shoes
Install water filters
Test children for blood lead levels, Especially, when kids are crawling and on the ground a lot.

As always, wishing you a healthy home and family,
Denise Frakes
Certified Healthy Home Specialist and Renovator

Sources: Healthy home Essentials course, Lead Safety for Renovation, Repair and Painting and Children's Environmental Health Training

Open up the windows and ventilate your home

The sun is finally shining up here in the NW, it feels like summer. Time to open up the windows and air out the home. When I was growing up, my mom was always opening up the house to air it out. Most times it wasn't as nice as today. I was usually cold and wondering why my mom did the things she did. Now I realize, it was because she was very wise.

One of the most important things you can do to improve the health of your home is to improve its ventilation. Stagnate air out - fresh air in. Opening up the windows, turning on your vents and running your whole house ventilation system can help improve your ventilation. Keep in mind, what goes out must come back in. Any air that leaves the home, the equal amount must come back in.

Having a home with healthy ventilation does many beneficial things. According to the National center for healthy homes "Proper ventilation can reduce hazards of:

Volatile organic compounds (VOC)
Moisture
Environmental Tobacco smoke
Particulate matter
Allergens
Mold
Carbon Monoxide
Formaldehyde

Considering, in most homes, the indoor polutants have higher concentrations than outdoor air by 2x5 times! Keeping your home ventilated is a fundamental part of a healthy home and family.

Wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise Frakes

Top 5 tips for a fresh smelling home over the holidays

Season's greetings and wishing you a happy and healthy home.

This morning I was thinking about a phone call I had yesterday and thought it was a good time for holiday reminder.

During the winter months and especially during the holidays, we close our houses and add lots of fragrances. A home has smells, it is part of living. Close up your house and those smells become a little more obvious. Of course, you don't want your house to smell like dirty socks or your cat box so what do you do? If you listen to the TV, you might choose the options of: spraying disinfectants and deodorizers, lighting scented candles, using plug ins, or misting fragrances.

What happened? Your home no longer smells like socks but pumpkin spice, misty mountain and cider apple. All good stuff right? Our sense of smell is very powerful, but our ability to guess what is giving us a headache, sinus infection, stuffy nose, or watery eyes may be harder to distinguish. If you or a family member is sensitive to fragrances, these added smells may be giving you more than you hoped for.

While your home is closed for the winter, be mindful of what you are adding back to your air. Sometimes the fragrances we add may not be so festive!

Top 5 tips for a fresh smelling and healthy home:

1. Open up your windows as often as possible
2. Keep your home clean- especially well vacuumed and dusted
3. Run you vents and fans during: showers, cooking and laundry
( make sure your vents, vent directly outside)
4. Remove the source of the odor, don't cover it up
5. Introduce healthy and yummy smells
Roast chestnuts:)
Bake cookies
Put a little fresh cinnamon and cloves on the stove

A clean home, a fresh home, and a loved home usually smell pretty good.

From our house to yours- Happy Holidays,
Denise and Dallas Frakes

4 Steps to Healthier Air

Today, I was pondering which topic to visit about for the health of your home. There are so many but the one that has the strongest effect on my own health is fragrance.
That is our topic today: Fragrance and how it affects the health of your home

The over abundance of fragrances in a home, can be a hidden irritant to you and your families health. Almost everything and anything can have a fragrance added. Even, get this, unscented and natural products! To find an scent free product look for products listed as fragrance free.

Where do these fragrances come from...everywhere! A typical home can easily contain the following fragrance filled products: candles, plug ins, shampoos and cream rinces, cleaners, furniture polish, body deodorizer, body lotions and soaps, air freshener, disinfectant sprays, and perfume. Get the picture? They are everywhere and in almost everything.

Why is this unhealthy to your home? Because those fragrances are what you breath. Besides just being unhealthy in general, a lot of people, like me, are sensitive to different fragrances.

From the American Lung Association, here is a quote from Facts about Perfumes, Fragrances and Scented Products:
"People with asthma or allergies can have their respiratory problems triggered by perfumes. Small children, babies and the elderly are especially susceptible to these effects. People who are sensitive to perfumes sometimes notice headaches, problems breathing, watery eyes, nausea, fatigue and other symtoms."

For me, I get watery eyes, my throat gets all flemmy and my sinuses start giving me fits-how lovely is that!. Headaches and fatique are sneaky side affects of fragrance sensitivities that give many unsuspecting family members troubles.

What can you do?

4 Steps to Healthier Air
1) Start by becoming aware of the scented products in your home.
2) Notice how you or other members of your family feel around fragrances.
3) When you buy new products, look products listed as fragrance free.
4) Open up your windows, turn on your vents and consider getting a good air HEPA filter
in your home.

