Achieving this Certification is quite an accomplishment!  Matt had to have over 1,000 hours of work experience and pass a comprehensive test on the guideines, code and standards from the International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association (IKECA).  The IKECA is a trade association that develops the definitive standards for cleaning, inspecting and maintenance of commercial kitchen exhaust systems. 

Our CEO Joe McLean is proud of Matt for helping Alliance and AirTek find “ways to offer current and future clients the best service and most experienced professionals.”  Joe is happy to have a team member in San Diego with such a prestigious designation to show our continuing commitment to being the best there is.

Alliance Environmental Group and our Indoor Air Division, AirTek, comes with over 20 years of experience in improving indoor air quality for commercial and residential customers.  If your company or facility needs air duct cleaning services, sanitization, infectious control, furnace and coil cleaning, electrostatic air filter maintenance or kitchen exhaust cleaning services anywhere in California, please contact us.

And we hope you had a fantastic Memorial Day Weekend!

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  We welcome your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!

Have a very happy—and safe—Memorial Day!  See you on Wednesday with a new post!

First of all, I hope you have used interior paint!  In researching for this story, I read some posts about people using exterior paint indoors and the fumes basically never went away at all. They had to paint over the walls again with a sealant used by fire restoration folks to get rid of smoke smell.

At any rate, if you are using interior, water-based paint, you could still be irritated by the odors that come from new paint.  The paint is “off-gassing,” which means it is releasing molecules of gases that were in the paint as it dries. 

Is it safe to be in the room when the paint smell is still present?  Yes, but some people may have allergic reactions to it and people with asthma may find that it is a trigger.  Even if you are not super-sensitive, it is an irritant and may keep you from sleeping well until it has dissipated.

How can you get rid of the new paint smell?  Open the windows!  Wide!  And the doors!  Air that room out and good! 

How long will it take?  Unfortunately, left to its own devices, it is hard to predict as there are factors like: how smelly was it at the beginning (some paints smell more than others) and the humidity level in your area. 

How can I speed up the process?

At Alliance Environmental Group, we use ThermaPureHeat to get rid of new paint smell, and also other irritating odors that can come from mold, mildew, organic contaminants, new carpeting and building materials and even mystery odors!

Recently, we used ThermaPureHeat in a home in Moorpark that needed that new paint smell gone ASAP!  We increased the interior temperature of the home for 3 days, 24/7, and got rid of the paint smell incredibly quickly.

How does it work?

We bring in our ThermaPureHeat trailer which is similar to a water heater.  The trailer heats water and transfers it to hoses into the house.  Inside the house we use heat exchangers and radiators with fans to disperse the heat throughout the building.  We kept the system running for 72 hours and when we were done, no more smell!

It’s really amazing all the things that high temperatures can do to make our indoor environments cleaner, healthier and safer!  Don’t sit there watching the paint dry, make it dry faster!

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  We welcome your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!

In this video, Jeffry talks about the three most common ways of treating bed bugs:

Structural Heat—Raising interior temperatures high enough to kill all insect life
Fumigation—Tenting an entire building and fogging it with chemicals
Traditional Treatment—Using pesticides to spray infested areas in a building

He finds all of these to be okay solutions, but finds one method to be the one he would use in his own home, but I won’t spoil it for you!

Jeffry definitely lays out the pros and cons of each method but I would like to highlight some that he doesn’t go into:

Fumigation

Complete fumigation of a structure can definitely be effective in killing insects and is usually used for termites.  However, the cost of fumigation has to include the money you spend moving out of your house for days, cleaning all of the textiles and surfaces of your home after the treatment is over and the time and trouble of not being able to return to the home quickly.

Traditional Pesticide Treatment

The biggest con, which Jeffry mentions in passing, is the need for return visits from your pest control professional.  Not only can it take more than a month to eradicate the pests, there is no certainty that some eggs have been missed in cracks and crevices and could reinfest your home.

The Pros of Heat Treatment

Fully effective in one treatment
No need to move out
No need to wash surfaces, clothing and other textiles
No need to bag food
No dangerous chemicals

We agree with Jeffry White that structural heat is the very best way to eradicate bed bugs!  If you agree and need to get rid of a bed bug infestation anywhere in California, contact Alliance Environmental Group!  We are ready to help!

And Happy Monday!

Wendy Stackhouse is the Online Community Manager for Alliance Environmental Group and AirTek Indoor Air Solutions.  We welcome your comments!  For more news and tips or to ask questions of our experts, Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!  For updates on indoor air challenges, Like us at AirTek on Facebook!