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People spend a lot of their time indoors, especially in the cold months of fall and winter. Many enjoy being cozy under blankets and with their heaters, but their home may not distribute the healthiest or cleanest air. Cold temperatures and frequently-used heating devices can bring out various allergens and irritants, and windows do not open until the warmer months, keeping stale and dirty air trapped inside. Your indoor air quality depends on how safe and filtered the air is in your home, but poor air quality can lead to allergy flare-ups, health issues, and sneezing. Some of the worst indoor air quality measurements can cause severe respiratory illnesses or cancer, such as if there is black mold or asbestos. Every household should prioritize improving their home’s indoor air quality for everyone’s health and well-being. Sources of Indoor Air Pollutants You may have a variety of indoor air pollutants in your home and not even realize it, such as: Asbestos – You might find asbestos in older construction as a material in tiles, insulation, or cement. Asbestos is extremely harmful to breathe, sometimes leading to mesothelioma and other lung cancers, and symptoms may not show up for years after you are affected. You will need a professional asbestos removal team and cleanup crew to remove all traces and improve indoor air quality successfully. Scented Candles – While we love smelling the delicious scents of vanilla cupcakes or pine trees, your scented products could do more harm than good. Many of these products, such as diffusers and air freshers, contain harmful ingredients and VOCs (volatile organic compounds). You may breathe better by removing these artificial scents from your home. Chemicals/Cleaning Supplies – You might use these frequently and can’t just get rid of them. However, you can change the location of where you store them. Try

Attic Projects provides professional insulation installation with attic and crawl space cleaning services. Most homeowners have basic cold roofs, but a system known as hot roofs has become increasingly popular. In this article, the experts at Attic Projects discuss the benefits and drawbacks of hot and cold roofs. What Is a Hot Roof? Hot roofs date back to the earliest days of attic insulation. In a hot roof, the insulation sits on top of the structural roof framing and directly below the roof decking. As a result, the living areas under the insulation can stay just as warm. Most homes with flat or pitched roofs use hot roofs. Insulating a sloped roof with this method is difficult and costly. Hot roofs also lack ventilation. A lack of ventilation increases the possibility of moisture accumulating, which can result in mold growth. However, an air-tight seal can provide more consistent temperatures and a cleaner indoor environment. Hot roofs have the following advantages: Easy Install. Contractors can convert an existing flat roof into a hot roof. Retrofitting will result in a much faster installation of the new roofing system. No Heat Loss. Thermal bridging is minimal or nonexistent on hot roofs. A hot roof is also energy efficient and lowers energy bills. High R-Value. Spray foam with closed cells has the highest insulation value. Compared to fiberglass insulation, which has an R-Value of 4.3, spray foam insulation has an R-Value of 6.8 per inch. What Is a Cold Roof? Cold roofing is more popular than hot roofing and is commonly found in homes. The insulation in a cold roof system sits below the structural roof frame and roofing deck. A cold roof can prevent ice dams from forming on a roof deck in colder climates. Ice dams can cause structural damage to a roof. During the

Knob and tube wiring is an older method of electrical wiring that dates back to before the 1950s. If your home has a construction date between the 1880s to the 1950s, you may have knob and tube electrical wiring throughout your home. What Is Knob and Tube Wiring? Are you wondering what exactly is the knob and tube wiring method and if there are safety hazards that come with it? Knob and tube wiring is an old method of electrical wiring. It is now considered a safety hazard because it isn’t up to current codes and doesn’t have a ground wire. Generally speaking, knob and tube wiring isn’t dangerous on its own. However, it becomes a hazard when your building’s insulation takes over the wiring or if it’s had improper modifications from amateurs. How Knob and Tube Wiring Works Knob and tube wiring works differently than the standard electric work you’d see in homes today. With this type of wiring, there are knobs and tubes. Ceramic or porcelain “knobs” were used as anchor points for wires. These knobs fasten to the wall so you can run copper “tube” wiring coated in cloth insulation through the walls of a home.   Advantages of Knob and Tube Wiring Even though knob and tube wiring is an electrical wiring system of the past,  there are some advantages to this type of wiring system. One of these advantages is that the wiring can allow higher amps than other wiring systems with similar wire sizes. Another benefit is that the cables and porcelain material used for knob and tube wiring are sturdy and less likely to be affected by puncture wounds from nails attaching them to wall joints. However, it’s important to note that these advantages are just a few perks to knob and tube