A home should be a place of health not the source of unhealth. Consider taking a deeper look at the fragrances and perfumes that may be lurking in your home and car.

If you have any questions, you are always welcome to call on us. I am not only the co-owner of Blue Sky Services but I'm also a Master Home Enviromentalist volunteer from the American Lung Association.

As always, we wish you a healthy and happy home,
Denise Frakes
Blue Sky Services

My emotional tie leads to dangerous product use

Apparently, no one is immune from emotions.
.
Last night at my Master Home Environmentalist class I was in for a surprise....
.
Maybe I should go back a bit. When I was little, my grandparents made furniture for us kids. In my house, I have beautiful wooden tables, dressers and book cases. All made by hand and each with amazing love from my grandparents. They meticulously hand sanded and hand oiled each piece over and over until the color was rich and the finish smooth. They used Old English furniture polish and so I have used Old English furniture polish to care for their/my furniture ever since.
.
I love my grandparents, unfortunately they are no longer with me except in my memories. Each week as I clean, especially when I clean the things they made me, I always feel a little closer to them and appreciate their gifts more and more as time goes.
.
What does this have to do with my class or with dangerous products? Everything! Because of my love, respect and use of a product over decades, I didn't read the label. I didn't even question this product- which is so unlike me. The odors were familiar and the product handed down from people I love and greatly admire. To turn my back on their wisdom and question was not even in my field of vision.
.
Until last night..... If you read the back of the Old English Lemon Oil furniture polish it says and I quote "Keep out of reach of Children. DANGER: Harmful or fatal if swallowed. May cause eye irritation. DO NOT ingest. Avoid contact with eyes. Contains petroleum distillates greater than 10%..." It continues on, but I think you get the main point. I was using a product with the key word danger, which is the equivalent of poison on the key words rating scale.
.
You know, I talk about this very thing. How easy it is for us to be emotionally attached to a smell, a cleaner and method. Bleach, pine sol, disinfectants, pesticides, lemon deodorizers, fragrances... the list goes on and on. What we sometimes don't realized is the product is just the product. It is either safe or not. It is our emotional ties to our past, to family members we love and respect that can put blinders on us. Last night I felt like I had cold water thrown in my face. Apparently, I am just has emotionally connected to my cleaners as everyone else.
.
I will continue to love my grandparents and cherish their wisdom and think of them as I clean.
But from now, on I just wont be using a poisonous product to do it with.
.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy home from one very surprised and humbled cleaner. Who I might add is a little sad this morning-from the loss of a cleaner and the emotion that connect. wow!
.
Denise Frakes
Blue Sky Services

A commercial gets my goat...

Last night Dallas and I were watching the finals of the NCAA tournament. Great game. I was cheering for Butler but I like Duke so it was still good when Duke one. Still, its hard not to feel for any team who as given such a gallant effort and not quite made it to the top. As interesting as the game was, it is not what I wanted to visit with you about this morning. It was a commercial we saw while watching the game that made me sit back and wonder...

.

I'm not going to mention any names but the commercial came from one of our main box stores that starts with the letter L. The whole commercial was about buying pesticides! Like everyone should do it, it is normal and perfectly safe. The commercial focused on dandelions and ants. My last blog was about minimizing and preventing the use of pesticides and here it was big bold and in full color.

.

At our home we have 2 dogs and a cat- Reggie, Sally and Penny. They eat grass every time they get a chance, run and roll everywhere and then lick their paws after they come inside. I'll come clean- we have dandelions on our property. I just think a little yellow flower isn't as dangerous as using a product that kills. I love my pets and I have no intention of bringing pesticides into my home. Plus they aren't good for our environment. I realize this is a total soap box moment but I just couldn't help myself.

.

Years ago, one of our chemical suppliers, who provided us with a disinfectant to be used after a flood, gave us an interesting perspective. Disinfectants and pesticides kill organics... we are organic... as is our pets, kids, bees, lady bugs, birds, fish... always use with extreme caution.

Just a thought to ponder on..

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Wishing you a healthy and happy home.

Denise

Blue Sky Services- Natural stone, tile and grout care plus a whole lot more...

3 ways cleaning can make our homes unhealthy

Why do we clean? I know this probably sounds like a stupid question, but ask yourself why you clean.

I know our days are filled with a million things- thinking about why we clean is not exactly on top of our to do list. It's not that I think you should just sit around dreaming of cleaning or the philosophy of cleaning but here are three little thoughts that might be worth a minute or two.

