Indoor Air Quality

What Is An Allergy?

There’s a lot of talk about allergies. But just what is an allergy and what causes them? Why do some people have them while others don’t? And why are people with one allergy more inclined to have many?The immune system is set up to protect our bodies from harmful, foreign substances. Like viruses and bacteria (dirt and germs). Sometimes the immune system doesn’t develop properly or is just oversensitive and doesn’t react right.

In these cases, it reacts to things that aren’t harmful and don’t usually cause people any problems. These things are called allergens. The term allergens is just an easier way to say “things that cause allergies”.

When the oversensitive or improperly developed immune system sees these allergens, it sends out chemicals like histamine. It’s the histamines that cause the symptoms that are common with allergies.

Symptoms like itching, watery eyes, runny nose, swelling, hives or rashes. Different people have different symptoms, but the causes are the same.

The symptoms that are displayed depend on the part of the body the allergen comes in contact with. Allergens that are breathed in, like pollen or dust cause coughing or wheezing, stuffy or runny noses and an itchy nose and throat.

Plant allergies usually come in contact with the skin, so they cause rashes.

Food allergies usually result in nausea, vomiting, stomach pains or in severe cases, life threatening reactions. Drug allergies tend to involve the entire body, so they have a variety of symptoms.

If you or anyone in your home suffers from allergies that are breathed in, then City Duct can help. We provide quality duct cleaning services and carry a wide range of air filtration products from furnace air filters to whole-house HEPA systems.

Please call us for details about any of our quality products or services. City Duct can help you to relieve some of the suffering. 🙂

Major Health Benefits Gained From Cleaning Your Air Ducts And Garbage Chutes

Are the residents in your building complaining about allergic reactions, watery eyes and foul smells in the common areas of your building? There’s a good chance that it’s time to have your building’s air ducts, garbage chutes and garbage compactor cleaned.

Toronto condos

When considering environmental problems, indoor air pollution is among the highest risk to human health. Indoor air pollution levels are often ten times or more higher than those outdoors, and this is easily verified by doing a minimal amount of research online.Even in the most well-kept buildings, your ventilation ductwork can become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, fungi and bacteria. Since everyone is normally exposed to some level of indoor pollution from cooking fumes, aerosol sprays, dust, household cleaners and other sources, the effective control of indoor pollution levels relies heavily on the effective maintenance of your property’s ventilation systems and garbage chutes. This is especially true in apartment buildings and high-rises, and that’s where City Duct Cleaning can help.

The chute cleaning process basically consists of a chemical wash to soften the grimy build-up, followed by a pressure washing to blast it from the chute walls. This is followed by the cleaning and de-greasing of the garbage chute doors on each floor, and also washing and deodorizing the compactor.

The air duct cleaning process for your hallway’s fresh air supply involves first sealing off the entire system. A combination of high-powered, truck-mounted vacuum and compressed air are then used to clean the entire duct system starting from the top floor and working towards the vacuum.

The fresh air fan, it’s air intake filters and all components of the air handling system are thoroughly cleaned as well as all the air diffusers from the hallways. This process could take anywhere from half a day to several days, depending on the number of fresh air systems in your building, how dirty the systems are, and the size of your building.

City Duct Cleaning provides the cleaning of several types of air duct systems including dryer exhaust ductwork, whether these are serving common laundry areas or individual units. We clean washroom exhaust ducts, kitchen exhaust ductwork and air handling equipment as well.

There are many benefits to be gained by keeping your air systems clean, such as improved air quality and savings on energy costs to name a few.

If you are in the Greater Toronto area, please call us for a free no-obligation estimate.

Also Read : Pigeon Air Patrol to the rescue! Birds with backpacks track air pollution

Air Pollution, Allergies, Commercial Duct Cleaning, Duct Cleaning Service, Indoor Air Quality, washroom exhaust Commercial Duct Cleaning

Getting your home ready for the Spring

Cleaning your air ducts is one of the healthiest home maintenance decisions you can make.

Over time, the surfaces inside your air ducts become laden with particles of dust, allergens, and other debris. Some of these contaminants will cause allergic reactions and the rest will significantly decrease the efficiency of your heating/cooling system.

With the spring fast approaching, now would be an excellent time to consider having your home’s duct systems professionally cleaned.

Call us at City Duct Cleaning to arrange an appointment that best suits your schedule.

(416) 293-1800

Allergies, Commercial Duct Cleaning Commercial Duct Cleaning

7 Insider Tips For Controlling Dust Mite Allergies

Dust Mite Allergies – 7 Insider Tips For Controlling Dust Mite Allergies

The dust mite is a formidable adversary because it is incredibly prolific, and its food source (dead skin) is unlimited. So how do you get rid of it and get your allergies under control? Well there’s good news and bad. The bad news is that nothing will get rid of them completely. The good news is that you can greatly reduce their population and the aggravating and sometimes debilitating allergy symptoms that result because of them. Here are 7 insider tips on how.

