We all try to find  solutions to fix the problems that come up in our daily lives,and in doing so,looking for “THAT ONE FIX” that will do it all.Well, the solution to almost every problem is never just one thing.The “fix” usually has parts that work together to bring about a “that’s much better”response.Whether it is making your home more energy efficient,your car run better,or having a healthy lawn –there are always  pieces to the puzzle to get it done.You can guess where I am going with this!

If you want to improve anything,there are several ways to get there.For instance, to improve indoor air quality,you can remove the carpet and put in wood/tile flooring,have the a/c ducts and coil cleaned,and change the a/c filter on a regular schedule.The Green Screen a/c filter is one piece of the puzzle that does its part better by being more efficient,more convenient,less costly and saving you money on electricity  than what can be bought at the store.

Filters on your HVAC system are there to help improve the indoor air quality and to protect the air handler.  A dirty a/c filter will lead to increased operating costs and poor cooling.

Dirty A/C filters can -

1. reduce air flow out of the registers
2. reduce air that the air handler unit needs to operate properly- choking the unit and using more electricity
3. cause  dirt build-up inside the duct system.This can lead to mold or allergen problems in a building and to the need for more costly duct cleaning or replacement
4. let dirt insulate the cooling coil itself, reducing the effectiveness of the coils and could lead to costly repairs
5. lead to ice build-up on the cooling coil and reduce or totally block air flow in the system
6. eventually permit dirt to go around the filter where it soils and blocks the blower fan itself, leading to more costly repairs.

Nothing good happens when dirty a/c filters are left unattended.The filters on an air conditioning or hot air heating system should be changed regularly.

Remember that you need to protect the most expensive investment in your home with regular checkups (2 a year) and regular changing of the filters before they are completely full!

Your  home is a great place for mold, mildew, bacteria, and other types of contaminants to grow; polluting the air you breathe. The a/c heating/cooling system is a common place for the growth of these contaminants. As they multiply in your a/c unit, the quality of air is brought down to an unhealthy level. This is not good for your family or for the a/c system.

Instead of letting the bad air continue to recirculate through out your home, it is important to have a filter that will catch and trap the unwanted particles, thus cleaning the air you and your a/c system breathe.  A high quality filter will give you cleaner air, less dust and pollen to breathe and a system that is operating more efficient.

Here is a short list of plants that are considered to be some of the best ones to improve indoor air quality. It is a good idea to check with a local master horticulturalist to get the best plants for your area.
>English ivy
>spider plant
>golden pothos
>peace lily
>Chinese evergreen
>bamboo or reed palm
>snake plant
>aloe vera
>two are primarily flowering plants:chrysanthemums and gerbera daisies(used indoors for a short period of time)
—– Please find out the best “how to care” instructions for each plant you use so as to lengthen their life and maximize their effect in your home—and enjoy them!

Change your air filter on regular schedule to keep the air for you and the a/c unit cleaner.Check your filter every month, especially during heavy use months (winter and summer). If the filter looks dirty after a month, change it. At a minimum, change the filter every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow down air flow and make the system work harder to keep you warm or cool — wasting energy,leading to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure. A clean filter will help to prevent dust and dirt from building up in the system thus providing cleaner air in the home.

House plants can improve indoor air quality!!!
You can add house plants to your home to bring beauty and to help improve the air quality. Plants will replace the “bad” air with clean oxygen, bringing a joyous shout from your lungs and a smile to your face.Helping to keep the humidity levels more agreeable,absorbing carbon dioxide, and putting color in the house,plants have more to give than just “pretty”. Try to add as many house plants as makes sense ,about one plant per room,

Indoor air pollution, building-related illness, and “sick building syndrome” have received increased attention over the last several years. Research, conducted by various agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has shown that the quality of indoor air can be many times worse than that of the outdoor air. Given the fact that many people spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors, the health risk due to indoor air pollutants is a significant public health concern.

Indoor air quality can affect people’s health and can have economic and legal implications. For example:

* Pollutants can cause or contribute to short- and long-term health problems, including asthma, respiratory tract infections, allergic reactions, headaches, congestion, eye and skin irritations, coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness and nausea.

Certain immediate effects are similar to those from colds or other viral diseases, so it is often difficult to determine if the symptoms are a result of exposure to indoor air pollution. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the time and place the symptoms occur. If the symptoms fade or go away when a person is away from the home and return when the person returns, an effort should be made to identify indoor air sources that may be possible causes. Some effects may be made worse by an inadequate supply of outdoor air or from the heating, cooling, or humidity conditions prevalent in the home. Other health effects may show up either years after exposure has occurred or only after long or repeated periods of exposure. These effects, which include some respiratory diseases, heart disease, and cancer, can be severely debilitating or fatal. It is prudent to try to improve the indoor air quality in your home even if symptoms are not noticeable. More information on potential health effects from particular indoor air pollutants is provided in the section, “A Look at Source-Specific Controls. While pollutants commonly found in indoor air are responsible for many harmful effects, there is considerable uncertainty about what concentrations or periods of exposure are necessary to produce specific health problems. People also react very differently to exposure to indoor air pollutants. Further research is needed to better understand which health effects occur after exposure to the average pollutant concentrations found in homes and which occur from the higher concentrations that occur for short periods of time.”
Consumer Product Safety Commission and Environmental Protection Agency
The Inside Story -A Guide to Indoor Air Quality
CPSC Document #450

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/450.html

If you are like most people, when you think of dirty air you think of pollution-belching factory pipes or smog-choked Los Angeles. However, many studies point to the fact that for many of us, the air in our home is dirtier than outside air! The reasoning is pretty simple; let me explain. The air in your home is constantly being recirculated, so the air you are breathing is only as clean as the filter that is cleaning it. With most air filters, that is not very clean. Believe it or not, studies show that the majority of breathing related illnesses are caused in some measure by the dirty air we breathe. Do you have a breathing problem? Allergies? What about your children? Do you have a child waking up at night because of trouble breathing? The air in your home could be the culprit.