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10 Places Your Home's Air Gets Stale (and How to Freshen Each One)
Stale air usually starts in a few hidden spots. Here are 10 places dust, debris and odors build up in a home, with a...
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Resources
Indoor air guides for Central Texas homes
Plain-English guides to indoor air in Central Texas homes: humidity, HVAC habits, pollen season, odors and what a whole-home dry fog treatment does.
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Start here
What Is Your Home's Bio-Load? A Plain-English Guide for Austin Homeowners
Every home collects a bio-load over time - tiny particles and organic debris on surfaces and inside the HVAC. Here is what builds it...
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What a Dry Fog Treatment Day Looks Like, Step by Step
Wondering what actually happens on treatment day? Here is a walk through the day, from the moment our van pulls up to the moment...
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Indoor Air Glossary: Plain-English Definitions for Homeowners
HVAC techs and air quality guides use a lot of jargon. Here are the words you'll hear most, explained in plain English.
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
Humidity, HVAC and airflow
Central Texas Humidity Guide: How to Keep Your Home at 50% or Below
Austin's damp air makes indoor humidity a year-round job. Here is how to check your levels, why your AC may not keep up, and...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
How to Choose a Dehumidifier for Your Central Texas Home
A good dehumidifier can make a humid Central Texas home feel fresher and more comfortable. Here is what to look for, how to set...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
HVAC Fan Settings: On vs Auto vs Circ in Central Texas Homes
Your thermostat's fan setting changes how your home feels and how much moisture stays in the air. Here is how On, Auto and Circ...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
Blocked Vents: How Furniture and Drapes Create Cool, Damp Pockets
A couch over a floor vent or drapes hanging in front of a wall register can leave cool, damp corners in a room. Here...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
Bathroom Exhaust Fans: Sizing, Timing and Upkeep for Fresher Air
Your bathroom fan is one of the simplest tools for fresher indoor air. Here is how to size it, when to run it and...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
Why Does the Laundry Room Smell? Dryer Vents, Lint and Moisture
The laundry room adds more moisture and lint to your home than most people realize. Here is how to keep the washer, dryer and...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
New Homes, Tight Homes: Why Indoor Air Can Get Trapped
Today's energy-efficient homes hold air in, the good and the bad. Here is why newer homes can trap indoor air problems, what older Austin...
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Humidity, HVAC and airflow
Why Does My House Smell Musty After It Rains?
A musty smell that shows up after every rain usually has a moisture story behind it. Here is where to look in a Central...
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Crawl spaces, attics and ducts
Crawl spaces, attics and ducts
Pier-and-Beam Homes: Why October Is the Time to Check the Crawl Space
October is the month a pier-and-beam house is easiest to read from underneath. Here is what to look for with a flashlight, what you...
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Crawl spaces, attics and ducts
Crawl Space Vents: Open or Closed in Central Texas?
Open crawl space vents were meant to dry the space under the house, but a Central Texas summer can do the opposite. Here is...
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Crawl spaces, attics and ducts
Droppings in the Attic: Who to Call First, and in What Order
Found droppings in the attic? Four different jobs follow, in a set order: get the animals out, clean up what they left, seal and...
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Crawl spaces, attics and ducts
Attic Cleaned Out but the House Still Smells: Next Steps
The droppings and old insulation are gone, but the house still smells. Here is where that odor hides after an attic cleanup and the...
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Odors
Odors
Pets and Indoor Air: How to Keep a Pet-Friendly Home Smelling Fresh
Keep a pet-friendly home smelling fresh with steady habits: scoop the litter box daily, wash pet beds every week or two, brush pets outdoors,...
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Odors
How to Get Lingering Smoke Smell Out of a House: Where It Hides
Smoke smells linger because smoke leaves an oily residue on almost everything it touches, and heat and humidity release the odor again. Clean top...
