How to Make Your Home Eco-Friendly

Look around your home. Would you call it eco-friendly? Or, do you have some nagging doubts about what you buy, how you maintain your home and how you impact the environment? The following are just a few reasons why you should go green at home and how to do it.

Why Go Green at Home?

You probably know that recycling keeps things out of landfills, reduces costs and materials in manufacturing and reduces pollution. And you know that turning out the lights and not letting the water run before you get in the shower are actions that save energy. But, is it really making a difference?

Manon Verchot, reporting for Treehugger, explains that every choice you make has an impact on the environment, on yourself and on your neighbors. Choices about the food you eat, the personal care products you use, the way you get around and the kind of energy you use affect your personal health and the health of the planet. Just one reason is a good reason to go green at home. For example, a computer can run for three hours on the amount of energy saved from recycling one aluminum can.

How to Go Green at Home

If you’re not recycling already, it’s a good way to start. If your community offers curb-side recycling, this is the easiest way to start. If it doesn’t, research where the nearest recycling facility is and what materials they accept. Set up your household to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and aluminum with organized bins.

Look beyond your garbage for recycling opportunities. Instead of throwing old drapes away when it’s time for new ones, look for ways to reuse the material or look for textile recyclers. Eartheasy reminds you to look at packaging when you buy products, to reduce junk mail and to recycle locally.

Use Less Energy at Home

The U.S. Energy Information Association reports that heating and cooling are no longer the major sources of U.S. home energy use. Homes built since 2000 are 30 percent bigger than older homes, but use about the same amount of energy. However, appliance, electronics and lighting use are increasing.

Duke Energy recommends looking at your home’s cooling systems and practices to reduce your energy consumption.

Start by installing energy-efficient windows and blocking heat caused by sunlight by decorating with drapes or solar screens. You also can plant trees and shrubs on your home’s sunny side to help create shade. Additionally, walk around your home and reduce how many things are plugged in when not in use, and use power strips to avoid energy drains.

Make More Changes

If you look around your home and see room for more eco-friendly improvements, make the necessary changes. Some improvements to consider include using green products like insulation made from recycled materials, used furniture from eco-conscious manufacturers and paints and stains with fewer or no chemicals. Switch to sustainable practices like composting, repurposing materials and using water-saving appliances like a recirculating water pump and low-flow toilet.

How To Eliminate Mattress Odor

Does your mattress smell funny?

Many things can happen, your child has an accident, your cat uses your mattress as a litter box or it just smells funky! Clear The Air eliminates foul mattress odor and can eliminate harmful odors you can breathe in when you sleep.

Here is how to eliminate odors from your mattress:

• Take all your bedding off your mattress, including your mattress cover. Wash all your bedding.
• Sprinkle Clear The Air Carpet/Furniture Odor Eliminator on your mattress where you smell the odor the strongest.
• Leave the product on your mattress for up to 24 hours.
• Vacuum product up from your mattress. Odor will be eliminated!
• If some odor still exists, apply a second application to your mattress.
• Return your clean bedding to your mattress and enjoy a peaceful, odorless night’s sleep!

Have questions about how to use our product? Contact our customer service department to answer all your odor issue questions!

How to Reduce Energy Use in Your Home

Summer is here and it is important to make sure your home can handle the heat!

Decreasing your energy bill doesn’t only save your pocket but, it will also help in the fight against our over reliance on fossil fuels to power our homes. These tips will help you decrease your energy usage and ultimately lead to a decrease in your energy bill:

Seal Your Home

When the mercury climbs, you’ll be using your air conditioner a lot more. If you have air leaks, you force your AC system to work harder. Sealing the leaks in your home will save you up to 30 percent on your energy bill. Leaks are typically found on doorways and windows, but make sure to check lesser-known culprits like electrical outlets and dryer vents. Once you find the holes, use caulk and weather-stripping material to seal them. You can also hire professionals to do a complete house audit.

Upgrading Your Home’s Lighting

Change out energy-sucking incandescent and CFL light bulbs to more efficient LEDs. CFLs are fairly efficient, but contain mercury, which is harmful to the environment. A single LED will last you 40 to 50 years, and a household with 25 LED bulbs will incur a savings of round $6,700 compared to incandescent bulbs. Go a step further by using natural light. If you have space to install larger windows that will help increase the amount of light that goes into your home, you can also regulate the amount of light (and heat) that comes with shades from a company like the Shade Store to help.

Harness the Energy of the Sun

Switching to solar is another way to reduce your energy bill. Although startup costs are high, you will see the savings relatively soon. You will also have the peace of mind that you are cutting down on your carbon footprint by using the rays of the sun. Elon Musk recently made an announcement that his company, SolarCity, is purchasing solar panel maker Silevo in an effort to create more solar panels and ultimately make solar energy more cost efficient.

