Smoke Alarms Save Lives Short & Simple • © 2017 Thinkshortcut Publishing, LLC • Created by MarketingZoo.com  Maintenance and testing: Most fire alarms come with a simple button for testing purposes. Once each month, safely climb up on a chair or ladder and push the button. A loud, very irritating screeching sound will emanate, indicating it is ready for action. Pushing the button again usually turns it off. While you are up there testing, use a blast of compressed air to clear away dust, cobwebs, and anything else that could interfere with the operation of the smoke alarm. Do this for all alarms in your home.   Don’t forget to change the batteries on an annual basis. Set a reminder on your electronic device, such as your phone or tablet, or pencil it in on a paper calendar. And if the unthinkable happens, and a fire does occur in your home, don’t forget your disaster restoration professionals are ready for action. They can restore your home and belongings. After all, it pays to call a pro! Smoke Alarms Save Lives How can you protect what means the most to you? By using quality smoke alarms and ensuring they are kept in good working order, maintained and tested regularly. Here are some points to consider when choosing, installing and maintaining smoke alarms. Choosing the best: When roaming the aisles at your favorite home improvement store or searching online, you quickly discover there are many options available and your initial thought of just buying one is dispelled. The most important consideration is one that uses two types of detection: Ionization and photoelectric. Using a dual-sensor alarm system adds a layer of protection for your family. The ionization detector option sounds the alarm faster when a fire is a fast-flame type. Photoelectric detectors sound the alarm best when a fire is slow and smoldering. Installing them properly: This isn’t about just buying one fire alarm and putting it in the living room or kitchen. No, you need one smoke alarm outside each bedroom and another one in the hallway or central area of each level in the home. The alarms should mount on the ceiling, since heat and smoke rises. Keep them several inches from the wall, and away from both cold air return and fresh air supply vents.

Breathe Easy with Better Indoor Air Quality Short & Simple • © 2017 Thinkshortcut Publishing, LLC • Created by MarketingZoo.com   What can you do? It’s simple. Keep things clean. Change your furnace and air conditioning filter on a regular basis, according to the manufacturer. Use a quality vacuum for your carpet and furniture and use it weekly, and more often if you have a busy household. Those hard floors? They need cleaned as well, as dust can easily build up and become airborne from those surfaces. When you dust surfaces, such as shelves or countertops, use a soft cloth that will hold the dust instead of pushing it off onto the floor. And, of course, have your carpet and furniture cleaned based on the recommendation of your favorite cleaning company. In fact, isn’t it time you had your carpet and furniture cleaned… right now? Breathe Easy with Better Indoor Air Quality  Taking a deep breath of air, especially outdoors after a thunderstorm or when the air is crisp and clean, smells and feels good.   But taking a deep breath of air inside, such as in a home or commercial building, can be a different matter altogether. When indoor air quality is poor, there can be issues for many people, especially those who suffer from allergies, asthma, respiratory illnesses, among others. Poor indoor air quality doesn’t mean just “stuffy” air, the type that can build up in a home that doesn’t have sufficient air exchanges during the day. Although that can contribute to poor health for some individuals, what really causes health concerns is excessive dust, pet dander, pollen, mold, and other pollutants. While these pollutants are often indoors, they can also be outdoors, and you must recognize the affect they have on your health. For instance, you may decide to stay indoors when you hear of an outdoor poor air quality report on the news. What you can control, though, at least to a degree, is the air quality in your home.