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Odors
Smelly Drains and Dry Traps: The Hidden Odor Sources in Your Home
Some of the most stubborn odors in a home come from the drains. Here's what causes them and a simple monthly routine to keep...
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Odors
How to Keep Cooking Smells From Lingering: Range Hoods and Grease
The kitchen adds grease, moisture and odors to your home's air every day. Here is how range hoods, cooking habits and a few cleaning...
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Odors
Closets and Airflow: Why Clothes Smell Stale and How to Freshen Them
Closets are the quietest rooms in the house, and that is the problem. Here is how airflow, doors and storage habits affect how your...
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Odors
Why Does the Pet Smell Come Back After the Carpets Are Cleaned?
The carpets were just cleaned, and a week later the pet smell is back. Here is why that happens in Central Texas homes, where...
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Odors
The Leak Is Fixed and Dried: Why Does the Room Still Smell?
The plumber fixed the leak and the fans ran for days, but the room still smells. Here is why odor lingers after water, what...
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Odors
Wildfire or Grass Fire Smoke Got Inside? How to Freshen the House
To freshen a house after grass fire or prescribed burn smoke, keep windows shut and the HVAC fan on while smoke is in the...
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Odors
Why Does the Bathroom Smell Like Urine Even After Cleaning?
You scrubbed the toilet and the bathroom still smells like pee. The culprit is usually hiding in grout, under the bolt caps or behind...
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Seasons and pollen
Seasons and pollen
Cedar Season and Oak Pollen: How to Keep Austin's Pollen Outside Your Home
Central Texas has two big pollen seasons back to back. Here's how to keep more of that pollen outside, where it belongs.
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Seasons and pollen
Indoor Allergens in Central Texas Homes: What They Are and What Helps
Central Texas is known for cedar season, but plenty of allergens live inside our homes year-round. Here is where they come from and what...
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Seasons and pollen
Burning Smell When the Heat First Comes On? Austin's First Cold Front
The first cold front flips the thermostat from cool to heat and shuts the windows. Here is what that does to how your Central...
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Life moments
Life moments
Moving Into a New-to-You Home? Give It a Fresh Start Before You Unpack
An empty house is the best chance you'll ever get to freshen it top to bottom. Here's a simple move-in checklist and why timing...
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Life moments
After a Remodel: Clearing Construction Dust and New-Material Fumes
A remodel leaves more behind than a new kitchen or bath. Here is how to handle construction dust and new-material fumes, during the work...
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Life moments
Getting a Nursery or Kids' Room Ready: A Fresh-Air Guide for Austin Parents
New paint, a new crib and a fresh rug all bring new smells. Here is how to set up a nursery or kids' room...
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Life moments
Closed-Up Homes: How to Keep a Vacation Home or Empty House Fresh
A house that sits closed for weeks in Central Texas can come back stuffy and stale. Here is how to set it up before...
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Life moments
Buying a Home in Central Texas: Smell Clues to Notice at the Showing
Your nose is one of the best tools you bring to a showing. Here is what a musty closet, a row of plug-ins or...
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Life moments
Buying a Smoker's House in Austin: What to Ask For During the Option Period
Found the right house, but the sellers smoked indoors? Here is how to size up the smoke smell during your Texas option period, what...
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Life moments
After a Hill Country Flood: The First 48 Hours and Who to Call
When floodwater gets into a Central Texas home, the order of calls matters. Here is what to do in the first 48 hours, who...
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Life moments
Spray Foam or New-Build Smell That Won't Go Away: What Can You Do?
Some new-home smell is normal and fades over months with fresh air. A strong, fishy or sharp smell that lasts for weeks after spray...
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Life moments
What Are VOCs? A Plain-English Guide for Austin Homes
VOCs are the carbon-based vapors behind most "new house" smell. Here is what they are, where they come from in a Central Texas home,...
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Renting, hosting and selling
Renting, hosting and selling
Rental Turnover Checklist for Austin Landlords: Odors and Fresh Air
The last tenant moved out, and the next one wants to see a fresh unit this week. Here is a practical turnover checklist that...
