Having clean air to breathe is not just a luxury and many people are learning about the various ways to improve air quality when they are indoors. One of the methods to help improve air quality is the use of humifiers and dehumidifiers to control the moisture in the air. Air moisture may not be something that you thought a lot about, but it could be a large contributing factor to the negative symptoms that you experience at times. That means then that air moisture can be a very important factor in comfort when you are indoors and can also significantly contribute to your overall health as well. Consider the following health issues and how it relates to air moisture: Many allergy sufferers have a severe allergic reaction to mold in the are or on surfaces and fabrics around them. This mold issue is usually directly tied to the amount of moisture that is present in the air in that space. By reducing the air moisture content the mold allergy can often be brought under manageable control. High humidity at high temperatures can also sometimes lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke in extreme cases. And dust mites that often trigger allergy attacks begin to die off when the humidity level drops below 50%. On the flip side, when the air is too dry people can be uncomfortable and can suffer from dry mucus membranes which can lead to nosebleeds and infections. Low humidity can also aggravate the symptoms of asthma at times. A good way to track air moisture indoors is to get a digital hygrometer to actually monitor the humidity in the air. It's a simple gadget to read and the information it produces can be invaluable. You see most people feel comfortable at 45-50% humidity between 68-72 degrees. That is considered the optimal comfort zone. Some variance on either side of the optimum zone is fine, but wide fluctuations can be hard on your health. If the humidity level falls below 30% you should turn on an air humidifier to help put moisture back. If the moisture level consistently rises above 60% in your home, you should employ a dehumidifier or air conditioner to reduce the moisture level. By following the guidelines listed here you can help increase your indoors comfort level and improve your health easily and quickly. Duane Johnson - All About Home Air Purifiers is a site that provides free information, tips, and resources for finding the best home air purifiers, commercial air purifiers, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers to help improve your health. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

A humidifier is a household piece of equipment that increases the level of water vapor, or moisture, in a room. In winters, the furnace, in addition to heating up your home also dries it up. For a comfortable environment a variety of humidifiers are available to add moisture to the dry winter air. In addition to portable, console and other types of humidifiers there are central humidifiers as well. A central humidifier is attached to the home’s central heating system. They are usually mounted on the hot or cold air ducts of your furnace. Unlike other humidifiers, like the console type or the portable type, where you have to periodically replenish the water reservoir, the central humidifier is connected directly to the home’s plumbing, doing away with the need to replenish water. Connected to the furnace, these are the most economical systems. Moisture is controlled with a humidistat and fed directly into the warm airflow.

Central Humidifier Types

Generally there are three types of central humidifiers:

• The bypass type with drain supplies hot air through it to the humidifier mounted on the return air duct. The supply duct provides hot air to the home and the return duct draws the cool air to be heated. The excess water drains through a tube into the floor drain.
• The bypass type without drain operates similarly to the previous type. Only, the excess water does not drain but is used to moisten the revolving element through which the air passes.
• The spray type injects the mist directly into the ducts.

Instead of using individual humidifiers in various rooms, the use of central humidifiers is a very effective way to deal with the dry-home syndrome.

Problems with humidity can lead to heartbreak for the classical (or other) guitarist. Excessive humidity or dryness can ruin an instrument probably quicker than you think. You must always be aware of what conditions you are leaving your instrument, whether inside a guitar case or within a room or in the open. They should NEVER be left in the sun for any length of time. When guitars are built they are usually in an environment where the relative humidity of the room is kept constant, roughly around 50%. To be safe you ideally should keep your instrument around this mark though they are generally regarded as safe between 40%-70% as the upper and lower margins. Below or above this can be drastic for your instrument! An interesting example of anecdotal evidence of problems with humidity I've heard is with Ramirez guitars. Because they're made in Spain where the humidity is often above the 50% mark and are shipped to areas where the humidity is much lower with dry winter conditions, they can easily develop cracks and slits throughout the guitar. Having made an investment for such a beautiful guitar you¡¦d be mad not to invest in a relatively cheap system for keeping the humidity of your guitar constant, like a guitar humidifier case for example. The damage caused by too much humidity or of drying out your instrument can range from cracks, splits and shrinkage to warping and even snapping of the wood. There are many things you can do to prevent problems from the start. You know the old saying "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." I would recommend keeping your house, or wherever you keep your instrument, at a constant temperature and humidity all year round. Next I would get a humidifier for my guitar case, whether one sold commercially which releases moisture slowly and attaches to the inside of your case, or a home-made one which could consist of a wet cloth (be careful not to let it touch your instrument as it may damage the wood). Another thing to invest in is a "hygrometer", which is an instrument that will keep track of humidity, or lack of it in your guitar case. As mentioned above, some guitar cases are made with these things as standard. If you follow these few simple rules and keep an eye out for changes in temperature and humidity conditions it shouldn't be hard to keep your instrument in good order. Trevor Maurice is an Australian, living in beautiful seaside Maroubra, in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. He's been involved in playing guitar (mainly classical) for longer than he cares to remember and has also taught the instrument for many years. He is teacher trained, having a Diploma of Education (Majoring in music) He has also taught Primary (Elementary) school for many years and had a long-held dream to build a quality website for the classical guitar that is of use to anyone even slightly interested in this beautiful instrument. He has now made that dream a reality with the highly rated… http://www.learnclassicalguitar.com/index.html Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