1. Dust mites generally camp out in the bedroom, your bed in particular. They love warm and dark, so your mattress, pillows, and bed linens are perfect nesting places. Add moisture from body perspiration and they are “snug as bugs” so to speak. One way to greatly reduce the population is to remove their food source. Cover your mattress, box spring, and pillows with organic cotton encasing that prevents dust mites from entering.

2. Wash all bed linens weekly in water that is 140 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter. This will kill the mites and eggs and interrupt the reproduction cycle.

3. Carpeting anywhere, and particularly in the bedroom, is a great place for mites to multiply. Replace carpet with wood floors, tile, or linoleum. These materials are easier to clean, and gives them no place to hide. Use area rugs that can be washed or cleaned often.

4. Try making the bedroom off limits to pets at least temporarily until the dust mite problem is under control. Once you feel you have reduced the mite population, you can try letting your pet into the bedroom again and monitor your symptoms. If symptoms escalate, you may be allergic to pet dander in addition to the mites.

5. If you are trying to eliminate mites from a child’s room, make sure you put any stuffed animals in bags and store in the freezer for several days. Mites won’t survive the cold. Use this procedure with all of the stuffed toys each week, and rotate toys from your child’s room to the freezer on a weekly basis.

6. Avoid making your bed right away. Turning back the covers gives moisture a chance to evaporate, and mites are killed by sunlight. There you have it-2 official reasons for not making up the bed–at least not right away.

7. One of the best ways to reduce mite population continuously and without any effort on your part is to use a high efficiency particle arresting (or HEPA) air purifier. By definition it will remove airborne pollutants as small as .3 microns with 99.97% efficiency, and this includes mites.

Constantly filtering the air in your bedroom and your home will greatly reduce the dust mite population.

An excellent HEPA air purifier to remove dust mites from your air is offered by PurerAir.com– the HealthMate Air Purifier.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Debbie_Davis http://EzineArticles.com/?Dust-Mite-Allergies—7-Insider-Tips-For-Controlling-Dust-Mite-Allergies&id=2183520

Allergies, Indoor Air Quality, Maintenance Tips Indoor Air Quality

This is a dust mite

Dust mites are not insects but are more closely related to spiders and ticks. They are microscopic and feed mostly on dead skin. They infest beds and carpets by the tens of millions, and there can be as many as 1,000 mites in one gram of dust.

Dust mites are harmless to most people. They don’t carry diseases, but they can cause allergic reactions in asthmatics and others who are allergic to their feces. Dust mites are second only to pollen in causing allergic reactions.

They are a major problem because they can cause some wheezing, itching, other allergic reactions, and possibly asthma. Dust mites are considered to be the most common cause of asthma and allergic symptoms worldwide.

Dust mites are everywhere in your home, in your carpet, the clothes in your closet, your couches, and even in your bed.

The presence of house dust mites does not indicate a lack of cleanliness. The enzymes they produce can be smelled most strongly in full vacuum cleaner bags.

The dust mite is very small and cannot be seen by the naked eye. It does not have eyes, or an organized breathing system. They are unable to drink and live between 90-120 days. The dust mite can leave up to twenty droppings a day. The dust mite has the ability to receive nourishment from its own droppings. The ideal breeding environment for dust mites are warm, damp and dark places.

The average life cycle for a male dust mite is 20 to 30 days, while a mated female dust mite can live for 10 weeks, laying 60 to 100 eggs in the last 5 weeks of her life. In a 10 week life span, a dust mite will produce approximately 2000 fecal particles and an even larger number of partially digested enzyme-infested dust particles.

It is possible to see a dust mite under a magnifying glass, when the subject is well lit and placed on a black background. A typical house dust mite measures 420 microns in length and 250 to 320 microns wide. Both male and female adult house dust mites are globular in shape and are creamy white. Larval and post-larval stages of house dust mites have eight legs. Dust mites can be transported airborne by the minor air currents generated by normal household activities.

The good news is that dust mites, and other airborne allergens in the home such as pollen, pet dander, and various gaseous chemicals, can be effectively controlled through proper air purification. True medical-grade HEPA filtration is the most effective means of controlling household allergens, removing 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns in size and larger (dust mite feces average 0.3 to 10 microns in size). For many, relief from symptoms can begin as little as 24 hours after the purchase and installation of a high quality HEPA air cleaner.

In addition to purchasing a quality HEPA filter, there are a number of other things you can do to reduce your exposure to dust mite allergens: