When you think about spring cleaning, all the usual suspects come to mind. Baseboards, Ceiling Fans, Blinds, but something we don’t often think about are things like furnaces, air conditioners and air ducts. While cleaning baseboards and blinds will make your house look clean, keeping the air ducts clean is an essential part of keeping the air quality in your home clean, which is more important than you might think.

Imagine your heating and cooling system as the lungs of your home. The system takes air in and breathes air out. As contaminants like dust and pet dander build up in your home, your HVAC system is pulling them in and recirculating them on average 5-7 times per day. Every year, the average home collects up to 40 lbs of dirt, dust and allergens in its air ducts. For individuals suffering from respiratory issues, this could make their health worse.

If you’re a pet owner like me, you might be interested to know that your fur babies, household cleaning agents, tobacco use, paint fumes, mold, and even food preparation all contribute to stale smells in your air ducts. Every time the furnace or air conditioner is running, all of these odors will flow through your home. Over the years even the dust build up can can lead to a musty scent coming from the ductwork. A detailed cleaning of the air ducts removes all odor trapping particles, resulting in a fresher smelling home.

In addition to better air quality, keeping everything clean and running smooth will help save on your energy costs. When an HVAC system is clean, it won’t have to work as hard to maintain the temperature you’ve set, leading to improved cost-effectiveness.

So, when and how often should you have your air ducts cleaned? The NADCA recommends you should clean your air ducts every 5-8 years. Depending on the situation of your home, that number can change. Visit Stanley Steemer’s FAQ page for answers on how often you should clean your air ducts depending on your circumstances.

Stanley Steemer provides professional deep cleaning services including carpet, tile & grout, upholstery, hardwood and air ducts. We also provide water restoration services. Stanley Steemer of North Central Alabama services the greater Birmingham Metro Area and surrounding counties, spanning from Cullman to Clanton and from the Mississippi state line to the Georgia state line. Stanley Steemer is the first carpet cleaning service certified asthma & allergy friendly by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, removing an average of 94% of common household allergens from carpet. 24/7 scheduling available! Use Code: Mom30 for $30 off any service. (Minimum charges apply)

An inclement weather makeup day on Good Friday gave us the perfect excuse to jump over to Atlanta and check out Candytopia! If you were following along on our Social Media last week you probably know all about this sweet goodness, if you weren’t (shame on you!) Now, let us fill you in!

Candytopia is a traveling exhibit that celebrates the wonderful world of candy! Yep, Candy! From the 360lb Candy Dragon that greets you at the front door, all the way to the giant candy peach made of peach candies as you exit the gift shop, Candytopia is a candy (and Instagram) lovers paradise! You will wander through 7 delightfully bright and tasty rooms, taking in all of the confectionary bliss as if you had stepped into a life sized game of Candyland.

Here are 5 things we think you need to know, before you go!

1. Download the App before you get there:

As you walk into the magical Willy Wonka like lobby of Candytopia, you will be told the rules (touch everything, lick nothing) and to download the Candytopia app. (They’ll also insist you take some free candy, more on this in #2) This app will provide you with a QR code that will be your access point for photo ops. There are multiple photo stations throughout the exhibits and a friendly and oh so helpful Candytopia employee will take your phone, scan the code and the photo they take will be sent directly to your phone. For Free! It’s pretty “sweet.” However, as they were explaining the rules, I was trying to get the app downloaded and wanted to take pictures in the lobby and it stressed me out because I was afraid I was going to miss something or mix up the rules, which could have been bad. Downloading before you go will help you not feel so rushed when you start your candy journey.

2. Have a place to stash your candy:

As you wander through the different rooms of Candytopia, there will be opportunities to pick up some free treats, which turns into more than you can hold when you multiply that by 3 kids in 7 rooms.  Make sure your purse is big enough because telling your kid no more candy while being surrounded by nothing but candy, probably won’t go over really great… Especially since it’s FREE. For those with allergies, there are signs that display allergen info and ingredients for all of the candies offered,  which is mostly non-chocolate, Pixie Stix, candy bracelets, and Airheads type candies.

3. Have a Camera or plenty of space on your phone:

As we mentioned above, this place is what Instagrammers dreams are made of. It’s one big photo op after the other. With bright colors and fun set ups, you will take a ton of photos. TONS. And if you have pre-teens, it will be tons times the number of pre-teens you have. Here’s a little side tip. We’ll call it 3a. Let loose and enjoy the experience. I’m not much on being in photographs, but this place is too good to pass up and I knew I would regret not having some fun photos. Take a look at their Instagram before you go so you can get some ideas on how to pose at some of the photo stations! 3b. Plan some fun color coordinated outfits if you want to really go all out.

4. Timing your trip:

When you purchase your ticket, you will choose a time block. It’s suggested that you arrive about 15 minutes before your assigned time (30 minutes past and you will be denied entry) So, if you’re going over from Birmingham straight to your reserved time slot, allow plenty of time (!!!) We came sliding in right on time, it took us a strong 3 hours to get there. Atlanta traffic is, well, Atlanta traffic. It was a lot of driving for just about 1 hour and 45 minutes through the exhibit. It might be worth considering adding this to other activities if you’re already going to be there or build a weekend in Atlanta around a trip to Candytopia.

5. Candytopia is a limited engagement, Hurry!

As hard as it is to believe such fun must some to an end, Candytopia is a limited engagement and will only be open in Atlanta until June 2nd. The sugary spectacle will be closing up and moving on to the next city, so if you want to check it out, you’ll need to hurry!

