At the same time, many Americans are fighting back by making healthier choices for themselves and their families. And, where better to put a healthy lifestyle into action than in your own home?

The good news is that you can do something about your home’s environment and help create not only a healthy haven for your family, but also help save time and money in the long run. More home product manufacturers are providing consumers with options for creating healthier spaces, especially when it comes to battling germs and improving indoor air quality.

Clean Swipe: Prevent Germ Growth

In the effort to create a healthy environment, the first area I clean at home is the bathroom, where it seems germs, mold and bacteria are likely to grow. I usually start with the toilet seat because it’s the least appealing task - the chore I want to get over with as quickly as possible to move on to other things. And then I wonder … did I get everything? Are all of the germs ever gone completely? For those of you with young children, I’m sure this sounds all too familiar.

But I’ve learned that there’s now a product that will allow you to put these worries about cleaning aside. The Cadet 3 toilet from American Standard has a new feature called EverClean, an antimicrobial glaze that repels dirt and resists bacterial growth on all exposed surfaces. The toilet itself is manufactured with EverClean, so I never need to wonder if I’ve scrubbed hard enough. The EverClean glaze also shields both the china toilet bowl and the plastic toilet seat against stains, odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew.

I find it even more remarkable that American Standard is using antimicrobial technology in other areas of the bathroom. For example, there are now faucets available with an EverClean finish. Dried-on water spots and other dirt and grime can be removed with just one wipe and no cleaners. With chrome and brushed stainless the two most popular finishes, EverClean is a solution to a problem that all of us can understand.

When I’m working with clients to remodel their homes, the most common area for mold growth is around the bathtub. Often the homeowner doesn’t even know about the growth until the mold and mildew is so prevalent that there is a persistent wet-towel smell, whether or not the bathroom is in use.

EverClean with Anti-Mircrobial AlphaSan deters mold and mildew growth in the whirlpool piping. It is a patented technology that is actually manufactured into the piping so it never wears off and helps keep the whirlpool cleaner in between cleanings, while keeping bacteria and odor to a minimum.

Breathe Easier: Create Fresh Indoor Air

The air inside your house is cleaner that the air outside, right? Wrong. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), half of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by poor indoor air quality. In fact, the EPA reports that indoor air pollution is one of the top five environmental dangers for Americans - with nearly 87 percent of homeowners unaware that pollution is worse indoors than outdoors.

Given these eye-opening statistics, it only makes sense that one of the best ways to create a healthy home is to improve the air we breathe inside our houses. Even the cleanest looking homes can have poor air quality. For all the dirt and dust you can see floating in the air, there are 99 times more microscopic airborne particles that go unseen by the naked eye - things such as dust, pollen, pet dander, cooking smoke and even bacteria.

Like many Americans, I suffer from allergies to mold, dust and pet dander. Over the last several decades, different types of indoor air cleaning technologies have been available on the market. As an allergy sufferer, I tried various solutions to rid my indoor air of allergens, but effectively cleaning my whole home was difficult. Ordinary central air systems are virtually ineffective at cleaning the air and, as a designer, I definitely didn’t want to put freestanding air cleaners in every room.

I found an answer. American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning recently introduced an air filtration system that can be installed with an existing central heating and cooling system or as a part of a new American Standard central system. American Standard AccuClean removes up to 99.98 percent of the allergens from all of the air it heats and cools. This provides the entire home with a cleaner, more comfortable environment by eliminating the majority of unwanted airborne particles that trigger asthma and allergies.

Why does AccuClean work better than other technologies? It has eight times the collection surface area to gather those unwanted particles as compared to other electronic air cleaners. More unwanted particles trapped in a filter means fewer pollutants in your air. It also means you and your family can breathe easier and take one more step toward creating a healthier home and lifestyle.

Contact our Home Improvement Specialist today to help you with your home improvement needs.