Water & Air – Filter Systems News

How many gallons of water do you think it takes to produce one pair of jeans? Levi Strauss & Company knows: typically 919 gallons. The New York Times reports that those 919 gallons “include the water that goes into irrigating the cotton crop, stitching the jeans together and washing them scores of times at home.” For Levi Strauss, that number is too high. That’s why the noted clothing company has pledged to reduce water use for the sake of environmental responsibility and as a response to water shortages possibly caused by climate change.

The company has a few ideas in mind:

“Levi Strauss has helped underwrite and champion a nonprofit program that teaches farmers in India, Pakistan, Brazil and West and Central Africa the latest irrigation and rainwater-capture techniques.  It has introduced a brand featuring stone-washed denim smoothed with rocks but no water. It is sewing tags into all of its jeans urging customers to wash less and use only cold water.”

Levi Strauss also recommends that their consumers take part in their initiative by not washing jeans regularly. Cutting back on a few loads of laundry could save gallons of water. For a possible alternative, the company recommends placing your jeans in your freezer, which can kill germs that cause bad smells.

Water shortages have been a concern for the company recently. In 2009 Levi Strauss joined several other major companies to form the Better Cotton Initiative, which “promotes water conservation and reduces pesticide use and child-labor practices in the industry.” And last year “floods in Pakistan and parched fields in China destroyed cotton crops and sent prices soaring. Roughly two pounds of cotton go into every pair of jeans that the company manufactures.”

Levi Strauss has implemented their nonprofit program and achieved surprisingly positive results: “A three-year independent study of Indian farms found those adopting the new techniques reduced water and pesticide use by an average of 32 percent, the initiative says. The profit was 20 percent higher than that of a control group using traditional methods.”

The company is aware that results will not be immediate, but is putting forth the best effort to ensure that water conservation becomes a major staple of the company’s future.

October is Military Appreciation Month and we want to show our support for all those who have served in the military. We appreciate the tireless work that both active and retired military service members have offered and the sacrifices they’ve made to protect our country.

We’d like to hear from you and ask you to nominate a current or retired military service member for a chance for them to win a $50 VISA gift card and a set of red, white, and blue water bottles (a $50 value). Post a picture of the nominated service member on our Facebook wall between today, Friday November 4 and Friday November 11, and we will randomly select a winner at the end of next week.

REMEMBER, THERE IS NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER.

To nominate a military service member to win the contest, follow these easy steps:

1. “Like” our Facebook page.

2. Post an image of the service member on our wall or e-mail your photo directly to steve@filtersfast.com and we will post it on the wall ourselves.

3. After your photo is posted, we will hold a drawing at the end of the week to randomly select a winner.

Nominations begin today, Friday November 4, and end on Friday November 11. The winner will be chosen through a random drawing at the end of the week and the nominated service member will receive a gift card and the family set of water bottles.

Enter the contest for a chance to win a gift card and these water bottles

Staying hydrated is always important, regardless of the season. With this family set of water bottles, you can enjoy clean water anywhere. Representing the colors that best embody the United States and its military, we’ll include the sporty Klean Kanteen 18 oz Bottle & Sport Cap 2.0 – Red , the Filters Fast 16oz Filtered Water Bottle for clean water, and the Klean Kanteen Sippy Cup – 12 oz Ocean Blue for the little one in the household. Klean Kanteen bottles are BPA-free and made of food-grade stainless steel for optimum quality and the Filters Fast water bottle features a built-in cartridge for filtering impurities from water on-the-go. Together these items represent a nearly $50 value and will be a wonderful treat for any military family.

Daylight Savings Time is approaching for those of us who live in the United States. We set our clocks one hour forward in the spring, which means that we set them back one hour on Sunday, November 6. Daylight Savings Time also happens to be the perfect opportunity to remember to change, replace, or inspect your air and water filters, which we previously discussed in our Energy Conserving Tips guide. Here are a few recommendations that will help improve the quality of your home and save you money on energy costs:

Replace your air furnace filters

Air filters should be replaced every 3-6 months depending on your indoor air quality and the conditions where you live. With the proper air filter you will be able to reduce airborne contaminants in your home, including dust, dirt, and various allergens.

