Icky indoor air, no more.

I've been plagued with allergies since I was a little girl. Heh it kind of makes me laugh when I think about it but when I say I'm allergic to almost everything I really mean that especially dust, pollin, and ironically enough my own sweat tends to break me out into a rash. It's almost shameful to admit. Needless to say I am almost a walking home clean air detector and can tell if someone has a dirty filter, mold, or mildew in their home as I end up with shortness of breath pretty quickly. Dusting is almost impossible for me and I attempt to avoid it at all costs, and through the years I've learned that the easiest way other than living in a bubble to avoid dust and those awful allergy headaches is to invest in a great filter.

3M's Filtrete without a doubt has been my favorite home air filter for as long as I can remember. Not to mention the fact that with seven furry dogs running around here at all times I really need an air filter that can handle the stress I tend to put on it and still keep me breathing well. So when Mom Central contacted me before I went on vacation about letting you guys know about some special offers from Filtrete I was more than happy to help.

Everyone who has interest in their home air quality should sign up for Filtrete's Clear Air Club. Its a free service from Filtrete and they send you more information about home air quality, a handy reminder card so you can keep track of when its time to check your filter, and you'll be the first to know about any Filtrete promotions and rebates. Right now. Plus you'll be entered to win a bamboo plant just for signing up, bamboo planets are lucky by the way, heh.

Some other cool promotions going on right now are the Filtrete dirty filter challenge. All you have to do is send in a picture of your Filtrete filter, dirty, and tell Filtrete why you like to use their filters. For submitting your photo you will get a FREE filter, I'm so doing it as soon as its time to change my filter again. I use the 1" pleated filters but I've really been dying to try one of the Filtrete washable filters. It really erks me every time I have to throw away a filter as we have been so good about staying on top of our recycling and reducing waste. I really need to save up money and just jump in and buy the washable filter. It costs more but in the long run I think it would save me a ton of money plus I think I'd end up with a way cleaner house as I tend to be late changing my filters as its hard to find time to go out and buy a new one sometimes!

Neil Schachter, M.D has a few tips to keep your home air clean!
The two I live by are :

Houseplants...a clean air ally – Common indoor houseplants, such as bamboo plants, English ivy and peace lily, can provide a natural way to help fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution by absorbing some potentially harmful gases. A six-inch potted green plant can clean a room of excess carbon dioxide in eight hours. We like to keep a plant in each living space and plants are especially nice in bedrooms even if its only a small plant I always feel like my house is cleaner when I have a plant in the room.

Lay area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting – Wall-to-wall carpeting can attract and hold indoor dirt, pollen, pet hair and mold spores and many contain chemicals. Vacuuming can remove some surface dirt, but often, the vacuum can actually push pollutants deeper into carpet fibers. Area rugs are best since they can be picked up and cleaned thoroughly. I took this to a whole new level, as of this week we are totally carpet free except for three area rugs which are totally washable.


While your over at the Filtrete site check out the $3 rebate they are offering for purchasing a filter and enter to win $10,000 in their current sweepstakes too! Thanks Mom Central for letting us know!