The dust mite's mouth parts are grouped in front of the body, resembling a head. Their body is oval and covered with fine striations. Their eight tiny legs have small sticky pads which enable them to burrow deep into carpet fibers and furniture, easily resisting the pull of even the most powerful vacuum cleaners. You definitely would not want to turn over in your bed and find yourself face to face with one of these strange looking creatures. Unfortunately, that is where their populations are often the highest. The average bed can easily have over 10,000 dust mites living in it. Dust mites do not bite, sting or transmit diseases, so they pose no harm except to people who are allergic to a protein they produce. Their numbers have increased dramatically in the past 20 to 30 years, especially during the winter months, partly due to tighter homes where ventilation is limited and temperatures tend to be warmer. Egg-laying female mites can increase the population by 25 to 30 every three weeks. They go through five stages in their life cycle; from egg, the larvae stage, then two nymphal stages, and finally the adult. The adult may also molt once. This cycle from egg to the adult takes about one month. Adult mites can live up to two months, depending on the humidity levels and temperatures of their environment. They do not drink water but they absorb moisture from the air and their environment. They just love higher relative humidities of 70-80% and temperatures of 75-80 degrees F in which their development and food consumption increases.

Dust Mites Produce a Powerful Allergen

It is the protein DER p1 in the faecal products and disintegrating body parts of these minute dust mites that has a mighty adverse effect on those who are allergic to it. Dust mites produce about 20 pellets per day, each measuring about 10 to 24 microns in size. To put that in perspective, the diameter of the human hair measures 80-100 microns. A gram of dust can hold 250,000 of these minute droppings. They are so tiny and light that they float easily into the air when disturbed by our daily activities. Inhaling these minute particles causes allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to this protein. Allergens from the dust mite which cause asthmatic symptoms was first suggested in 1921 but analysis of dust did not happen until 1964 when a group led by Voohorst suggested that a mite may be responsible for the dust allergen. It was soon established that the dust mite droppings contain an allergen so they became a focus over the years for their involvement with respiratory ailments. The DER p1 produced by the dust mite is though to be the most important allergen associated with asthma. About 10% of the population are allergic to dust mite extracts.

Identifying the Sensitivity to Dust Mite Protein

House dust contains many types of debris, including fabric fibers, human skin scales, human and animal dander, bacteria, cockroach parts, mold spores, food particles and other organic and synthetic materials. About 90% of the people who are allergic to house dust extracts are allergic to dust mite extracts. Symptoms which may come from sensitivities to the dust mite protein include sneezing, congestion, itchy, watery eyes and persistently stuffy nose and ears. Symptoms point more specifically to dust mites when you experience repeated sneezing shortly after awakening, symptoms get worse when beds are made or when using your vacuum cleaner, and improve when you are outside. Diagnosis, using scratch tests, etc., by an Allergist is recommended to determine which allergens cause reactions. These doctors who specialize in treating allergies can recommend a course of action specifically designed to reduce or eliminate your allergic reactions. This may include steps for reducing exposure to troublesome allergens, medical therapy and desensitization injections (Systemic Immunotherapy - SIT). The latter may be recommended if avoidance and medical therapy fail to sufficiently reduce the allergic reaction. It involves injections of a dust mite extract starting weekly, followed by injections every six weeks for three to five years.

Importance of Reducing Exposure to the Dust Mite Allergen

If your family is not sensitive to the dust mite protein DER p1, managing them may not be a high priority. For those who suffer from it, management by reducing exposure to the allergen DER p1 is quite important. Two important aspects which need to be addressed are the removal of environments which are conducive to dust and dust mites and the reduction of airborne dust mite droppings and disintegrating body parts. Inhaling these minute particles causes allergic reactions in those who are sensitive to this protein. The exposure level at which you experience allergic reactions is determined by the sum of exposure to all allergens you're sensitive to. Those who are sensitive to multiple allergens find that reduction of exposure to any of the allergens will help in their tolerance of all the allergens. It is important to realize that you do not need to completely eliminate exposure to allergens. Simply keeping your total exposure of all allergens below the threshold at which you experience reactions is all that is necessary.