Candytopia is located at Lenox Marketplace in Buckhead
3535 Peachtree Road NE Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30326

Parking is free in the parking garage at Lenox Marketplace

Admission:

Adults: $28
Ages 4-12: $20
Ages 0-3:  Free!  No ticket necessary.
Tickets must be purchased in advance (!!!)
Limit 12 tickets per person.

Hours:

Monday – Saturday: 10AM to 8:30PM
Sunday: 11AM to 8:30PM

This week in our series of Earth Month Tips, we’re talking about the impact that food has on the environment from how we get our food, to what we eat, to what we do with leftovers. In all, agriculture in the U.S. accounts for 15% of all greenhouse gas emissions due to factors like raising livestock (fun fact: cows fart a lot of methane!), fertilizers, and producing grains. Transportation to get our food to stores and to our homes, and to get ourselves to restaurants leads to additional emissions. We’ve already talked about the insane amount of plastic that can go along with meals out and packaging just about everything at the grocery store. Since we likely can’t grow enough food to feed our families from backyard gardens, here are some ideas for helping reduce the negative environmental impacts your family’s diet has.

DIET: Research shows that a vegan diet is the least harmful for the environment but many of us aren’t able or ready to make such major changes. A vegetarian diet is the next best option. But, you don’t have to go whole hog (awkward pun – sorry). As we mentioned, raising livestock is one of the biggest contributors to food-related emissions, especially when it comes to cattle from which we get beef and dairy products. Carbon emissions come from feeding the animals, providing them with land (side note: cows require A LOT of land), controlling their indoor climate, and processing them for consumption, as well as from the animals themselves (gross). From an emissions perspective, raising a cow to eventually become food can be 6 times more negatively impactful than raising a pig and 7 times more than raising a chicken. Research indicates that livestock agriculture produces around 50% of all human-made emissions. HALF! The average American eats three beef hamburgers per week. Researchers say one of the single biggest steps you and your family can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to cut down your servings of red meat. Amazingly, a 2014 study indicates that giving up red meat would reduce your carbon footprint (i.e., the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc.) more than giving up your car! Consider saving red meat for special occasions. Use substitutions like turkey meat for tacos and burgers and increase your servings of alternatives like beans.

SOURCE: You’ve probably heard the phrase “Buy local” and there are many reasons to consider doing so. When you buy your food locally, you’re supporting people nearby who grow and sell the food, benefiting your community economically, and, over time, increasing the availability of additional local products. There are also health benefits of eating locally grown or produced foods because they’re generally fresher and safer. The environmental impact of buying local foods can be immense. Food produced elsewhere may have to travel to your grocery store by 18-wheeler, boat, or even plane, releasing way more greenhouse gas emissions than your local farmer’s pick-up truck. It’s also easier to get background information on local food sources, such as whether they use pesticides, how their animals are raised, and whether they grow fruits and veggies in season, which is healthier for you and better for the land. Armed with that information, you can make the best decisions for your family. Unsure what organic foods you should buy? Check out these tips. If you don’t have the option of buying locally produced eggs and meat, consider choosing antibiotic- & hormone-free for both health and ecological reasons. Several farms around Birmingham offer Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs that enable you to buy locally grown, in-season, and, in most cases, organic fruits, veggies, cheese, and meat, and pick up a weekly box of treats at a location convenient to you. We love Snow’s Bend Farm and had a great visit with them over Spring Break! Some other CSA options include: Hepzibah Farms, Owls Hollow Farm, Boozer Farms, Jones Valley Teaching Farm, and Stone Hollow Farmstead. If you live within a mile from the grocery store, bike for small trips, or take a family walk to buy groceries with a wagon or push cart for getting everything home. Don’t forget your reusable bags!

WASTE is a surprisingly big problem in this country. 40% percent of usable (i.e., non-contaminated) food is simply thrown out every year. If your kids are picky eaters, you can probably attest to this. But forcing a kid to “Clean your plate!” can contribute to eating issues and those stories about “starving kids in China” never seem too convincing. Reduce waste at your dinner table by starting everyone with small servings with the option for seconds. At the end of the meal, untouched food can safely go back in the serving container ( I regularly scrape my kids’ leftover green beans on to my own plate because we all have the same germs by now anyway…). Consider starting a backyard compost for your food scraps (note: dairy and meat should go in the garbage), which will reduce what goes to the landfill and provide fantastic fertilizer for your garden. Finish what you have before buying new (easier to do if you don’t grocery shop while you’re hungry). Keep track of what your family is having to throw out. Is everyone sick of that particular food? Does it need to come out of the rotation for a while or is there a new way to prepare it? Instead of throwing them out, donate shelf-stable foods to agencies like Greater Birmingham Ministries. Pack up dinner leftovers for lunches the next day or hold a weekly “Leftovers Night” where food is served smorgasbord style and everyone eats in front of the T.V. together. Another way you can help reduce waste on a large scale is to donate to organizations like Magic City Harvest or Community Foodbank of Central Alabama, which collect unused food from grocery stores and restaurants to be distributed to those in need. Ask your local groceries if they participate in food recovery programs.

About Kristen:

Kristen is a local Mom to three, ages 12, 9 and almost 6. She’s the author of our Parenting with a PhD series who also happens to have a passion for educating others about the benefits of living a greener life. She hopes that leading by example will encourage others to try some alternate ways of shopping, and incorporating small changes that can make a big impact on our future.