We sell a complete line of air furnace filters that will provide you with the high indoor air quality you deserve. The Filters Fast Air & Furnace Filters Merv 11, 6-pack is a solid choice that is both economical and highly effective.

Replace your refrigerator filters

Refrigerator filters help deliver refreshingly clean, cold water to your home by removing chlorine and off tastes and odors. Several refrigerator filters will also be able to remove even more harmful contaminants, such as cysts, lead, mercury, pesticides and more. Refrigerator filters will also provide clean ice, so that the other drinks you serve will be free of off flavors.

Two popular choices are the Maytag Puriclean II UKF8001 Filter and the GE MWF SmartWater Filter, though your choice ultimately depends on which refrigerator water filter is most compatible with the refrigerator you have at home.

Replace your humidifier filter

A humidifier releases clean moisture throughout your home in order to relieve the symptoms associated with dry air. You and your family will breathe more comfortably and have relief from cough and cold symptoms, such as itchy throat and cough. Humidifier filters should be replaced regularly and Daylight Savings Time is a great reminder to do so. Our website lists our humidifier filters based on brand, so you can find out which filter best matches your humidifier.

Several popular choices include the Aprilaire 35 humidifier water panel evaporator and the Holmes HWF100 Humidifier Filter.

Upgrade your thermostat

In today’s day and age it’s a good idea to upgrade your old thermostat to a digital thermostat, which offers you more comfort and convenience, as well as total control over your home’s air quality. Recently we discussed how to install a digital thermostat, which is easier to do than you might imagine. A quality digital thermostat will have a menu and several control options for added versatility.

An excellent option is to upgrade to the Honeywell Vision PRO 8000 Thermostat or the Honeywell PRO 4000 Programmable Thermostat 1007.

While it’s tough to remember when exactly to change your air and water filters, try to view Daylight Savings Time as the best opportunity to maintain the best indoor air quality and water filtration in your home.

Happy Halloween, everyone! Whether you’ve celebrated this spooky holiday over the weekend or are planning to tonight, we’re sure you have some fascinating costumes to show off this year. That’s why we’re hosting a Best Halloween Costume Photo Contest. To enter the contest, post your best Halloween costume photo, whether it’s a picture of you or of your children, on our Facebook page and the picture with the most “Likes” at the end of the week wins the contest. The winner of the contest receives a free $50 VISA gift card. And, remember, there is NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER.

To enter the contest, follow these easy steps:

1. “Like” our Facebook page.

2. Post your best Halloween costume photo on our wall or e-mail your photo directly to manish@filtersfast.com and we will post it on the wall ourselves.

3. Tell your friends to “Like” our Facebook page so that they can “Like” your photo.

4. After your photo is posted, people will vote on the best photo by “liking” the image.

Voting begins today, Monday October 31, and ends at 4pm on Friday November 4. The photo with the most “Likes” at the end of the week wins the contest.

(Please submit only one photo per contestant and also make sure you only post your own photos.)

October is typically recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness month and here at Filters Fast we want to draw both awareness of the disease and also pay tribute to the survivors. In lieu of our normal contest we’d like to hear from you and ask you to nominate a breast cancer survivor for a chance for them to win a pink Crane humidifier. E-mail us at manish@filtersfast.com between today, Monday October 24 and Friday October 28, and we will hold a drawing at the end of the week to randomly select a winner.

In order to be eligible, please include the following in your e-mail:

-          Your name

-          The name of the breast cancer survivor you’re nominating

-          Their contact information

-          How their story is an inspiration to you

After all the submissions are in on Friday we will hold a drawing to randomly select a winner. The nominated breast cancer survivor will win a pink Crane cool mist humidifier in an attractive drop shape. This humidifier relieves cough and cold symptoms, including congestion, sinus irritation, and dry skin, and is especially useful in the dry and winter months.

While Breast Cancer Awareness Month only lasts for 31 days, it’s important to continually raise awareness and educate ourselves about this disease.