Reducing Exposure to Allergens in Your Bed

Due to the amount of time we spend sleeping the mattress should be covered with a protector, our bedrooms are the areas which deserve the most attention. Simply turning over in bed or breathing near your pillow can cause you to inhale minute dust mite droppings. Using hypo-allergenic fiberfill pillows is recommended over feather, kapok or foam since they are more easily washed. Encasing your pillows, mattress and box spring with plastic or specially coated or finely woven (pore size < 10 microns) vapor- permeable fabrics will deprive the dust mites of food and prevent many of the dust mite droppings from reaching you. The fabrics are more comfortable since they allow perspiration vapor to be more naturally carried away from your skin. Thorough vacuuming the mattresses, especially the seams and bed frame on a regular basis is also helpful. Wash your sheets and mattress pads in soapy water at 130 degrees F every one or two weeks to kill all mites. Bedding and curtains which can withstand frequent washing should be selected. Blankets can be dry cleaned or washed frequently. Using an electric blanket for eight hours every day can reduce dust mites in beds significantly. Heating blankets in a cloths dryer for several hours also kills mites. By doing this, dry cleaning or washing of blankets can be reduced to once a year.

Reducing Exposure to Allergens in All Your Rooms

Wall to wall carpet and upholstered surfaces can be reduced or replaced with hard surfaces that are easier to clean. Dust mites can not survive long on hard surfaces due to dehydration. They absorb water through contact with their environment. Dusting with a ULPA or HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner or specially treated cloths is recommended over damp mopping. The latter may increase the humidity in the house. Dust mites can't live at humidities below 50%. Using air conditioners and dehumidifiers during the summer to keep the humidity between 40% and 50% is often recommended. During winter, if using a humidifier, be careful to keep the humidity in this same range. A good humidity gauge can help monitor this. Carpets that get damp on a regular basis should be replaced with hard surfaces. Having carpets professional cleaned with superheated steam will effectively killing dust mites in them. Carpets can be treated with sprays containing 3% tannic acid to make dust mite droppings non- allergic. Benzyl benzoate powder which actually kills dust mites is also available. Reduction of contact with dust mite droppings is often preferred since these contain toxic chemicals which some people are sensitive to.

Reducing Exposure to Allergens with Air Filters

Wearing a well fitting dust mask while vacuuming and making beds can reduce the dust mite allergens you inhale. Some allergists even recommend airing out a room really well after vacuuming to reduce the airborne particles which are stirred up by many vacuum cleaners. Furnace mounted and portable air cleaners are available but their cost may be greater than the benefits achieved by them. They definitely are not a substitute for the preventative measures described above. The best are media type filters like those which meet the stringent HEPA specification. Electrostatic filters are not recommended unless cleaned regularly in which case they may be as effective. Special filters can be placed on the furnace air vents leading to your rooms to help trap allergens before they can enter the room. Air cleaners which generate ozone should be avoided since they have little effect on allergens in the air and may worsen allergy symptoms since the ozone may irritate the respiratory system.

Importance of an ULPA or HEPA Filtered Vacuum Cleaner

The vacuum cleaner is one of the most important tools for managing dust mites and their minute droppings. Thorough cleaning of carpets, mattresses, upholstered furniture, curtains and drapery regularly will reduce the dust mite allergens in your home. It is better to clean thoroughly once a week instead of lightly every day. In order to prevent these minute particles containing allergens from being recirculated into the air you breathe, a vacuum cleaner's filtration system must be very efficient at trapping particles at least that small. The agitation and air flow created by your vacuum cleaner to clean you surfaces causes a huge number of minute dust mite dropping to be drawn into it. They can easily pass through most vacuum cleaner bags and filters and be exhausted back into the air you breathe, making it much dirtier than before. The vacuum cleaner industry is taking advantage of the development of advanced filtration media to provide much higher quality exhausted air than was possible just a few years ago. The current cutting edge in vacuum cleaner technology is in the area of improving the filtration efficiencies of vacuum cleaners. Special high filtration paper bags are available from many manufacturers which filter much better than conventional ones. To learn more about these high filtration paper bags, see our article on the efficiency of vacuum cleaner paper bags To reduce the effects on allergies and asthma caused by the allergens in dust mite droppings, look for a vacuum cleaner with an ULPA or HEPA filter. It also is very important to have a completely sealed system so all air flow must pass through the ULPA or HEPA filter to be cleaned by it. By combining high filtration paper bags, a Certified HEPA filter and completely sealed systems, vacuum cleaners can achieve extremely high filtration efficiencies of 99.97% at 0.3 micron size particles. ULPA filters have an even higher efficiency of 99.999% at 0.12 micron size particles. For more information about HEPA and ULPA filtration.

