Rid Your Space of Lead – It’s the Law

A new federal law that took effect this month (April 2010) requires any contractor that is doing work on a home, child care facility or school that was built prior to 1978 must now be certified and follow specific work practices to prevent lead contamination.

When renovations or repairs are done in facilities where children are the primary occupants, the lead will be disturbed and could be transferred in dust to the inhabitants. Sanding, scraping, or even the burning of wood covered in lead based paint can lead to exposure. Lead-based paint was used in 87% of facilities built prior to 1940 and 69% of facilities built between 1940 and 1960. Between 1960 and 1978, only 24% of facilities built used lead based paint.

When the work begins, the contractor is required to seal off the area being worked on. No occupants or pets are allowed to have access to the area until all the work is complete. The forced air and air conditioning systems must be turned off because they can spread the lead contaminated dust throughout the facility.

To minimize the lead dust it is recommended that water be used to mist areas before sanding or scraping . Before boards are pried up or other materials are separated, paint should be scored with a knife to minimize dust and paint chips. When all the work is complete, a vacuum with a HEPA filter is used to clean up the dust and debris and then all surfaces are completely washed down. The key to this will be the constant use of clean rinse water.

When creating a contract for this type of work, make sure that a lead-free test is part of the work included. An EPA recognized lead testing site will send a sampling kit to you. You can collect the samples and return the kit for analysis. Because the facility can fail the test and may need to be cleaned again, it is important to make the contractor responsible for any re-cleaning that may be necessary.

Lead can affect our children’s brains and developing nervous systems (especially those under the age of 6), causing reduced IQ, learning disabilities and behavioral problems. Lead can also have negative affects on adults causing high blood pressure and hypertension.

Have you been involved in renovation work that involved lead paint? Does your home contain lead-based paint? If so, have you ever thought about replacing it?

Green Cleaning For Your Interior: Is It As Effective?

The more eco-driven designs I work on, the more I have realized it is just as critical to address the upkeep along with the initial design work. What kind of interior designer would I be if I designed and ran? I think it is critical to talk about green cleaning with a client. I mean, after I have done all the research, put time and creativity into using new innovative materials, employed recycled content, why would I want that to be wasted and contaminated with harsh cleaners?

Sometimes, like for healthcare environments, you can never get them away from bleach…which I think a lot of people would be thankful for. But for other interiors for corporate, education and hospitality, green cleaning can be both beneficial to the integrity of the green design, and as I have research, economical as well. It’s a win-win!

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are one of the biggest no-nos in regards to green design. VOCs can be defined as any type of off gassing that occurs from the production or use of a product. I think the most common example of everyday VOCs is new car smell. Believe it or not, but any smell, including fresh money smell, is considered a VOC. Copy machines are a big culprit of VOCs in the corporate world, so it is suggested to keep copy and print machines in separate areas from employees and preferred with separate HVAC duct work. Cleaning products traditionally contain massive amount of VOCs.

So if VOCs are that dangerous, why would you want to choose cleaning products that make the situation worse? Harsh chemicals may get the job done, as you think, but there are many solutions that include simple household products, like vinegar and baking soda that can be just as effective. Baking soda is a smell reducer rather than a smell creator – think about how it helps the contents of your fridge. Why not take that house wide and break out of the ice chest with baking soda?!?

Before starting a green cleaning program in your home or business be sure to do some additional research on various green cleaning products and methods. Here is one article I think gave some good and basic- idea starting advice. Good luck and think green clean!

How to Make Exercise a Part of Your Small Space

During the winter, I think we all have tendency to gain a few pounds. I know the reason this can happen to me is because, no matter how great my gym is, if I have made it home and there is snow and ice building up outside, I really do not have the desire at the end of my day to venture out in it again. There always seems to be the next space saving piece of exercise equipment on infomercials, but what if I have no desire to do the same exercise over and over again, and I do not want to spend hundreds of dollars on that single static piece?

I think one of the greatest ways to make a space feel bigger and offer a nice exercise ready element is to add mirrors. This is great because it spreads light and will offer a more open and inspiring space to get you ready to sweat. You could get large frameless mirrors from a local glass store or building supply. Or, if you really wanted to conceal your workout space, you could get a more decorative framed mirror and have that double as your workout partner. Another idea is to get a series of smaller mirrors and hang them as a collage to make a wall of mirrors. When you are ready to workout, you can just move a piece of furniture or two to make room.

Other smart piece of basic equipment that are small in scale are yoga mats, a set of free weights and a deflatable abdominal ball. All of these items are easy to store. But what to store them in?

One of my favorite pieces of furniture I have is my rolling coffee table/ottoman. It is actually my toy box from when I was a kid. I have repainted it at least three times and I made a removable lid and added castors. This piece has traveled through childhood, to college and now to my apartment in metro Detroit. The beauty of this piece is that I store all of my small exercise equipment inside. Now it has so many purposes – storage, foot rest and exercise bench!

So no matter is you have the self reliance to make it to the gym this winter, or maybe you are craving a little hermit-like activity, with little space and some smart storage choices, you can have space to burn some calories!

What are your solutions to working out in small spaces?

The Details Walkstation: One Step Towards the Disolvement of Dilbertville

At this very moment I am writing to you and burning calories at a raging two miles per hour. No, I am not walking and texting. I am actually at a workstation that is perched upon a treadmill. It’s called a Walkstation, a new and innovative way to work.

The Walkstation was launched in 2008 as a pioneering effort in workplace wellness. The Walkstation has been picking up speed (no pun intended) as one of the most positive things to happen to cube farms since Dilbert. It seems like an object right out of the Jetsons, but in reality it is a simple contect that is being marketed as the next step in positive workplace mentality and physicial wellbeing.

