Natural HomesHow to use this
This guide is a walk through an ordinary house from a building biology point of view. The house is where you spend the night, cook, and shower. Those hours are long enough that materials, moisture, air, water, and the electrical environment are worth a calm look.
Read it with a notebook. Room by room, write what you see, what you smell, and what you would like to change. A list of three jobs beats a cart full of gadgets.
The free part is this page. The paid chapters are the room-by-room detail: where to look, what a measurement is for, and when to stop and hire someone. It is educational. It does not diagnose an illness, and it is not a substitute for a licensed mold assessor, electrician, plumber, or physician.
Chapters in the full guide
- A sensible order of work
- Moisture, because it comes first
- Air: source, fresh air, then filtration
- Water at the tap and from a well
- Materials and finishes
- The bedroom
- Kitchen and bath
- Light, wiring, and radio frequency
- Basements, crawl spaces, and additions
- Tests, kits, and their limits
- When to hire help
Sources used in the guide
- EPA, Improving your indoor environment. Humidity range, ventilation, filtration without ozone, alarms, and moisture control.
- EPA, The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality. Source control, ventilation, air cleaners, and the limits of houseplants.
- EPA, Sources of combustion products. Combustion appliances and other indoor combustion sources.
- EPA, Mold. Moisture control and mold cleanup.
- EPA, What the radon action level means. The 4 pCi/L action level, the 2 to 4 pCi/L range, and EPA's published risk estimate.
- EPA, Private drinking water wells. Well owner responsibilities and testing.
- EPA, Lead. Lead in older housing.
- WHO, WHO Housing and health guidelines. Housing guidance that includes dampness and mold among the risks to address.
- Building Biology Institute. A training home for building biology, and a public directory of certified professionals. Natural Homes is independent of the Institute.
- ASHRAE Standard 62.2. The usual U.S. reference for residential ventilation rates. The standard is published by ASHRAE.