Kevin Molloy, a local indoor air quality expert has the following tips on keeping you and your house in tip-top condition.

1. If you have pets keep them away from carpeted areas and bedrooms.

2. Prohibit smoking in your home, especially if you have babies or elderly at home.

3. Make sure your kitchen and bathrooms are vented with fan driven extraction.

4. Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter.

5. Use solid wood flooring and tiles instead of carpets and laminates where you can.

6. Where you burn organic materials like wood and coal, make sure chimneys and flues are well vented. Headaches or breathing difficulties would suggest there could be a carbon monoxide problem and this should be checked immediately.

7. Make sure you have adequate air flow from vents or other means in rooms with fires or stoves.

8. Some furnishings contain formaldehyde and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and can give off gas chemical emissions. Choose solid hardwood before veneers and laminates.

9. If carpets or rugs are in a place where they often get wet, throw them out as they are a likely breeding places for mould.

10. When you bring dry-cleaning home, hang it outdoors with the plastic cover off to air out cleaning solvents.

11. Cleaning agents and aerosols stored under your kitchen sink can harbour harmful chemicals and components that are potentially hazardous and can cause dizziness, nausea, allergic reactions, and eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation. Some aerosol spray products release particles into the air that can be inhaled into the lungs and absorbed into the bloodstream. Substitute pump products whenever available.

12. Where possible use natural cleaners like vinegar and lemon juice instead of chemicals.

13. Try to air your house at least once a day by opening doors and windows.

14. Use an air cleaner with a good HEPA filter especially in winter when it is too cold to open doors and in June and July when pollen counts are high.

15. Make sure that sewage and waste pipes are correctly vented and odours and gases are not coming back into the house.

16. If anyone in the house sneezes a lot or has itchy eyes or nose or runny eyes or nose or coughs a lot these are the first indicators of airborne allergies. You need a good air purifier like a Biozone Scientific or Austin Air.

17. If you notice an odour every time you come into your home, you also need a good quality air purifier. Get professional advice.

18. If you feel something in your home is causing you health problems see your doctor.

Kevin Molloy can be reached for help or advice at ‘Pure Air Technologies’

Tel: 01-4510448, Mobile: 087-6556344 Email: kmolloy@pureairtechnologies.co.uk
Website: www.pureairtechnologies.ie