Simple Steps for a Healthier Home
by JULIE HARDY
Shelley and her family had been living in their beautiful 24-year-old house in the Lower Mainland for four years when she realized that each time they went away on vacation, her children’s persistent respiratory problems cleared up. A little investigating led her to suspect that mould caused by the dampness in their home might be responsible for her children’s health issues.
Shelley’s suspicions were confirmed when an environmental home assessment revealed her house had absorbed moisture through its unfinished concrete foundation. The inspection found higher concentrations of the toxigenic moulds Aspergillus and Penicillium indoors than out.
The family could have upgraded the foundation—an expensive endeavour—but decided to look for a new, dryer house instead.
While Shelley’s family’s situation sounds extreme, their story is not uncommon—particularly in areas like Vancouver where the usual weather forecast of “cloudy with a chance of showers” makes it challenging to keep moisture at bay.
Interestingly, while the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency found most Americans spend on average 90 per cent of their time indoors, home (and office) environments are rarely considered as part of the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of health problems.
Diagnosing your home
Whether you live in a house, condo, or apartment building, it helps to understand that your home is a system with three parts that work together to form a living environment. That system consists of the foundation and building envelope (roof, walls, windows, and doors), which protect you from the outdoors; the mechanical systems that control the indoor environment (heating, air conditioning, and ventilation systems); and finally, your home activities and the products you bring in.
Living as we do on the “Wet Coast,” a key place to begin is examining your home’s foundation and building envelope. Your windows, doors, roof, walls, and gutters should be in good condition, and not allow water to seep into the house. Excessive moisture in a home creates a space that’s conducive to mould growth, and will allow other allergens—such as dust mites—to flourish.
Somewhat paradoxically, though, you don’t want a home that is built too tight without proper ventilation. Ventilation (the air exchange between the indoors and outdoors) is important to control moisture, odour, and carbon dioxide levels. Today’s tighter, energy-efficient construction methods make it even more important to ventilate your home, as often there is not enough breathability in the building material.
Finally, you need to look at sources of moisture. Showering, laundering, and cooking contribute to the amount of moisture in the home, as do leaky appliances that go unnoticed.
Prevention and treatment
Sound overwhelming? Don’t worry. Taking action to reduce the amount of mould and other allergens in your
home can be relatively simple. Here are four easy ways to improve your home’s prognosis:
1. Use exhaust fans. Ventilation is key to maintaining healthier indoor air. Although they’re often clunky and
noisy, exhaust fans should be used when showering and cooking.
2. Inspect your home for any water leakage from the outside or around your plumbing. When water
leaks or spills occur indoors, act quickly to clean up and dry the area.
3. Check for signs of moisture in your home such as condensation on the windows, or use a device
called a hygrometer to measure relative humidity. Maintain the relative humidity in your home at or below 50
per cent to reduce conditions conducive to mould growth by using the exhaust fan, turning on the heat, or
using a dehumidifier.
4. Vacuum with a High Efficiency Particulate Arrestance (HEPA) filter. Typical vacuum cleaners with
bags re-release about 70 per cent of what they suck up—including mould. When purchasing a HEPA vacuum
cleaner, look for vacuums that trap 99.97 per cent of particles down to 0.3 microns in size by checking the
manufacturer’s efficiency test results. And choose a vacuum with a long warranty.
Julie Hardy, founder of JMH Home Environmental Solutions, an environmental assessment company, doesn’t appreciate mouldy carpets, but she confesses to liking a good blue cheese. For more information: jmhsolutions.ca.
