So, you’ve just settled into your new home and are getting towards the last few boxes to unpack. You open the door to your cupboard to find the last of the boxes but are alarmed to discover a rather nasty and musty scent coming from somewhere. After some looking about you find it…mould.

There are tons of different types of mold but all of them will thrive in damp moist enviroments that may be moist due to damp surrounding materials, seeping walls, damp fabrics and such like. It may be that your local area is prone to humid air for example certain climates and changing seasons will obviously affect the humidity in your house. Air dehumidifiers can help in all these cases

Mould can cause allergic reactions in some people and also trigger lung irritability in people who aren’t normally allergic to these things. It can harm anything it comes into contact with and be the cause of a nsaty smell occuring which maywell be persistent and difficult to remove. It could be a sign of a problem with the drainage inside of your house or possibly an air moisture problem.

To combat mould first arm yourself with a mask and eye shield so that you can remove as much as you can physically without getting to heavy a dose of the spores whilst doing so. After getting off as much as you can, with soap and water then use a commercial mildew cleaner or alternatively a quater of a cup of chlorine bleach.

Obviously damaged materials will have to be replaced but if the root cause of the moisture is not addressed then of course you will have to do this again in the future.

It might be a good idea to get your hands on a humidity metre which are around 15 dollars, if it provide you with a measurment of 50 or over the you ought to look into buying a dehumidifier. Starting at the $100 point there are an ever expanding range of dehumidifers available. Here are a few guidelines to follow when purchasing a dehumidifier for your home: If you need a dehumidifier in more than one room then you will likely be better off purchasing a whole house dehumidifier rather than one for each room. It will do the job better keep working for longer and on top of that you won’t have to fork out for the maintenance costs so often.

Also don’t forget that if you will be running your home dehumidifier in particularly cold places that it has an auto-switch off when it starts to freeze. If it hasn’t got one then it will get damaged if it is being run and the temperature freezes. Ensure you check that the noise level is not excessive before you purchase anything.

Also it may well be worth seeking a second opinion from a trusted local builder who may easily be able to track down the root cause. Also get the advice of a family doctor about possible allergic symptoms and other risks that you may be exposed to so you are aware of all of the dangers.

Despite the cost of doing the above in the long run the value of your house and the health of your family should be your priority and taking a few simple steps such as buying a home dehumidifier (ebac dehumidifiers are particulary highly recommended) would be well worthwhile in the long run.

A lot of folks enjoy having wood fireplaces stoves. Nevertheless, if one is your main source of heating, then it can become expensive to run as well as being messy. If you are looking for something that is more economical to run as well as being more efficient, then you might want to consider investing in a pellet stove. Filling your home with warmth and bringing down your heating charges are great reasons to look into the efficiency of this type of stove. At a cost of only a few cents per hour, this appliance will more than earn its keep.

They work by carefully controlling and regulating the fuel to air ratio inside the stove, which guarantees complete and clean combustion of the fuel. Heating appliances that are high tech, modern and effective are one way to describe the types of pellet stove available these days. Since they are cleaner burning with lower smoke discharge, they can be used for both house heating or as outside cooking stoves. This is very helpful in areas that experience temperature inversions (a layer within the atmosphere in which temperature increases with altitude), which causes wood smoke to settle over an area rather than blowing away.

It is reasonable to assume that the cost of heating is going to keep on rising, much the same as most other commodities nowadays. Consequently, anything that can be done to help reduce costs will be important. Recycled and processed sawdust is the fuel source for pellet stoves, which makes them economical and simple to run. An additional great feature is the fact that you can buy, at one time, enough fuel to last an entire year.

There are some features to look at when determining what size or style of wood pellet fuel stove is right for you. Actually, heat production does not necessarily correspond to the size of the stove. Smaller sizes are capable of producing enough warmth to keep a large area warm even though the hopper may be unable to hold more than a few days worth of wood pellets. Consequently, whether you are looking at indoor or outside designs, it is essential that you do some research beforehand, just as you would with any major appliance purchase.

Possibly the best resource when you are researching the product is a specialized retailer. The majority of them are experts in their field and will be able to help you select the best pellet stove to suit your needs. If your local retail merchant does not offer these services, they can tell you where to go to get somebody who is certified to install the unit for you as well as offering advice as to the different places that you will be able to obtain the fuel pellets that you will need.

Of course musty odor is a far from desireable quality, it leaves the impression on visitors of an unclean place, whilst it might not be easily discerned by anyone living there permanently it will be much more obvious to guests. Furthermore musty odors are often the first sign of mould which is can also be associated with allergic reactions.

Musty odors may well come and go mainly dependent on the current climate and the season of the year. For example, you may well leave the air conditioning unit on all the time during the hotter times of the year and the odor may go unnoticed but when the weather turns bad in the colder seasons the air-con will be off and the odor may comeback. Home dehumidifiers can definetely help here.

