Improve Your Health by Improving Your Indoor Air Quality

Repurpose for a Cleaner Environment

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/repurposed_products.html

There is a new tab on my site for local buyers. I have been selling and collecting old furniture for the past three years. It’s unbelievable how the old stuff holds up!

Besides that, when you reuse instead of buying new, you help the environment. I have some 100 year old furniture that is probably going to be here for another hundred. When factory makes something these days, you will end up throwing it away in a relatively short time or try to recycle it. Although recycling is really a good thing to do, it is an industry in itself. An example is plastic water bottles. Reusable BPA free plastic water bottles are now available which last a long time.

Look for more repurposed products as I will be adding them from time to time.

Why One on One Teaching Helps Kids Succeed In School

Kids today are up against a lot in their lives. They endure bullying, being in large classes, being exposed to crime and violence, oxygen deprivation, obesity, and diabetes.

In spite of all this they are expected to excel in school.

As a teacher, I have put in quite a few years in the profession and I have seen many scenarios unfold. I continue to do one on one home schooling and tutoring in my area. Kids need mentors to meet with them once a week. It keeps them on track and fulfills the hope that they will succeed.

Ask for tutoring at your child’s school principal’s office. Professional Tutors of America is a national organization that provides help to students free of charge.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/educational_products.html

Solution for Pollen Allergies

Spring is here and the pollen is highly visible in my area.  The air is thick with yellow pollen which falls from the oak trees.   I, fortunately, am not physically bothered by the pollen myself, although it is really messy for several months outside in the yard. To ground any pollen that may enter the house, I periodically run an ionizer air purifier.  The unit emits negative ions which ground particles, viruses, bacteria, mold spores and odors.  They are great to run in the kitchen because odors from kitchen trash and cooking disappear instantly.  This is especially true in hot weather. The ionizer is safe and California does not allow importation of products that emit ozone, which is a harmful substance. Read my blog about ozone on the blog roll.  It is a report from public TV about the dangers of ozone. http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/home_air_purifiers.html

On the Subject of Cooling Your Home

Summer is almost here and that brings on the high cost of cooling your home. The window air conditioners are something to avoid, not just because they are expensive to run, but also because disposing of them creates an environmental hazard. Additionally, air conditioning is not that great for your health. It harbors germs, mold and other unhealthy microbes and blows particles around in your home.

I stopped using air conditioning ten years ago and replaced it with a portable swamp cooler. The evaporative cooler only pulls 60 watts so it costs almost nothing to run. You have to clean it once a month, so it doesn’t hoard dirt and bacteria. The one I use also has a negative ionizer to freshen the air when needed.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/home_air_purifiers.html

Moving? Check the Crime Map First

In the recent past I had contemplated moving to another place for the weather. Of course, with the housing situation being what it is, I could not move on those plans. However, this was a blessing in disguise, as most blessings are.

A refrigerator repair worker came to my home in the recent past and since he lived in the area I was thinking about moving to, I asked him about the crime situation. He recommended that I go to a police station and look at the crime map. Of course, I looked online instead and found this fantastic website that I want to share with all of you. http://www.crimemapping.com.

When you go to this website you can enter a street, a city or an address to view the crimes there within the previous seven days. This could be a great help when traveling, moving, or just checking your own neighborhood. I hope you enjoy this site!

The Cleanest Conventional Produce on the Market

I want to share this great information I read a few days ago with all of you.

You can still save money by buying conventional produce and lower pesticide consumption by 90% by eating produce from the Clean 15 list. You would also want to avoid the Dirty 12 or buy organic instead.

Picking 5 servings of fruits and vegetables from the 12 most contaminated would cause you to consume an average of 14 pesticides a day. If you choose 5 servings from the 15 least contaminated fruits and vegetables, you’ll consume fewer than 2 pesticides per day.

Clean 15: onions, corn, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, peas, mangoes, eggplant, cantaloupe (domestic), kiwi, cabbage,watermelon, sweet potatoes, grapefruit, mushrooms

Dirty 12: apples, celery, strawberries, peaches, spinach, nectarines (imported), grapes (imported), bell peppers, potatoes, blueberries, lettuce, kale/collard greens

These lists are a great place to start if you are looking to maximize your health while minimizing costs, like I am.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/home_air_purifiers.html

Pressed for Time? Try Uphill Walking

If you live in a place where there is low traffic and some hilly terrain, uphill walking is a really time efficient kind of exercise. I happen to live in a canyon so just walking out of my door to exercise is a blessing. One thing to do is avoid times when there is more traffic. Exhaust is exhaust and even in a rural area there is plenty of traffic. Choose a place less traveled but also safe. By that I mean there are houses around.

If you have dogs, it is the highlight of their life to go for a walk with you. Don’t walk them too hard if they are overweight. Help them lose weight with a healthy weight dog food, and cut back on canned food and treats. They will be with you longer.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/outdoor_sports.html

Kids Falling Behind in School? Try One On One

There is help if your children are struggling with the demands of school work, large class sizes and related conflicts.  One on one math and language arts tutoring may be available to your family free of charge.  The way to find out is by going to your school principal’s office and requesting one on one help for your child.  A teacher with a college degree, who has been DOJ cleared, will be assigned to tutor your child in math or language arts.  Tutoring is available in other subjects too.

If you are an unemployed teacher, tutoring is an opportunity.  The hours are erratic but the hourly wage is good.  It is part time work, but has helped me through hard times.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/educational_products.html

Ozone and Air Purifiers

There was a really great program on public TV last week regarding the dangers of ozone. We all know that there is a protective ozone layer hovering above the earth, but being in close proximity to ozone emissions is very bad for one’s health. Part of the program was related to why children get asthma. The reason given is that living inside a large city exposes people to large amounts of pollution, which includes ozone. The greatest amount of pollution comes from cars and factories. Therefore, low income people who live and work near industrial areas are more prone to lung disease.

I know that in the state of California,where I live,it is illegal to sell or import air purifiers that emit ozone. I have learned this through business contacts. Many air purifiers have the ionic option, but you don’t have to use it all the time. A good air purifier to buy will have a filter or multiple filters to use along with the ionizer.

The mini ionic air purifier for your car is great when you have the downer experience of driving in pollution. Breathing in all that carbon can really cause depression. Become aware of your driving habits, and drive as little as possible.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/home_air_purifiers.html

Two Ways to Have More Oxygen Into Your Life

If you live in an area where there is a high level of pollution from cars and factories, such as a city, you can improve the quality of your indoor air by doing the following:

First, get a mini ionizer air purifier for your car. Not only does it make the inside of your car smell fresh without perfumes, but it also grounds dust and viruses. The mini purifier emits negative ions, which elevate your mood, partly because you aren’t enduring the stale smell in your car.

Next, stop using gas heaters inside your home. You can read the article in reference to this at the link below.

http://www.infraredheaterselectric.com/articles.html