Few furnace filters, except expensive HEPA filters, do much about trapping or killing germs. Electronic air filters will reduce somewhat the air born germ count because the high electrical voltages do kill some of the bacteria passing through them and probably all that is caught on the plates. ...
Judy has a pretty messy basement wall and has had several expensive estimates for fixing it.It almost looks like a mould or a fungus growing out of it, starting at a definite line quite high up on the wall.When I looked through the window I could see that the white stuff was starting about a foot...
When water backs up in your basement, whether it is contaminated sewer water or just a burst plumbing pipe, if it stands for more than 24 hours it is probably beginning to create mould.Just drying out the drywall may not be enough. When drywall gets wet it usually swells and retains a great deal...
Andre from Quebec forgot his bathroom fan. Now what to do?Well Andre, it is true that a charcoal recirculation fan will pick up and deal with most odours in the bathroom, if you keep the filter changed. But it will have absolutely no affect on moisture build-up, and hence on the possible develo...
Yes!Traditionally thermal windows were held apart by a hollow tube of aluminium and then sealed with some sealant over that. Of course the aluminium let a lot of cold come from the outer window to the inner window. (Actually cold doesn't exist -- it is just the absence of heat and heat moves no...
Harold in New Brunswick has a problem with moisture and mould. He has a bungalow with a 2 foot crawl space. There is no insulation in the floor and no vapour barrier under the floor. He asks if installing insulation between the floor joists prevent moisture in the house?No. Most insulation wi...
All siding gets dirty, but cedar siding, often used in humid parts of the country, has more of a tendency than other siding to support the growth of mould and mildew. Unless it is really bad, cleaning is basically done in the same manner as for aluminium or vinyl siding, with much the same produ...
Chris & Dorie from Richmond Hill, Ontario write: "Last summer we moved into our new home. About a month ago, I discovered that the mysterious switch in our front hall operates the fan in our second floor bathroom?! Is this a fire code regulation? Why did they not try to "hide" the switch i...
Last year we shot a special Spring Clean-Up show and in that show we cleaned up some mould on the lower walls of one of our viewer's basement. Recently we went back to permanently solve that problem by installing an exhaust fan that would draw the cold moist air off of the basement floor, doing ...
Frank from Oshawa Ontario has problems with cleaning mould off the grout in the bathroom and dirt off the grout in the foyer.Soaked in dirt and stain in the foyer could be bleached out. If that doesn't work you will have to use a grout knife to remove some and re-grout. Remember to always dig...