Brita Grand Water Pitcher Filter

Halloween’s only a few weeks away and one of its most time-honored traditions is the carving of the pumpkin. We’d love to see what wonderful designs you’ll be carving into your own pumpkin, which is why we’re hosting a Best Pumpkin Carving Photo Contest. To enter the contest, post your best pumpkin carving photo, whether it’s the actual act of carving or your final ghoulish product, on our Facebook page and the picture with the most “Likes” at the end of the week wins the contest. The winner of the contest receives a free orange Brita Grand Water Pitcher Filter. And, remember, there is NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER.

To enter the contest, follow these easy steps:

1. “Like” our Facebook page.

2. Post your best pumpkin carving photo on our wall or e-mail your photo directly to manish@filtersfast.com and we will post it on the wall ourselves.

3. Tell your friends to “Like” our Facebook page so that they can “Like” your photo.

4. After your photo is posted, people will vote on the best photo by “liking” the image.

Voting begins today, Monday October 17, and ends at 4pm on Friday October 21. The photo with the most “Likes” at the end of the week wins the contest.

The winner of this contest receives a Brita Grand Water Pitcher that arrives in a Limited Edition orange lid design. The Brita Grand Orange filter pitcher allows you to have fresh and cold filtered water on hand in your refrigerator at all times. This Brita pitcher features a flip-top lid, soft grip handle, electronic filter change indicator, and will hold about ten 8 ounce glasses of filtered water. This pitcher is both convenient and economical, making it a perfect addition to your home or office.

(Please submit only one photo per contestant and also make sure you only post your own photos.)

Honeywell Vision PRO 8000

A good thermostat allows you to regulate the temperature of your home and maintain optimal comfort. An outdated thermostat can often be problematic because it offers less versatility. If you haven’t done so already, buying a digital thermostat is a must. With multiple settings and easy programming, you can set the desired temperature in your home with little to no trouble.

Currently, we offer the Honeywell Vision PRO 8000 Thermostat as a featured product, along with several other digital thermostats. The Honeywell Vision PRO 8000 features a touch-screen, menu-driven programming, and a real-time clock that keeps time during power failures and updates the time for daylight savings. The programming feature on this digital thermostat is one of its most cost-saving and energy-conserving components. You will be able to program your thermostat to shut off when you’re on vacation and to turn on before you arrive home, which can save you money.

Installing a new digital thermostat may seem daunting, but it’s quite simple if you follow these instructions.

1. Read through the manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Turn off the breaker or fuse panel that powers your thermostat.
3. Remove your old thermostat.
4. Remove the cover plate.
5. Remove mounting screws.
6. Carefully remove wires and keep note of which color wires connects to which terminal. Also, tie the wires together carefully so they do not fall behind the wall.
7. Remove the thermostat base by removing mounting screws.
8. Install the new mounting plate with new anchors, usually provided by the manufacturer. Position the plate over the old anchors or drill new holes if the plate will not fit.
9. Connect the wires. If you kept note of where the colored wires fit, this will be easier.
10. Attach the new thermostat to the base and insert batteries.
11. Install the cover (this might need to be mounted with screws).
12. Turn the power back on and test the thermostat.
13. Follow the programming instructions provided by the manufacturer.

Even as the weather is getting colder it’s important to spend time outside and appreciate nature. That’s why we’re hosting the Best Camping/Hiking Photo Contest. To enter our photo contest, send us your best camping or hiking photo, or photo that best represents you roughing it in the outdoors. Whether it’s a family photo or a solo shot of you experiencing nature, we’d like to see it. The winner of the contest receives a free Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier (a $50 value). NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER.

To enter the contest, follow these easy steps:

1. “Like” our Facebook page.

2. Post your best hiking/camping photo on our wall or e-mail your photo directly to manish@filtersfast.com and we will post it on the wall ourselves.

3. Tell your friends to “Like” our Facebook page so that they can “Like” your photo.

4. After your photo is posted, people will vote on the best photo by “liking” the image.

Voting begins today, Monday October 10, and ends at 4pm on Friday October 14. The photo with the most “Likes” at the end of the week wins the contest.

