Dust and dirt is a big concern here in Arizona, living in the desert. Even in built up communities, homes have rock landscaped yards and often dirt filled backyards. Plus, we often get dust storms that blow through as well making dirt and dust a constant battle. This means, I need a filter that works hard to help clean the air and keeps my air conditioning unit running properly as we depend on the cool air to keep us comfortable against the summer temperatures over 110 degrees! But, there are other things I would like my air filter to do as well. Our home has an open layout with our kitchen, dining, and family rooms all opening into each other as one great big room. We love the open feel of our home but it also means that any cooking smells spread throughout the entire area. We can always smell whatever we had cooked earlier that day the moment we walk in through the front door. While smelling some meals may not be a bad thing I would love to walk into my home and just smell a nice clean smell without any lingering odors!
Healthy Living Tips from Lisa Beres
Lisa Beres is a healthy living expert, building biologist, and an author. She shares simple solutions to naturally create and maintain a fresh home. Here are my three favorites:
Source: Kitchen refrigerator
Solution: Forgotten leftovers can cause a foul odor in your fridge. Clean the fridge drawers and shelves by adding a few drops of natural dish soap to a bowl of baking soda and stir until it creates a thick paste. This will remove odors as well as stains left behind from food. Also store an open box of baking soda inside the fridge to help eliminate odors before they start, and replace it with a fresh box at least every three months.
Source: Cooking
Solution: Prevent unappealing cooking odors, such as fish, from spreading and lingering throughout the entire home by upgrading to the Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter. It traps odors and gases from the air passing through the filter and helps keep the home fresh for families and houseguests. Synthetic air fresheners, candles and incense only provide temporary relief from odors by masking them in one particular room but will do nothing to remove the odors from the entire home.
Source: Candles and air fresheners
Solution: Instead of trying to mask the odors with store-bought air fresheners, create your own air freshener by combining 10 drops of an essential oil — such as lavender or eucalyptus — with two cups of water. Many air fresheners may sway you with the scents of fresh cut grass, warm vanilla or tropical fruits, but they can contain synthetic chemicals, such as formaldehyde, which can irritate eyes, skin and throats.
I love these tips that are easy fixes to make and don’t take too much thought. I have often heard of the tip of using baking powder to keep odors at bay in your fridge but didn’t realize that the box would need to be changed every 3 months. I also love the tips for a cheap and easy cleaner that not only cleans but combats odors at the same time. In my home, I keep our fridge under control by cleaning out the fridge once a week. Each Tuesday, I clean out any leftovers, Tupperware, and spoiled veggies, and then clean up any spills that may have happened over the past week. This works really well as it helps to keep my kitchen organized and clean without being too overwhelming feeling like I need to take care to check things daily. It also leaves me with a clean fridge ready for a new load of groceries! It also has helped to combat stink and odors!
Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter
3M has introduced a new Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter that uses carbon web technology to help trap odors and gases that pass through the filter. This creates the most effective (based on comparison) odor-reduction filter for removing household odors such as cooking, tobacco smoke, pets, mildew and cleaning chemicals. Other electrostatically charged filters with similar ratings for odor control may cause your air system to work harder and run longer because of a tight weave that restricts airflow but the Filtrete Odor Reduction Filter helps to maintain airflow in your heating and cooling system. Even the strongest of odors begin to be removed within just minutes of the furnace fan being turned on. In addition to capturing odors, this filter will also capture large airborne allergens such as household dust, pollen, mold spores and dust mite debris. Each filter lasts up to three months and retail for $15.99. This new filter can be found at home centers, hardware, and grocery stores nationwide.
Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.