The Walkstation consists of an electronic adjustable height table, a work rail that can house a monitor arm for a flat screen panel and a treadmill. All the components are controlled by one simple pull out tray. The tray has ap up and down arrow for the work surface height as well as speed control and a simple “go” button. This tray also houses the calorie and distance counter. While the maximun speed is 2 miles per hour, I was able to shed 155 calories in the time it took me to write this blog…pretty cool (well, actually, I am kinda hot at the moment).

So what can this awesome piece of equipment mean for the workplaces of today? Imagine being able to go to a space for half an hour, getting away from your desk and simply compile emails while walking. During the summer I like to take a quick walk outside with my co-workers for the 3 o’clock slump, so now even during the winter I can do this and avoid frostbite. According to Details (a Steelcase owned company), a person can shed up to 40 pounds in a year simply by walking for a half an hour each day. I think that is worth the approximate $4500 price tag for one Walkstation. The example I saw had a digital sign up sheet, so employees can “rent” the Walkstation for 30 minutes at a time. Just remember to bring your walking shoes and some extra perfume for afterwards! We all want healthier co-workers, just not stinky ones!

I think that this is an innovative and creative idea that could make Dilbertville a little more bearable!

The Debate on Whole House Air Purification Systems vs. the Good Old Fashioned Open Window!

I recently heard that my city is one of the worst in the nation when it comes to air quality. (A good excuse not to get out for a jog…right?) Well, it got me thinking about what simple things that I could do in my own environment to improve the quality of air. Here is some debatable information that may blow your mind! Sorry to all you “Green Design” Lovers out there. Sometimes I don’t think that we realize the ramifications that “new-to-the market” building materials may have on our health.

As it turns out, indoor air quality has become one of the major concerns of the Environmental Protection Agency. Strangely enough, air inside homes and offices is more toxic than the worst outdoor air – possibly two to five times worse, especially in newer, energy efficient houses. Insulating properties designed to keep winter’s cold air out and summer’s air conditioning in are not assisting you in improving the air quality in your home. The old fashioned exchange of indoor/outdoor air doesn’t happen often enough in the newer energy efficient homes to keep interior air safe to breathe. It is times like these that I am glad I live in an 80 year old home! LEAD RULES!

The reality is that the implementation of new materials that can reduce your overall utility bill may also result in higher health costs. Allergies are on the rise. One study determined that 54% of our body’s energy comes from the air we breathe, so the stuffy air indoors – where most of us spend 90% of our time – are depleting our body’s natural resource for defense on every level while it attacks our immune systems with an overload of used air.

The traditional solution of “opening a window” isn’t always possible in office buildings.

Studies show that air filtration and purification systems can correct the problem. As I began to search for systems, I saw a mind-boggling assortment of options in a wide price range to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Not one filter or purification system can meet all needs in all areas, so it’s important to know what you are shopping for in an air cleaning system for your home.

Here are some pros and cons highlighted in pursuing a system, if you choose to at all:

These are key words that you will find on packaging or labels in the specifications of various systems

• Ionizers: This is a process used in conjunction with other kinds of filters. It emits a small electric charge to the air stream which draws air through it; this creates a magnetic-like attraction for pollution particles and causes them to adhere to the filter.

• Electrostatic Precipitators: Filters the air by creating opposite charges on metal wires or plates; this attracts and holds dust, pollen, smoke and other particles as small as .0001 microns on a metal, glass or fiberglass assembly that can be washed and re-used.

• Ultraviolet Light Purification: Passes the air through a UV system that destroys bacteria, viruses, and dust mites of any size.

• Ozone Releasing: Destroys all bacteria that comes in contact with the ozone, and leaves a “fresh” smell in the air. We associate this with the clean smell following rain, because some ozone, carried from the outer atmosphere where it protects us from harmful sun rays, remains in the lower atmosphere after a storm.

The safety of ozone gas in interiors, however, is questionable; it can irritate the lining of lungs and exacerbate breathing problems. The US federal government has set standards depending on the rate of filtration and room size recommendations. The Canadian government has banned the sale of ozone releasing air purification systems.

• High Efficiency Particulate Air (hepa) cleaners capture airborne pollutants .3 microns or larger; this includes some tobacco smoke, household dust, and pollens. The are designed to remove 99.97% of the particulates that pass through the filters, which cannot be cleaned and re-used; they must be replaced. They have no effect on fumes, viruses, bacteria, smaller mold spores, and some tobacco particulates.

• Ultra Hepa: A more efficient version of the hepa, the makers of these filters claim that they remove out 99.999% of the particulates that pass through them.

I often wonder if we are getting too smart for our own good. What does “environmentally friendly” really mean? What is “All Natural”? Did you know that you can buy a bag of “All Natural Doritos” at the grocery store now? We live in a society that has managed to put a label on everything, making us all believers in better ways to live our lives. Mother Nature is our oldest and most natural cleaning process. I think that our bodies adapt to our surroundings. Sure, some of us may feel that we will live longer than others due to the air quality around us, but in the end, we all have to “live” somewhere. Even if the Amazon was noted as having the best air around…what would happen if we ALL moved there? Not so great anymore…right?

Through all of my searching, I find myself laughing…just crack a window and live your life! Get outside for awhile. I have decided that instead of investing in an air purification system, I think a nice outdoor breeze sounds much better than recycling used indoor air.

What are your favorite outdoor activities? How do you feel about this green living trend?  Share your thoughts and pastimes on here!