The winner of this contest receives a Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier (a $50 in value). The Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier with the Blue Splash finish is an advanced personal water bottle filtration system. The MyBottle is the only personal water bottle purification system on the entire water filter market that is registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To use this water bottle purifier all you have to do is fill the bottle with the water you want purified, insert the specially-designed Katadyn purification system, and drink from virtually any fresh water source. This reusable water bottle is perfect for use on any hiking or camping trip and is also useful for trips overseas.

Image Credit: discoverbuenosaires.com

“Spring forward, fall back.” It’s a simple phrase we’ve used for years to remind ourselves about Daylight Savings Time, when we either advance our clocks forward and back. We moved our clocks one hour forward earlier this Spring, March 2^nd to be exact, and we will move our clocks one hour back this fall, on November 6^th. While it’s important to note November 6^th to make sure you’re in synch with the rest of the world, there is a major reason you may not have thought about yet: replacing your air and furnace filters.

The Northwest Natural Gas Company notes that many American choose Daylight Savings as the time to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors, but we should also replace our furnace filters too. NW Natural states:

 “This will save money and extend the life of your furnace. The easiest and least expensive way to ensure your furnace is running efficiently is to change the filter on a regular basis. For a relatively low cost you can rack up measurable savings on winter heating costs and avoid expensive repairs in the future. Plan to replace your filter every one to three months when the heater is in use. Homes with pets may benefit from replacing the filter more frequently. This is an excellent way to improve home air quality in a season when many more hours are spent indoors.”

Having trouble deciding which furnace filter to buy? Here are a few suggestions:

Filters Fast Air & Furnace Filters MERV 11, 6-pack

•  These are economical filter replacements sold in a variety of sizes. With a MERV 11 rating you can ensure that your indoor air is protected from dust, dirt, mold spores, and pet dander.

Filtrete Ultra Allergen Air Filter

•  A high-performing air filter that uses electrostatically charged fibers to attract airborne particles, such as pollen, mold spores, dust mite debris, smoke, pet dander, household dust, smog, bacteria, and virus carrying particles. Also, save $6 through a mail-in-rebate available on our site.

Trion Air Bear Media AC Filter

•  This pleated air filter features a MERV 8 rating. Trion Air Bear whole-house media AC filters are a practical choice due to the high-efficiency synthetic material used in their construction and their extended-surface pleats that provide for higher dirt-holding capacity. Efficient air conditioning filters can prolong the life of your equipment, and save you money.

The sari is a traditional form of dress worn by women in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and several other countries. While you may not be familiar with the name, the style is quite recognizable. Saris are usually long and flowing, multi-colored, and draped around a woman’s waist and over her shoulder. While often the marker of ethnicity, tradition, or style, women of Bangladesh rely on their saris for even more: water filtration.

The New York Times, has recently begun a new series of special reports: “Small Fixes, a special section on low-cost innovations that can save thousands of lives.” In a recent report, the Times notes that women in rural Bangladesh often use their saris to filter sweetened drinks, often to get rid of leaves, bugs, and various other debris.

While filtering a beverage of leisure offers many advantages, ten years ago researchers from Maryland realized that this simple technique could form the base of a much larger operation to relieve a very serious health risk. They discovered that “four thicknesses of laundered sari fabric, with its loosened, roughened cotton fibers, will strain out most of the microscopic plankton in water. In water contaminated by cholera, enough bacilli are attached to plankton for the quantity of cholera in filtered water to drop by more than 99 percent.”

Bangladeshi women from more than 27 local villages implemented the plan while retrieving drinking water from local rivers and canals. They “were taught to cover the urns they used for fetching water with an old sari folded in four. Over the next 18 months the rate of cholera in these villages dropped by about 50 percent, compared with other villages — about the same effect as that achieved by a much more expensive nylon water filter.”

Several years later researchers returned to the village to see if the plan had been enforced. Areas that utilized some form of water filtration noticed a drop in cholera outbreaks; however, women from several villages admitted to using only one strip of sari for filtrating water rather than the recommended four. The researchers learned that while there are simple solutions for complex problems, the solutions must be met with some form of continual reinforcement to have any lasting effect.