Since I was in junior high I have battled with allergies.  Some places I’ve lived have made it easier to deal with than others but unfortunately living in this part of North Carolina has me continually struggling.  I try my best to keep the floors vacuumed, surfaces dusted, sheets changed, windows shut, and air filters up to date.

Not only do I want to keep the air quality in our house clean for myself but also for the health of my entire family.  With a little one in the house I am ever conscience about allergens in the air and the overall cleanness of my home.  Small children are much more “in touch” with their surroundings.  They are nearer to the ground, they have their hands in their mouths, and well, they like to put everything in their mouths!  I like to be proactive when it comes to creating and maintaining a healthy home for my family.

I’ve read lots of tips on keeping a clean home but until recently I’ve never came across advice on how to winterize your home.  I’m excited to share with you some tips given from expert Jodi Marks on ways to winterize your home.  Some of you may know Home improvement expert Jodi Marks as the former co-host of HGTV’s Fix It Up! and co-author of Fix It In a Flash, a how-to book on the basics of home repair.  She is currently a cast member of the show Today’s Homeowner with Danny Lipford and an expert on the Filtrete Healthy Home Authority panel.  I’m pretty excited to share her tips with you!

“Homeowners often ‘summerize’ the home by sealing up windows and inspecting the furnace, but it’s just as important to ‘winterize’ the home for cooler temperatures.  In addition to keeping the home warm and safe for family and holiday guests, preparing the home for winter can help reduce monthly energy bills.

1. When sealing up the home to help keep the warm air in, keep in mind that indoor air can be two to five times worse than outdoor air, according to the U.S. Environment Protection Agency (EPA).  To help improve your home’s indoor air quality and keep your heating system running efficiently, use a high performance filter, like the Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction filter from 3M.  It captures 94 percent of large airborne particles, such as pet dander, mold spores and dust mite debris, from the air passing through the filter. The EPA suggests changing your filter every three months, so a good rule of thumb is to change your filter at the start of every season.
2. Properly installing weatherproofing around your doors and windows and ensuring the insulation in your attic hasn’t gotten compacted can reduce air leakage in the home and help you save on your energy bill, according to Energy Star.  Be sure to check around the dryer vent, the kitchen exhaust hood vent and even the water bib for your garden hose. These are prime areas where warm air can escape through your walls to the outside.
3. No one enjoys coming home to a frigid house at the end of a long day, but no one wants to expense of running the heat at full blast all the time, either.  An easy solution is to use a programmable thermostat can also help to reduce energy costs and keep your home warm and toasty.
4. The leaves are falling from the trees as winter quickly approaches.  Heavily weighted down gutters from water and leaves can begin to pull them away from the fascia boards and lead to structural problems down the road.  Be sure to keep your gutters clean and ensure they drain water properly by filling in low areas with soil and slope the ground away from your home’s foundation.
5. A large and costly roof problem can be avoided by identifying small leaks, which can occur from the effects of strong winds that push rainwater under the shingles of your roof.  Just because shingles are still in place doesn’t mean that there aren’t tears in them that could result in leaking, so be sure to have your roof inspected by a licensed professional.”

Filtrete’s Elite Allergen Reduction filter captures 94 percent of the large airborne particles and allows the clean air to easily pass through.  94%!  It’s easy to see how Filtrete’s Allergen Reduction Filters can help clean your air but did you also know that they can help save you money?  It’s true!  These high quality air filters can help you save money by:

• Keeping you healthier {Dr. visits can be costly}
• Helping your air conditioner and heater run smoothly
• Avoiding wasting money on a cheaper less efficient filter

If you are forgetful like me, you might enjoy Filtrete’s reminder system where you can sign up for email reminders to change your filter!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Filtrete Elite Allergen Reduction Filter, then make sure to visit the Filtrete website. Filtrete’s current offers and specials for rebates & coupons.  Here are just a few of the Filtrete coupons available:

$10 off a 8 or 12 cup Filtrete water pitcher

$10 Filtrete water station

$3 off any Filtrete filter (out of prints)

“I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Filtrete and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.”