Browse Tag by chemical
Life

Make Your Cleaning Routine Green

50

Be careful with antibacterial cleaners

The antibacterial and ‘cleaners’ that many people think are helpful don’t clean hands better than soap and water, and also add to the risk of breeding “super germs,” bacteria that resist to the chemicals.

Toss toxic cleaners carefully

When handling your finished cleaning products, don’t just throw the old ones in the trash. If they’re too toxic for your home, they won’t be good for the drain or the landfill either. Many communities hold toxics electronics recycling days and will take all of these off your hands. Throwing chemicals in the trash or down the drain means they might end up back in your water supply.

Employ a green house cleaning service

For people don’t have the time to clean their own homes, there are an increasing number of green cleaning services out there to help get things done. If you can’t find one in your area, call around until you find a service willing to use the products and methods you specify.

Keep the toxins away from your room

Imagine what’s on your shoes at the end of the day. Bringing that oil, animal waste, particulate pollution, pollen, and who knows what else into the house. Especially for kids that spend time on floor level. Keep a good doormat and maintain a shoeless house policy. Less dirt also means less sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming, which means less work, water, energy, and fewer chemicals. So, why not?

Life

How’s The Water? Check It Before You Buy A House

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In the last decade, the number of products designed to reduce contaminants in tap water has expanded significantly. In this article, I summarized a quick lesson on home water purification systems.

  1. Know the TASTE. Does your water taste funny or smell bad? Does it look reddish or leave
  2. Look for products that tackle specifically your problem. Filters reduce chemical contaminants, some metals, parasites, sediment. Provide about 1/2 to 1 gallon of water a minute.
  3. DEVICE. Choose a style that fits your needs: Pitchers with filters: Inexpensive. No installation; frequent filter changes (every 40 gallons).

Faucet devices:

Faucet with builtin filter — may require pro to install; filter changes every 100 gallons or so.

Device that mounts on existing faucet; filter changes every 100 gallons or so.

Countertop device that connects to faucet via hose; filter change starting at about every 100 gallons. Plumbed-in: Systems that install under sink and refrigerator filters that install directly to plumbing line. Both have long filter lives; generally require pro to install.

CERTIFY/VERIFY. Look for an NSF-certified product. And be sure to read the owner’s manual to make sure you change the filter appropriately.

Matter and energy

Which type of GAC filter system do I need?

granular_activated_carbon_from

A filter with granular activated carbon (GAC) is a proven solution to remove certain chemicals (in particular organic chemicals) from water. There are commonly two types of GAC filter system, including a whole-house filter or a point of use filter. Each system has its own features and is used in different applications. Sounds confusing? Don’t worry. Here it’s a guide for to find out your Mr. Filter.
There are several factors to consider:

  • The type and amount of contaminants in the water,
  • Other chemicals in the water,
  • Water use, and
  • Exposure pathways that need to be eliminated.

For those who have no clue about exposure pathways, exposure pathways are the ways chemicals enter your body. Some chemicals may cause harm if they are ingetsted while some are harmful if they are breathed in, some if they enter through the skin. Sometimes people are exposed through a combination of exposure pathways.

An under-sink filter protects people from ingesting the chemical by treating the drinking water only from that tap. It will not protect people from inhaling the chemical while showering or bathing, nor will it protect other water faucets.

A whole-house filter system treats all water traveling to any faucet in the home. It removes the chemical before it can be ingested, breathed in, or absorbed by the skin during washing or bathing.

Remember, no matter which filter system you’ll use, use only a licensed filter supplier. For either type of filter system, consistent maintenance and periodic filter or GAC replacement is essential to ensure effectiveness and prevent bacterial build-up.

Matter and energy

The Best Water Filter Options

Carbon filters3

Then, Distilled Water?
Recognized by the EPA as the best option for removing chemicals, quality carbon filters remove VOCs, pesticides, bacteria, fluoride, heavy metals, and parasites. Most can safely transform any type of water into safe drinking water.

A big plus for carbon filters is that they seem to be the least expensive in the long run and require the fewest filter replacements. They also hold naturally occurring minerals from the water, making it the best tasting filtered water option, in my opinion.

Conclusion: This is what I personally use now.Amazingly, carbon filters are very inexpensive per gallon cost and need infrequent filter replacement. Portable options can even be used while traveling.From my research, this is the best option for removing contaminants without removing necessary minerals, while keeping a good taste.

Then, Distilled Water?
The distillation process heats the water to become steam. The steam is then cooled toturn back into liquid, leaving behind many contaminants. Distillation reduces large particles like heavy metals but does not remove some other contaminants like VOCs or chemicals that disrupt hormones.
<>bConclusion: It removes a large amount of contaminants, and heavy metals. But it does not reduce VOCs and other hormone disruptors. Home distillation systems are also expensive and consume too much electricity. Overall, it’s better than bottled water but definitely not the best option out there.

I got a lot of emails and questions about the healthiest options for drinking water and best water filters. To be honest, this is something I’ve also been researching for quite a while, and am only now sharing with you since I’ve finally been able to understand all of the options.

Finding the healthiest food is very important, but finding the best water options can be even more important! Some sources of water can contain hundreds of chemicals and many of these chemicals can be more easily absorbed from water than from food.

How About Bottled Water?
Bottled water has gained some popularity these days, thanks for its successful marketing. But it is not a good option for several seasons:
• Chemicals from the plastic bottle itself can leak into the water
• In most cases, the water itself is no different than tap water
• Bottled water costs more than drinking tap water
• Water bottles are not environmentally-friendly!
Conclusion: Not the best option on price, taste, or health so I skip it. Don’t be baffled by its convenience. carbon filters

So, Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis filtration uses a membrane to remove many contaminants from water. The membrane is semipermeable separates many large size particles from the water. Unluckily, the filtration process wastes a large amount of water. Not to forget many naturally occurring minerals (e.g. calcium and magnesium) are also removed.
Conclusion: Reverse osmosis does remove a large amount of contaminants but it wastes more water than it produces. Just like its distillation counterpart, reverse osmosis cannot remove VOCs and other hormone disruptors. So it’s still not the best water solution.