Ten Ways You Can Improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)…
1. Fix roof and pipe leaks promptly.
2. Keep HVAC equipment dry and operational. Disinfect drip pans often, change filters regularly.
3. Insulate to prevent condensation.
4. Increase ventilation/fresh air into building.
5. Reduce humidity and keep indoor surfaces dry.
6. Switch to low odor VOC paints, adhesives and cleaning products.
7. Control dust; switch to treated dusting cloths.
8. Remove dust buildup inside HVAC ductwork. Filter the air to trap dust and other airborne particulate.
9. Use a high retention vacuum cleaner that retains particles larger than 0.1 micron. Respirable dust may be redistributed if a dirty or faulty bag is used.
10. Use the HOST Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning System for carpet care and maintenance.
Studies Show HOST Cleaning Improves Indoor Air Quality
Carpet provides the healthful role of filtering the air. It traps and holds soil, dust and allergens. The vertical pile of carpet traps and holds many times its weight in small particles, including dust and allergens, which enter into the indoor environment and descend onto it from above. Substantial research suggests carpet does not release these elements back into the air. However, just as it is important to clean or replace a furnace or HVAC filter, it’s important to routinely clean the carpets.
The HOST System of applying HOST Dry Carpet Cleaner to the carpet, brushing it through the carpet and then vacuuming up the HOST Dry Carpet Cleaner removes dirt and reduces allergens. Research studies have shown that one cleaning with the HOST System using HOST machines reduces dust mites by 78%, dust mite allergen by 75%, cat allergen by 85%, and mold spores by 85%.
Just One HOST Cleaning Reduces Dust Mites by 78% and Dust Mite Allergen by 75%
A study of 25 homes, conducted in Wisconsin, to determine the effect of HOST Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning on dust mites showed a 78% drop in the average mite count. An extended study of 63 homes in Georgia and Wisconsin showed mite allergen decreased by 75% one day after HOST Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning. This research has been peer reviewed and was one of only 500 papers worldwide accepted or presentation at the sixth International Conference on Indoor Air Quality and the Environment in Helsinki, Finland.
University laboratory tests prove HOST is not a food for dust mites. They eat only protein (skin scales) HOST is not a protein.
HOST Cleaning Dramatically Reduces Cat Allergen in Carpet
Pet allergens are one of the top indoor allergens to which people are sensitive. In 1995 and 1996 several homes, with a cat in residence for at least one year, were studied for the presence of cat allergens and the effects of HOST Dry Extraction Carpet Cleaning in reducing them.
The study established that cat allergens (dander, hair and saliva) in carpet can be decreased 85% with a single HOST Dry Extraction Cleaning of carpet; a second cleaning reduces the number of these allergens to even lower levels.
This study was presented at the Seventh International IAQ Conference in Nagoya, Japan, July 1996.
Mold & Mold Spores Also Dramatically Reduced with One HOST Cleaning
Mold spores travel with wind current and are deposited on all indoor and outdoor surfaces. Mold allergens are found virtually everywhere in residential and commercial environments.
IAQ research showing HOST removes mold spores was confirmed by studies conducted in Wisconsin and Georgia. Mold levels in the Georgia test homes (humid climate) decreased by 85%. Levels in the Wisconsin homes (temperate climate) decreased by 94%.
This study was presented at the Seventh International IAQ conference in Nagoya, Japan, July 1996.
More Recent Testing with HOST extractorVAC Equipment Show 94% Mite Allergen Removal and 97% Mold Spore Removal
The initial tests showing the HOST Cleaning removed allergens were done in the early 1990’s before the introduction of the HOST Freestyle and Liberator. Recent tests with the new HOST extractorVACs show improved extraction of allergens:
Tests with the Liberator in 17 classrooms show 97% removal of mold spores. Tests with the Freestyle on residential carpet show 89% removal of dust mite allergen with one cleaning and 94% removal after the second cleaning.
Did you know?
Products or equipment that advertise they remove dust mites and mold from the environment are under the jurisdiction of the EPA and must be made in an EPA registered facility.
HOST Machines are manufactured in an EPA registered facility; EPA Establishment No. 074202-WI-001.
Head-to-head Test with Wet Extraction Proves HOST Superior for Removing Mold
IAQ research conducted by HOST in the area of mold spore removal was corroborated by a comparison test conducted in a courthouse in Florida.
The building had suffered a water main break with flooding on several floors, and environmental consultants were called in to evaluate the areas. They found high mold spore counts in the carpet, though it was dry to the touch and showed no visible mold growth. They recommended replacement of the carpet. The building manager asked them to devise a cleaning test to see if the carpet could be salvaged instead.
The environmental team, in consultation with the carpet manufacturer, tested a portable wet extraction system and HOST. (The carpet manufacturer was familiar with the HOST IAQ research and recommended it be included.) They conducted the research in two identical rooms of the courthouse, observing standard test protocols. The end results proved HOST cleaning was able to remove significant amounts of mold spores from both the surface and from the dust embedded deep in the carpet pile. The wet extraction system removed some mold spores for the surface but none from deep in the carpet pile.
Reduce Humidity to Solve IAQ Problems
The HOST Florida School Study, published in 1996 by INDOOR AIR, showed that indoor air complaints were related to high relative humidity.
Excessive humidity made real mischief in the troubled Florida classrooms. The research showed the high relative humidity of over 69 percent, not the presence of carpet, was associated with reports of health complaints. Relative humidity levels in the “complaint” classrooms were 69% to 80%. Rooms that had no IAQ related complaints had relative humidity levels from 51% to 64%.
High humidity is associated with health complaints. Relative humidity should be kept below 65%.
Relative humidity can affect the moisture in materials. The more damp it is, the wetter things become. When materials get wet enough, mold and bacteria can start to grow on them.
Any material can be food supply for mold. A scrap of orange rind, a towel, a ceiling tile or dust in the ventilation duct can become food for biological growth if it gets moist. Molds need only a small amount of moisture in their food to get started; bacteria need more moisture in their food. If material is dry, however, no biological growth is possible.
If a carpet, or any porous surface, is wet for more than 24 hours, it is recommended that it be removed.
HOST SPONGES Cleaner deep cleans and removes allergens with less than 1 teaspoon of water per square foot. This is not enough moisture for biologicals to start growing. With wet methods, this could happen if the carpet is over wetted.
Reduce Airborne Dust
Studies show as much as 90% of the tracked in soil reaching the interiors of commercial and residential buildings is dry dirt and, therefore, most easily removed by vacuuming. Using a vacuum without any type of filter can transfer particles back into the air. A vacuum clean must have a filter to trap the small particles. Ideally, a vacuum filter should retain particles down to 1 micron in size.
Our HOST extractorVAC filters the air as it is drawn through the vacuum. This filtration of the air in the room, by the same machine extracting soil form the carpet, substantially reduces the number of airborne allergens found indoors.
Our HOST extractorVAC has a 6-stage filtration system that is 99% efficient @ 1 micron.
Air samples taken during the vacuum operation of the HOST extractorVAC show no measurable dust. Testing was done on different types of dirty carpet in a manufacturing plant. Our HOST extractorVAC has a 6-stage filtration system that is 99% efficient @ 1 micron.
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