3 ways cleaning can make our homes unhealthy

1) Using too much cleaner and accidental leaving behind cleaner residue...
        Over cleaning, spraying your cleaners and not rinsing leaves chemical residue everywhere-
        This residue can mix with other cleaners, get on our pets and kids and become our dust...

2) Using too harsh, toxic or aggressive cleaners in normal cleaning
       These restorative cleaners can be dangerous to our health and the health of our surfaces
       Most cleaners sold are more of what I would consider a restorative cleaner
      When we expect fast results- we get restoration cleaners

3) We are so rushed for time or focused on the task we may not notice how we are feeling
      Scratchy throats, sinus pressure, stiff backs, strong fumes, tight shoulders...
      These little tell tale signs often go unnoticed- until...

I believe our primary focus of cleaning should be health:
     The health of our families and pets
     The health of our surfaces
    The health of whoever is doing the cleaning

Cleaning is important and vital to the health and well being of our families and homes. Maybe spending hours thinking about cleaning is out of the questions, but consider giving it at least a moments thought.

Wishing you a healthy and happy home,
Denise

Top 4 pet tips in designing and caring for your home

Yesterday, I was watching Reggie. He is our 16 year old English Shepard Dog-with very arthritic back legs. He was trying to stand on the hardwood floors in our bedroom. Reggy's back legs were shaking and sliding out from under him.
He reminded me about the importance of our pets as we design and care for our homes.

Here are my top 3 pet tips:

1) Consider your pets when you pick your flooring. Too slick of surfaces may be hard for your pet to get footing. This lack of traction is hard on old hips.

2) Don't leave cleaning residue behind on your floors.
Pets walk on floors and later lick their paws.
On occasion- I have even seen ours licking the floor.

3) Be aware of any pesticide or herbicide used outdoors.

These chemicals often get tracked back indoors.
As your pets run around outside they may nibble on the grass and later lick their paws.

4) Be careful with your toilet cleaning. Dogs love to drink the cool water out of our toilets. Unfortunately, most toilet cleaners are pretty toxic. Use safe cleaners, rinse completely and leave the toilet seat down!

Thankfully, most of our home flooring is slate. Reggie has no problem with the slate floors.
We also don't leave cleaning residue behind and our gardening and lawn care is organic. Now, we just have to take care when he comes back to say hi in our bedrooms with the hardwood floors.

p.s. this info also applicable to our whole family not just our four legged members.

Wishing you and your pets a healthy and happy home.

Epoxy use safety article from NTCA

An ounce of prevention is good advice. Today I was reading my Tile letter magazine and came across an article called "Avoid the dangers of epoxy grouts and mortars". It is an article helping contractors be aware of a possible allergic reaction to epoxy. It reminds us to not let our skin and eyes come in contact with epoxy as you might develop an allergic reaction. Apparently, the reaction is like having 2nd degree burns. Once you get the reaction is seems to be permanent. Even the fumes could be an ongoing problem.

This article is a wise reminder to read labels and follow directions. This is good advice if you are a contractor or homeowner. Research your products and always remember to be healthy as you work.

It is easy to get caught up in working and forget about your own health. Please take care of yourself as you care for your client's homes or for your own home.

If you would like the full article, it is in the November issue of Tile Letter, page 12. You might also be able to find it at www.tileletter.com. The article was written by Michael Whistler he is the Region 10 NTCA director. For more information or to find out about using the NTCA Contractor Safety Program contact Jim Olson. jim@tile-assn.com or by phone (601)-939-2071. Jim Olson is the NTCA's assistant executive director. NTCA is the National Tile Contractor's Association

Here's to being heathly as you work,
Denise

Cleaners Can Look Like Food!

  In 2007, I attended an 8 week program from King County to become a MRC-Master Recycler Composter.  Part of the course was on having a healthy home.  This included chemical safety.

  One product of concern was Pine Sol, not for what was in the bottle but because Pine Sol looks like juice.  I didn't think much of it until I was in Costco one day and saw a man with 2 containers of "juice" in his cart.  When I looked a little closer I realized the "juice" was acutally Pine Sol!! They were right, those two bottles could have easily been confused with juice.  For a child, the look is more important than the label.

  Keep in mind, cleaners can look an awful lot like food.  Another cleaner that can get mixed up is Parmasan cheese and Comet.  Please keep your cleaners safely away from children, especially on cleaning day.  

  As an added note:  Did you know Pine Sol Original has a pH of 3.  This is an acid and can etch marble, travertine, grout, onyx, and limestone.  Always know the pH of the cleaner you are using.
  
     Wishing you a happy and healthy home,
                               Denise

The picture shown is an end display of Pine Sol at Walmart.