Tips To Improve Indoor Air Quality In Your Home (NAPSA)—Surprising to many Americans is that the indoor air quality in their homes can be five to 10 times worse than outdoor air quality. Because people spend 60 to 90 percentof their time indoors, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers indoor air a top environmental risk. You, your family and guests will breathe easier if you improve your home’s indoor air quality by reducing allergens such as dust mites, mold spores, pollen, fungus and animal dander. Here are some suggestions that will help: 1. It’s the Humidity—Dust mites and molds thrive in humid conditions, so control relative humidity (aim for 35 to 55 percent). Run bathroom exhaust fans during and for 15 minutes after steamy showers. Empty and clean evaporator trays in dehumidifiers, refrigerators and air conditioners on a regularbasis. 2. Keep It Clean—Regular dusting, vacuuming and surface cleaning can reduce dust mites, pollens and pet dander. Use a HEPA-filter vacuum bag or a vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPAfilter to reduce the ejection and re-suspension of vacuumed particles. 3. Ban the Butt—Don’t allow smoking in your home; limit the use of candles, incense and other soot-producing products. 4. In the Bedroom—Buy machine-washable pillows and comforters and launder them regularly in hot water to kill dust mites. Launder sheets and pillowcases every 10 days. Sensitive individuals may need additional laundering steps as recommended by their physicians. 5. Let It Flow—Forbetter air circulation, occasionally air out New high-performanceair filters trap more microparticles than conventional fiberglassfilters. the house on dry days with low pollen counts. Sensitive individuals may isolate the room they occupy most by closing the door and running a room filtration unit. 6. Invest in the Best—Equip your home heating and cooling system with high-performancefilters such as DuPont” Air Filters with advanced Microbaneprotection, which helps to keep trapped microorganisms from multiplying on the filter surface where they could cause odors and clog thefilter, requiring your system to work harder. 7. Check and Replace— Check your air filters at least quarterly, and replace them according to the manufacturer recommendations. 8 I’m Just Venting—Be sure that combustion appliances (stoves, fireplaces, furnaces, water heaters, etc.) are properly vented to the outside and the vents are unobstructed. For more clean indoor air tips, visit www.dupont.com and enter “air filters” in the Quick Word box.
