Water is always the cause of mold and mildew, but finding the source of the problem can seem like an unsolvable mystery. Follow our tips for using some handy gadgets and basic detective work to find and eliminate your mold and mildew problems for good.

• Check for plumbing leaks
• Don’t ignore mold
• Look for outside leaks
• Inspect the ductwork

Earthquakes are an unpredicted, natural disaster and people should be ready with earthquake emergency kits. They are the scariest ones that can cause a lot of damage in a short amount of time. The only way to fight an earthquake is to be prepared. Having an emergency kit allows you to be prepared for an earthquake. This kit should last you for three days if caught in a disaster.

Poor Air Quality Threatens Health

The American Lung Association reports that the death rate from lung disease has risen faster in the last decade than any other major disease. Countless days of school and work are missed due to respiratory illnesses every year. The EPA ranks poor indoor air quality as the fourth largest environmental threat to our country.

Pollution in the Home

Some of the worst polluters of the air you breathe hit right where you live. Biological particles like mold, animal dander, dust mites, bacteria and viruses occur naturally in substances. But in homes that aren’t properly ventilated, or when filters aren’t regularly cleaned, their concentrations can build up and make them into major irritants.

Waste materials at construction sites typically fill several large dumpsters that are eventually emptied into landfills. We put a 1,500-square-foot addition on our home that involved the removal of the old garage roof and a treated-wood patio deck. During all phases of this deconstruction and construction project, I made a concerted effort to recycle nearly all of the construction waste.

In the end, the accumulated waste amounted to one half-filled dumpster. This was far less than the three dumpster loads our contractor expected. In fact, at the completion of this construction project, our contractor said our recycling efforts resulted in significant savings and deducted $1,000 from our final project invoice. This was a nice way to be compensated for our laborious recycling efforts. Here is how we utilized the various waste materials:

About 3000 Americans die in house fires every year. Beginning in January 2011, a change to the International Residential Code (IRC) aims to reduce that number by making fire sprinklers mandatory in all new single-family residences. Sounds good, but home-building lobbies from Texas to Georgia have defied what they call an impractical, expensive mandate, convincing legislators to pass bills overriding the requirement.

“We’re not against residential fire sprinklers—as a voluntary measure,” says Steven Orlowski, program manager for construction, codes and standards at the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). “A building code provides the minimum balance between cost, safety and welfare. You could do everything to the nth degree and get 100 percent safety, but that’s not the purpose of the code.”

So why would anyone want to convert a perfectly good gasoline engine to propane? There are a few good reasons, which we’ll go into here. First, though, I want to put out the standard safety and disclaimer information that anyone who wants to start this conversion should know.

Safety:
Propane is a flammable gas under pressure. Observe all manufacturer recommended safety precautions as seen on the propane bottle while completing the installation of this kit. Check for leaks before operating the mower using a soapy water solution. If you are operating the mower and smell propane, immediately shut off the engine and leave the area. Propane is heavier than air and will pool in low areas, which can cause flash fires or explosions. Work on this conversion outside and do not store the mower inside with a propane bottle attached.

Fire sprinklers are usually thought of in retail and office contexts. However, their proven life- and property-saving abilities have led to their inclusion in the International Residential Code, effective in 2011. In this article, associate editor Chris Ermides looks at the positive impact of residential fire sprinkler systems in communities where they’ve been mandated. He also examines the way fire sprinkler heads work, the two options for sprinkler systems (one integrated with the house’s plumbing and one strictly dedicated to putting out fires), and the cost of a fire sprinkler system as part of the construction of a new home (a little less than 2% of the overall construction cost).

Modern chemicals do many good things for us. But some also do harm — to us, wildlife or the environment. With U.S. industries now using some 75,000 chemicals, and as we discover more about their downsides, public demand for greater precaution is growing. The dramatic increase in organic food sales in the last two decades is one sign of this growing public concern.

In 2002, the Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit watchdog, released the results of a “body burden” study that found 167 chemicals present in the blood and urine of nine volunteers. Then in 2005, the group reported the results of its tests of 10 newborn babies, in whom it found 287 chemicals present.

Does your home contain contaminated Chinese Drywall? This testing advice from the New York Times can help a homeowner determine if he or she is one of the thousands in over 30 states with the poisonous plasterboard.

Some ways to tell if you have Chinese Drywall in your home:

– Sulfuric smell. (Also a sign that you have descended into the less-favorable Afterworld. It’s best to inspect for fire, brimstone and the tortured souls of the eternally damned to eliminate this possibility)

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WE LIKE NATURE on certain terms — as in, the less of it inside the house, the better. So perhaps you can understand what compelled C.W. Roseburr to smoke a family of raccoons out of his house in Kansas City, Mo., last May. Seems Roseburr had a long-running feud with the animals, which had taken residence in his eaves.

Potshots from his BB gun did no good, so Roseburr decided to frighten the adult raccoon by using a long stick tied at the end with a rag. Soaked in kerosene. Lit with a match. “I set the raccoon on fire,” Roseburr told reporters. “He’s the one that set the house on fire.” Firefighters called to the scene quickly extinguished the blaze, but not before it caused $25,000 in damage.

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