Upgrade Home Appliances

It may be time to upgrade your home appliances, as well. Energystar.gov has a comprehensive list of the most energy efficient appliances, including everything from DVD players to air conditioners to refrigerators. Energy Star appliances will cost more than those that are not certified, but you will notice the savings on your next energy bill. Also, remember when you are upgrading your appliances to get rid of old ones. Refrigerators are the most common appliances that residents keep once they have gotten a new one; they also waste the most energy.

What other tips do you have? Make sure to keep add any more energy saving tips below in the comment section!

How To Cool Down Your Home During The Summer

Summer is almost here but it is already pretty warm out.

How do you cool down your home during the summer without running your air conditioning constantly? Check out our tips to keeping your home cool without costing too much money:

• Cool down your home at night – Open windows and doors with screens and run any house fans you have. This will keep your home cool at night and a majority of the day. Just make sure to close them back up in the morning when it starts to warm up.
• Make sure there are no lamps or TVs near your air conditioning thermostat. The heat from those appliances will cause your air conditioner to run longer.
• Install white window shades or blinds to reflect heat away from the home. You can also install blackout curtains to make sure any heat from the outside is blocked from coming into your home.
• Plant trees and/or shrubs to shade the air conditioning units but not block the airflow.
• Replace your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. They produce the same light but use 1/5th of the energy and heat.
• Unplug your home electronics like TVs and stereos when not in use. You should also turn off your computer when not in use.
• Go around your home’s windows and doors and apply any caulking and weather-stripping that is missing or eroded away. This will help keep heat out of your home.
• Make sure your fireplace damper is closed to prevent hot air from coming into your home.

Does Your Refrigerator Smell?

If you open your refrigerator, does an odor linger around in your kitchen even after the fridge door is closed?

Whether it is in your home, RV, boat, vacation house or second refrigerator in your garage, fridge odors can be annoying and distracting!

Clear The Air carries an Odor Eliminating Bag that will eliminate odors from your refrigerator once and for all. All you have to do is simply place the Odor Eliminator Bag in your refrigerator and foul odors will be eliminated. The Odor Eliminator Bags last up to 3 months.

Since it is time for spring cleaning, here are some helpful steps to cleaning out your refrigerator and keeping odors away for good:

• Perform a big fridge cleaning. Take everything out of your fridge. All the items that must stay cold, you can put in a cooler with some ice temporarily. Make sure to throw away any spoiled food and wipe any bottles or canisters that have food leaking out of them.
• Once you’ve taken everything out, turn off your refrigerator. Take out all your shelves and drawers and wash them in the sink to remove any spilled food particles. Wipe down the inside of your refrigerator with soap and water.
• Now, place one to two of our Clear the Air Odor Eliminator Bags in your fridge towards the back or wherever they won’t get in the way. Turn the refrigerator back on.
• Return the cold food items to the fridge and you are ready to enjoy your refrigerator odor free!

Attention Realtors and Property Managers!

Eliminate any odor in a home with our product – 100% guaranteed!

If you are trying to sell or rent a home with a foul odor, it may be difficult to eliminate strong odors, thus making a home difficult to sell or rent.

Use Clear The Air to eliminate any and all home odors. Property management companies and Real Estate Brokers and Agents deal with odor issues on a routine basis. Cigarette, pet, musty/mildew, dead rodent, and cooking odors are most common. Real Estate is often slow selling/renting or discounted due to odor issues. It has been reported that approximately 5-10% of all listing have odor issues that may impact the sale.

Follow these steps to eliminate home odors:

• Hang 1 or 2 bags in each room that has odor. Some air circulation is best. One bag covers approximately 100 square feet. Bags will last approximately 3 months; we suggest leaving them up until house is sold/rented.
• If you have pet urine odors in the carpet (including cat urine) sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Cat Urine on carpet, tile, concrete, furniture, or any other surface. Leave down overnight; sweep or vacuum up and odor will be completely eliminated. One canister covers approximately 100 square feet.
• If you have odors outside on lawn or shrubs sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator for Lawns down. Leave down indefinitely, Clear The Air is an excellent nitrogen soil amendment. One canister covers approximately 100 square feet.
• If you have a dead rodent odor please click How to Eliminate Dead Rodent Odors PDF
• Many agents keep a case of bags in their trunk.

How To Sell Or Rent Your Home Faster

Trying to Sell or Rent?

Property management companies and Real Estate Brokers and Agents deal with odor issues on a routine basis. Cigarette, pet, musty/mildew, dead rodent, and cooking odors are most common.

Real Estate is often slow selling/renting or discounted due to odor issues. It has been reported that approximately 5-10% of all listing have odor issues that may impact the sale. Clear The Air Odor Eliminators are an easy, inexpensive way to solve the problem and get your property sold or rented.

