Effects Of Sound In The Home
Uncontrollable noise is irritating. The roar of an airplane overhead, the rattle from a passing train, and chronic urban noise can have negative effects on health. Uncontrollable noise exists in homes, too—intermittent, impulsive, and continuous ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Eliminating Polluted Indoor Air
Another major group is known as volatile organic compounds (VOC's)—chemicals that vaporize, or become a gas at normal room temperatures. VOC's are emitted by things like paints, paint strippers, varnishes, and waxes, cleaning products, hobby ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Fabrics, Furnishings, And Indoor Air Quality
Consumer and health advocacy groups disagree. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group cites studies linking fire retardants to health effects including neurological damage, reproductive problems, and permanent memory loss. Advocates have called ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Paint, Wallpaper, And Indoor Air Quality
There are no federal regulations that detail the indoor safety of these products or identify their impact on humans. VOC concentrations can register ten times higher indoors than outdoors, but their impact on indoor air quality is not made clear ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Removing Radon From The Home
The simplest way to keep radon out is to seal the openings through which it enters. Gaps around utility pipes and cracks in basement floors and between the basement floor and walls are easy to seal with minimally expanding foam. However, smaller ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Safe Indoor Air For Children
The best approach to creating a healthy indoor environment is to minimize the things in baby's room than can contaminate the air. Use paints, finishes, and adhesives that are low in volatile organic compounds (VOC's), which can cause eye and ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Soundproofing The Home
There are many prescriptions for controlling unwanted sound. Manufacturers and builders alike have noted the need and responded with soundproof doors, windows, and ceiling systems. Manufacturers offer everything from anti-sound boards that are ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Testing For Radon Gas
Radon is a product of the decay of radium. When it breaks down, it produces radioactive particles that cling to dust and other materials. How and why radon concentrates in a house depends on several factors: house design, soil conditions, and ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Indoor Air Quality: Is Your Home’S Air Safe?
You don't have to be the victim of flooding to have a mold problem in your home. A leaky window, an improperly vented bathroom or even a pipe with faulty insulation can cause the notorious fungus to thrive in your home. While not everyone ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Eliminating Summertime Pests
Ants show up in your house looking for food or water, or to avoid bad weather, such as flooding. The best way to keep them outside where they belong is to caulk any cracks, crevices or small holes, says Frederique DeLame entomologist for Combat ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Prescription For A Healthy Home
Cleaning your ducts is also an option to consider, especially in new construction. “I would say in 95 percent of the new construction that I look at, the entire duct system is completely filthy before people ever move in,” says Jeffrey C. May, ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
Reduce Allergies And Asthma With Home Improvements
Better Living Now, a medical supply company in Hauppauge, N.Y., that works with insurers to help patients with asthma control their symptoms, visits homes to find problem areas that will trigger symptoms. Among the most powerful tools in their ... [... more]
Bob Vila |