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Renting, hosting and selling
Short-Term Rentals in Austin: Keeping the Air Fresh Between Guests
Guests rarely praise good air, but they always mention bad air. Here is how Austin short-term rental hosts keep units smelling fresh between stays.
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Renting, hosting and selling
Renting in Austin: What to Do When Your Apartment Smells Musty
A musty smell in a rental is frustrating because you don't control the building. Here is what you can do yourself, what to report...
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Renting, hosting and selling
How Do You Get a House Smelling Fresh Before It Goes on the Market?
To get a house smelling fresh before you list it, fix the odor sources six to eight weeks out, then clean, paint and declutter,...
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Renting, hosting and selling
Why Does My Barndominium Sweat? Condensation and Stale Air
Barndominiums and shop homes are everywhere in the Central Texas countryside, and steel sweats. Here is why metal buildings get condensation and stale air,...
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How dry fog compares
How dry fog compares
What's in Dry Fog? Hydrogen Peroxide, Peracetic Acid and the Vinegar Smell
The chemicals in the dry fog are hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid, a relative of vinegar, and it breaks down into water, oxygen and...
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How dry fog compares
Dry Fog vs. Sprayers, Foggers and Spray-and-Wipe: What's the Difference?
Not all fogging and spraying is the same. Here is how droplet size, coverage and air pressure change what a whole-home treatment can reach.
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How dry fog compares
Ozone, UV Lights, Hydroxyl, Thermal Fogging and Dry Fog: How They Compare
Ozone and hydroxyl generators react with odors in the air, UV lights work only on what they shine on, and thermal fogging is a...
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How dry fog compares
What's a Quat? Quat Binding and What Wipe-Down Cleaning Misses
Many everyday cleaners contain quats. Here is what they are, why your cleaning cloth can soak them up, and simple ways to get more...
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How dry fog compares
Who to Call for Indoor Air Problems in Your Austin Home (It May Not Be Us)
Not every indoor air problem starts with the same fix. Here's an honest guide to who to call first, and when a whole-home dry...
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How dry fog compares
What Goes Into the Cost of a Whole-Home Odor Treatment?
Wondering what a whole-home treatment will cost? Here are the things that shape a quote, from square footage to the type of treatment, plus...
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How dry fog compares
Baking Soda, Charcoal, Vinegar: Do DIY Odor Fixes Really Work?
An open box of baking soda, a charcoal bag in the closet, a bowl of vinegar on the counter: each one does something real,...
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How dry fog compares
Does Airing Out a House Get Rid of Smells?
Opening the windows clears smells that are floating in the air, but not the ones soaked into carpet, drywall and cushions. Here is how...
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How dry fog compares
What Dry Fog Companies Claim in Other States, and Why We Say Less
Some fog companies outside Texas advertise mold removal, kill rates and "EPA approved." Here's where those claims come from, where they hit a limit,...
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How dry fog compares
Peroxide, Hypochlorous, Chlorine Dioxide and Ozone: Label Limits
Hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid, chlorine dioxide and ozone compared by what their EPA labels allow when fogged, and why ozone generators carry no registration...
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How dry fog compares
What a "Mold-Free Guarantee" Really Means in Texas
Many companies advertise mold-free guarantees backed by their own samples. Here's how to read those promises, and how Texas's licensed assessor, remediator and certificate...
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How dry fog works
How dry fog works
Why Texas, New York and California Are Different for Dry Fog
Texas, New York and Florida license mold work, and California regulates fog services through pesticide law. Here's what changes at the state line, what...
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Businesses, schools and churches
Businesses, schools and churches
Churches and Fellowship Halls: Keeping Big Rooms Fresh Between Services
Sanctuaries and fellowship halls fill up once or twice a week, then sit closed. Here is how Central Texas churches can handle AC setbacks,...
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