Here are some tips to get your home sold or rented faster:

• Eliminate odor from your home and make it smell good. Smell is very powerful and instantly sets the tone for your potential buyer’s experience in your house.  Use Clear The Air’s Odor Eliminators to get rid of any embarrassing odors lingering in your home.
• Clean your house and keep it clean. If you are planning to live in your home while it is on the market, you have to make daily cleaning a part of your plan.  A dirty home will give the potential buyers sense that the home is not well taken care of and can keep them from coming back a second time to look at your home with an offer.
• Fix the broken stuff.  If little broken things are visible, your potential buyers start wondering what other maintenance issues your home might have and get scared.
• De-personalize your home.  Want potential buyers or renters to imagine themselves living in your house?  Then take you out of it.  You have got to take down your personal photos, scrapbooks, take down from the mantle the carving of your last name.  Buyers need to see their family living here…not yours.

Preparing Your Home For The Holidays

Everyone wants a nice clean and odor free home for the holidays.  Clear the Air would like to share some helpful holiday ready home tips with our fans.

Remember to take advantage of our Odor Eliminator products to get your home smelling it’s best!

To get your home ready for entertaining, some simple tweaks to your furniture arrangement and home furnishings can do wonders. It takes just a little to make your space more guest-friendly and attractive. Some tips you might want to consider for a holiday or dinner party:

Make Room: Open up your floor space by arranging furniture to allow guests to move around freely. Remove furniture pieces you will not be needing to a temporary holding place. This might even be a good time to consider whether you need these at all.

Introduce Order: Take a look around to make sure that your room looks comfortable and does not present a haphazard look, no matter how casual you want it to be. Mixing too many sizes, scales, colors or textures can make a space seem confusing and even uninviting.

Formal vs. Informal: Decide beforehand whether you want a formal or informal look. For a more formal arrangement you need more symmetry in how you arrange your furniture and accessories. Go with more muted or deeper colors, and stick to just very few. For a more casual look, you can go for more of an informal balance or asymmetry. You can be more playful with your colors and textures and themes.

Express a Theme: Having a theme helps you unify your decor, and could add to a more festive atmosphere. Continue your party’s theme from room to room to give an uninterrupted flow to the ambiance.

Nature: Bring nature indoors with arrangements of leaves, branches, twigs, or other natural elements that emphasize the season or your theme.

Take Advantage of your Walls: Hang artwork or mirrors to dress up your walls. Wall hangings or artwork that go with the season or occasion can continue the theme of your party, and make your space more festive. For holiday entertaining, strings of lights, ornaments, and removable wall decals can be also be used.

Lighting: Lighting is crucial in setting up the ambiance of a room. Make sure you use it to create the effect you want. Multi-layered lighting lets you adjust the amount of light you need at different points in your evening. Candles can add tremendously to your decor, and your fireplace is also a source of light.

Focus: Have a focal point in the room to anchor the space, and decorate around your favorite item or feature giving it the place of honor.

No Crowding: Remember to have enough room at the table without crowding your guests. Either use a table with leaves or set up another table. You can extend the one you have by adding another table instead of crowding people around it. If none of these options are available, consider doing away with a sit down dinner or have fewer guests.

Personalize It: Above all, don’t hesitate to give your space your own personal touch. Everything does not have to match, and unusual furnishings will make your place more interesting, and personal. Just remember to arrange it in a way that makes sense instead of chaos. In the end, do what feels right to you, because it is your home.

Did You Know New Carpet Odors Are Harmful To People, Children and Pets?

Did you know new carpets contain odors which are harmful to people, children and animals?

Clear the Air Odor Eliminators will completely soak up the odor leaving your home safe for your family to enjoy.

Some new carpets contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are emitted as gases when they are first installed. When exposed to VOCs people may experience a wide range of symptoms that can include nose and throat discomfort, headache, allergic skin reaction, nausea, fatigue, and dizziness.

The new carpet odor that people usually smell is a VOC called 4-phenylcyclohexene (4-PCH), which is a byproduct of the latex binder used to secure the “tufted” fibers to the backing. 4-PCH can linger after installation for up to a week, exposing the homeowner to the pungent odor.

These odors can easily be removed with Earth Care’s Clear The Air Odor Eliminators. Simply sprinkling Earth Care Clear The Air granules on the carpet and hanging Earth Care Odor Remover Bags will eliminate the new carpet odors. This unique form of Earth Care Products Mineral does not have to come into contact with the odor producer; it will pull the odors from the entire area.

Clear The Air draws in odors like a powerful magnet. The odors are adsorbed, and neutralized without any fragrances. Clear The Air does not cover up odors; it literally “clears the air” leaving the air fresh and clean. Clear The Air is made from an all natural mineral, is non toxic and biodegradable and safe for Planet Earth.

It is also safe around children and pets even if eaten.  Follow these steps to protect you and your family from toxic new carpet odors:

• Sprinkle Clear The Air Odor Eliminator granules over entire carpet. Leave down 24 hours and vacuum. When granules are down it is best to have some ventilation in the room such as a window open.
• One bucket covers 900 square feet.
• Also hang 1-3 bags in each room. Bags will last 3-4 months; we recommend you leave the bags up to continue removing new carpet odors.
• One bag covers 100 square feet.

Order your Clear the Odor Eliminator for carpet odors by clicking here.