Summary

Dust mites are microscopic creatures which live at peace with all of us, constantly going about their routine of cleaning up our environment. Unfortunately, for about 10% of the population, the protein DER p1 in their minute droppings causes allergic reactions which affect their respiratory systems causing allergic reactions and triggering asthmatic attacks. A visit to an doctor specializing in allergies (allergist) can confirm which allergens you are sensitive to. They are able to prescribe a course of action which may include steps to reduce the allergen exposure, medication therapy and possibly desensitization injections. Key steps to reduce exposure to dust mite allergens include encasing mattresses and pillows, washing bedding and curtains regularly, controlling humidity in you home and cleaning thoroughly with a powerful high filtration vacuum cleaner. In extreme cases, carpets and upholstered surfaces should be replaced with hard surfaces which are easier to clean and which inhibit dust mite growth. The goal is to reduce allergen exposure to below the level at which allergic reactions occur, not necessarily the elimination of all exposure to the dust mite allergen. The Marble Master Stone Care System is specially formulated and developed by stone care professionals with more than 40 years of experience in the natural stone industry. For more information or to purchase the products, visit www.marblemasteruk.com or call 020 8807 8889. You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@marblemasteruk.com Edward Green owns and operates the highly successful Marble Master Ltd company. Marble Master specializes in Restoration and Refinishing of all types of natural stone and consultancy services to Architects, Restoration Companies and Interior Designers. http://www.marblemasteruk.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

We use humidifiers in our homes to increase the moisture in the room. Excessive moisture encourages the growth of microorganisms such as, bacteria and mold in our homes. Cleaning humidifiers regularly is very important, as breathing these pollutants is a health hazard. Manufacturer’s instructions on the methods of cleaning and use of humidifier cleaners should be followed. It is advisable to empty out the left over water after every use, and clean and disinfect the reservoir. Cool mist humidifiers do not boil water and so bacteria are not killed. Rather, they accumulate and multiply in stagnant water. Restarting the humidifier with this water will cause bacteria to infect the air in your home. Cleaning humidifiers is essential for their efficient and continued performance.

Care and Maintenance Of Humidifiers

For the upkeep of humidifiers, there are certain daily and weekly cleaning procedures. This will ensure there are no bacteria built-up. Usually, the filters are required to be changed two to three times a season. This, of course, depends on the quality of the water used as well as the mineral content of the water. Cleaning humidifiers involve:

Daily Humidifier Cleaning

• Remove the reservoir from the unit.
• Remove the wick filter and rinse under running water to remove sediment or dirt.
• Drain water from the reservoir, thoroughly rinse, and wipe it clean.
• Put the parts back and refill the reservoir.

Weekly Cleaning of Humidifiers

• Clean, as you would do on a daily basis.
• Add the recommended humidifier cleaner or 250 ml of undiluted white vinegar to the reservoir. Let it remain for about 20 minutes swishing every once in a while to wet all surfaces.
• Using a soft brush, clean all inside surfaces of the base with vinegar. This will remove the scale.
• Flush the base with clean water to remove scale.

For comfortable living, moisture is essential. Heating systems in winter and air conditioners in summers deprive the surrounding indoor air of natural moisture. This lack of moisture leads to irritation and itching of skin and eyes. Lungs and the respiratory tract too require moisture to function effectively and stay healthy. Vaporizers and humidifiers are devices used to add moisture in the surrounding air. Simply put, a humidifier adds cool mist to make the air moist and the vaporizer uses hot mist to moisten the air. There are many types of vaporizers and humidifiers and they come in different sizes. Some are portable and tabletop models while others are fixed to your air conditioners and hot air furnaces. Humidifiers would be cool mist, impeller types or ultra sound types. Vaporizers would be steam type or warm mist type. People normally use the terms vaporizers and humidifiers synonymously.

Vaporizers vs. Humidifiers

The basic difference between vaporizers and humidifiers is that the former heats water to disperse hot steam whereas the latter disperses cool mist into the air. Both are helpful in reducing the congestions, coughing and colds. Pediatricians, in general, recommend humidifiers simply for the fact that hot mist may harm the children. Humidifiers may encourage growth of mold and bacteria in water reservoirs, which may be unhealthy on inhalation. Cool mist may further aggravate your child’s asthma. Water that is boiled for vaporizing will not harbor any bacteria. Also, warm air holds moisture better than cool air. Many people find warm air much soothing in comparison. Vaporizers do not have any moving parts but a heating element. Small portable or tabletop vaporizers usually have an aromatizer for adding herbs, or similar additives. Generally speaking there is hardly any difference between vaporizers and humidifiers. The choice is entirely yours.