High humidity is a likely cause of musty odors that may well stem from a basement that has cracks in its walls which allows moisture to seep in ot it may come simply from condensation. To prevent the musty odor smell you will need to deal directly with the root cause of which there maybe more than one. The following will enable you to track down the cause of the problem most quickly:

To prevent condensation on water pipes which can be a source of moisture particularly in winter months is to cover the water pipes with an insulated pipe wrap, these are relatively cheap and are an easy w3ay to prevent moisture dripping of the pipes and onto the floor.

A musty odor can permeate through an entire house when a households basement is allowed to develop high humidity levels through lack of air flow. Installation of a basement dehumidifier can prevent this problem from occurring and remove excess moisture, just make sure you have a drain available in order to take away the excess water gathered by the air dehumidifier otherwise you may have to purchase an air dehumidifier with a hose pipe and pump.

Make sure that the suspected condenstion is not water that is not just coming out of pipes with really small holes. This problem can be prevented easily by making use of a pipe leak clamp, if the hole is tiny a small epoxy compound may well be able to fix the problem, get in touch with your local builders merchant for this.

A problem of greater seriousness is when you have weeping walls that permit water to gain entry from the outdoors by seeping through them. The following procedure will help restrict the water from seeping into the house through the walls
Ensure a dry forecast.
Run home dehumidifiers and fans to dry the walls.
Using a brush with strong stiff bristles scrub the weeping areas with trisodium phosphate, which can be found at most regular home improvement stores and will clean the surface for you, allow the scrubbed walls to dry again completely.
Following the manufacturers instructins use latex concrete sealer to fully seal the walls.
This single procedure is usually enough to prevent anymore weeping, if this isn’t the case then give the professionals a bell.

Another possibility is that of cracks in walls which may allow moisture in and this can occur in newly built houses also. The cracks may be classed as active and likely to widen further or hopefully inactive and not likely to widen. The majority of cracks in walls can be repaired quite easily with a knife and ready mixed concrete.

By following the suggestions provided above, dealing with your specific probelms and with the use of a dehumidifier it is quite possible that you will be able to cure the problem for even the most pesistent musty household smells. Remember that home dehumidifiers and portable dehumidifiers can help considerably

Criticism of the ionic air purifier industry is fashionable. “No scientific peer review exists” has been a frequent criticism posted on flu, indoor air quality and pollution blogs.

Mr. John Moore, a researcher at Cornell University and firm believer of the peer review system, made some surprising revelations.

He says:

• “a lust for profit has led to too many journals,…all too easy to find…poor-quality work”

• “not everything in the peer-reviewed literature is correct. Indeed, some of it is downright bad science”

• “the peer review system…it’s the least-bad system that can be devised”.

The general public, warns Mr. Moore, must not regard every scientific peer review as the “gold standard” as “even reviewed literature can be cherry-picked to support any argument.” It is instructive that “professional scientists…know that scientific truth evolves on the basis of a mounting consensus, not through an isolated paper that adopts a maverick position, even if it has been peer-reviewed.”

These nuggets of wisdom from an “insider” like Mr. Moore is of great value to all industries, including the ionic air purifier industry, that are constantly lambasted by critics.

Critics of the ionic air purifier demand the gold standard. So do the authorities. How do we know? We simply asked. The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) responded thus:

“NIOSH is not aware of any peer-reviewed scientific studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of ion generators/ionic air purifiers against viruses. NIOSH does not have any studies planned to evaluate these devices nor do we have a policy on their use.”

But it was encouraging that the NIOSH has not pronounced final judgment as they also said:

“NIOSH provides support for investigator initiated research. Should someone want to conduct such studies they may apply for funding by mechanisms available and described under “Funding Opportunities” at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/oep/. Proposals are funded annually based on availability of funds, relevance of the proposed work to the NIOSH mission, and the quality of the science proposed.”

At our Ezine article (accessible via The Ionic Air Purifier Blog Ezine widget), we have reproduced the NIOSH’s exacting parameters of a scientific peer review.

Funding shortage is definitely not the problem. It is not outright rejection by the governing bodies. Why aren’t there any scientific peer reviews of the ionic air purifier after all these decades? If only we could hear from an insider of the ionic air purifier industry.

It is our view that with the advancements in ionic air purifier technologies, manufacturers should tap on the prestige of official funding. It may take just one high profile and successful scientific peer review to make all the difference? The ideal situation would be Mr. Moore’s “mounting consensus” of peer reviews in validating the safety, efficacy and effectiveness of the ionic air purifier.

Ionic Air Purifier – What Can Users Do Until Scientific Reviews Abound?

For the time being, users hunting for the ideal ionic air purifier can look to our Ionic Air Purifier Review – 4 Key Factors Model.

It is encouraging that we now know that a scientific peer review to be acceptable to any authority, it must cover the 2 safety aspects in our 4 Key Factors Model.

NIOSH states categorically: “…a scientifically valid study would need to be designed to test whether ion generators are effective in killing viruses to the extent that a hazard no longer remains, and that such technology does not by itself generate new hazards of its own, e.g., ozone or oxidized by-products. The design of such a study would be challenging.”

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