In The Absence of Rain...

It’s not raining in Los Angeles. Every morning, I wake up, excited to see puddles on the sidewalk until I realize it’s just the neighbors, who have once again watered their concrete driveway in addition to the vibrant green lawn that is so definitely not native. In any event, water is scarce, especially clean water. Here’s a few water saving tips to keep in mind for as long as you dwell in Southern California.

There are the obvious, but often overlooked, fundamentals of water saving success: turn off the water while you are washing the dishes, brushing your teeth, shaving or washing your hands.

A few lesser known, but equally important, tips: don’t water your lawn in the afternoon. The sun evaporates a good amount of the water before it has a chance to settle in, and it takes that much more water to get the lawn happy. If you don’t make footsteps on your grass when you walk across it, it probably doesn’t need to be watered, and to grow grass that needs less water, adjust your lawn mower to allow the shoots to grow longer. Longer blades provide shade for the roots, allowing more moisture and requiring less water! (in the winter, you probably only need to water about once every five days). Additionally, layer mulch around your outdoor plants and flowers. This will help reduce evaporation when watering. Take showers instead of baths (and try to limit your shower to 5 minutes—you could save 1000 gallons of water per month!), and when you are running a bath, plug the drain and let the water begin filling while you are waiting for it to get hot. When you are waiting for water to get hot in the kitchen, collect the cold water and use it to water plants. If you have a dishwasher, use it. Dishwashers tend to use less water than hand-washing, especially if you don’t pre-wash the dishes before putting them in. Speaking of appliances, always buy energy efficient models when shopping for new dishwashers or washing machines, and when you do laundry, always do a full load.

There’s no end to the water saving tips I can come up with. This is just a beginning! For more information on how you can make your home healthier, happier and “greener,” visit my website at www.MyHealthyHomeLA.com and request your FREE copy of The Healthy House Answer Book by John and Lynn Bowers.

Ahhhh....Breathe.

This week, my lungs have suffered. It feels like I only just got through the last batch of crazy California wildfires, and now here we are again. Each time the fires start blazing through the dry southern California land, I am reminded not only of all the people who’s lives are turned upside down by the evacuations and losses, but of the sad state of our air quality. The thin layer of yellowish pollution that settles on the horizon after acres of pesticide treated woodlands and VOC laced homes erupt into ash provides a stark visual memento and scares me: this is what we are breathing? And the thing is, it doesn’t stop once the fires stop. Everyday, we are breathing toxic fumes and poisons. They are impossible to get away from. And the worst of it is often indoors.

So let’s talk air purifiers. The most common type of air purification systems is portable (although more expensive whole-house filtration systems can be installed in homes with central heating systems as well). The usefulness of these units is measured in 2 ways: efficiency, and CADR, or clean air delivery rate. Look for a filter with HEPA grade efficiency, meaning that it removes at least 99.97% of 0.3 micron particles from the air, and don’t settle for anything less! CADR measures how much clean air is distributed into the room, and in order to achieve maximum effectiveness, you’ll want to purchase an air purifier that has a CADR rating that is the same as the square footage of the room. So for a room that is 10’ by 10’, you’ll want a purifier with a CADR of 100.

Another important factor is ozone. Certain electric and ionic air purifiers create measurable amounts of ozone, an air pollutant, so make sure yours doesn’t! There are some brands that claim to have a scrubber that removes ozone, but why gamble when there are plenty of brands out there that work just fine without ozone byproducts?

For more information on air purification systems, visit http://www.cadr.org/consumer/certified.html