Rutland Architectural Blog - antibacterial

Copper Home Decor - Elegant, Healthy, Green

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:23:59 GMT

Copper home decor is unmistakably elegant, warm, inviting and luxurious while copper decor and copper accessories are also the healthiest choice due to copper's germ killing, antimicrobial power and copper additionally is a substantial contributor to eco-friendly green design as well. Copper decor has been around forever but is becoming increasingly fashionable today and part of a natural trend in home architecture and interior design.

Copper Bath Tub (Juliana)

Copper Bathroom Sink - Copper Faucet - Handle

Copper Sink and Stonework (Milestone)

Copper Shower Enclosure & Pan - Indoor and Outdoor
(Indoor Copper Shower courtesy ExtremeHowTo.com - Frigo Design)

Copper Kitchen Sink

Copper Stove (La Cornue)

Copper Range Hood (Rutland Copper Kitchen Hoods)

Copper Kitchen Island Bar Facing (Chris Lemmen)

Copper Sinks - Copper Counter Tops

Copper Kitchen Cabinet Doors (Ikea Rubrik)

Copper Furniture (Rainbow Copper Southwest)

Copper Door Entryway (Saxony)

Copper has traditionally been used in home design for its aesthetic qualities of warmth, elegance and unique timeless beauty. Copper and most copper alloys have warmth and elegance compared to the more institutional look of say, stainless steel. Not everyone knows about the tremendous antimicrobial, antibacterial, germicidal power of copper or about copper being a very green material. As more people become aware of these uniquely copper attributes, the demand for copper products will skyrocket. Already the copper industry has been seeing increased demand for copper products over the past eight years, with a large increase in the breadth of copper products as well as the number of copper product manufacturers which supply them. Copper is the only natural material which will kill harmful bacteria, germs, fungus, mold, contagious pathogens and deadly viruses which come in contact with the copper surface. The U.S. EPA has uniquely approved copper as a germicidal agent and numerous studies have proven copper's amazing antibacterial quality. Copper starts killing germs, bacteria, viruses immediately and they are completely eliminated within hours with tremendous health benefits throughout the home, especially kitchens and bathrooms. For example E-Coli survives on stainless steel for up to 34 days while on copper surfaces it is 90% eradicated within 90 minutes, 99.9% within 2 hours and completely within 4 hours.

Copper is also one of the greenest materials ever known to man. Copper can be recycled 100% and in fact most of the copper used today in the U.S. is recycled with 4/5 of the copper ever mined around the world still in use today. Yet, we haven't even come close to tapping into all the copper deposits around the world. Copper is also one of our most durable materials and retains its excellent corrosion resistance, anti-fungal, antimicrobial and weatherability properties throughout it's extremely long life. At the end of it's long life or present application, all the copper can be reclaimed and used again and again somewhere else. Copper besides being the greenest metal is also one of the easiest metals to work with, being very malleable and can be textured, hammered, quilted, patinated, polished, rubbed and fired, giving copper the ability to evolve into many textures, hues, designs and styles, which will fit into any style of home decor, interior design or architecture.

Copper Garage Door (Windsor)

Copper Duct Work Can Improve IAQ

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:12:39 GMT

Ductwork in commercial and residential forced air heating and air conditioning systems circulate air throughout your building in the process of heating and cooling. Any biological pollutants, contaminants, pathogens, bacteria, microbes and viruses present in the air circulating around the HVAC system are breathed in and also settle on surfaces in all the rooms. Exasperating this problem in newer buildings is the fact that most are constructed to be more sealed or tighter for energy efficiency which in turn reduces fresh air exchange or ventilation. The same pollutants and disease causing organisms become concentrated and readily multiply. Also typically air duct work is a friendly, hospitable place for fungi, bacteria and mold to grow and spread. Like most living organisms, they require temperatures between 40-120 degrees F, food and moisture, conditions which are present in commercial and residential heating and A/C duct work. This can result in poor IAQ or indoor air quality, some times referred to as sick building syndrome, not only having possibility of making us sick but understandably promoting allergic reactions and exasperating asthma conditions.

To reduce our exposure to such biological pollutants and contaminants at home, at work and in public places, we need to attack this increasing problem on several fronts. Increasing or providing adequate fresh air ventilation can help reduce the concentration and trapping of these bacteria and pollutants. Reducing humidity or moisture levels to less than 50% or even 30% will help prevent condensation and disrupt growth of microbes, bacteria and mold. Of course reducing the sources of biological pollutants and even destroying or eliminating those present is paramount. Methods tried to reduce and eliminate circulating biological pollutants include cleaning of air ducts and decontamination of air ducts using chemicals, biocides, fungicides and ozone. Unfortunately duct work cleaning has not been proven to be effective. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in fact not only has stated that air duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems but EPA also does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except on a as needed basis. Regarding decontaminating heating and A/C systems including duct work, the EPA has stated that there is an unresolved controversy over the necessity and wisdom of introducing chemical biocides and ozone into duct work. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists made an even stronger statement saying that application of chemical biocides as opposed to removing microbial growth and settled biological material is considered unacceptable. Still the fact remains that unhealthy biological pollutants and microbial growth are circulating around and residing in our duct work and it is imperative that something be done to reduce and eliminate it.

Beyond increasing fresh air ventilation and reducing moisture or humidity levels to help control biological pollutants and growth, there is considerable growing interest in deploying copper material for use as duct work. Copper has already been well documented and proven to destroy harmful bacteria, germs, microbes, pathogens, molds, fungi and viruses which come in contact with copper surfaces. Copper is also EPA approved as an antimicrobial agent after exhaustive tests confirmed it's effectiveness. Plus copper is inherently much safer than widespread use of ozone and chemical biocides - germicides whether liquids, sprays or aerosols. Copper and strong copper alloy materials are already proving effective in reducing the existence of biological pollutants, biological growths and bioaerosol contaminants in A/C duct work. Copper is quite an order of magnitude better than materials historically and commonly used for duct work such as galvanized steel, aluminum and stainless steel. While copper will not cure all IAQ problems and continuing studies will quantify it's measurable improvement in indoor air quality, it is known that usage of copper duct work will improve IAQ and is a positive step in the right direction. While we are waiting on definitive EPA approval for performance and health claims of copper duct work, builders and remodelers might also consider copper for it's elegance, beauty, richness, longevity, durability and corrosion resistance which are all much greater than any other material. Not coincidentally, these are the same reasons we have seen copper's ageless popularity for use in building architectural features and also increasingly in copper kitchens and copper home decor.

Copper Duct Work photos courtesy of Revere Copper Products

Copper - EPA Approved As Antimicrobial Agent

Tue, 05 May 2009 15:56:16 GMT

With a solid body of evidence showing copper's broad spectrum of antimicrobial efficacy and copper's ability to inhibit the most important pathogens challenging public health today, including MRSA, Clostridium difficile, Escherichia coli (E.coli), Legionella pneumophila (Legionnaire's disease bactera) and Influenza A viruses. Clinical trials examining copper's antimicrobial potential and role in fighting pathogens, transmissions of germs and Influenza A viruses such the bird flu and swine flu epidemics are being undertaken in the U.S., U.K., Germany, Japan and South Africa.

The EPA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has approved the registration of copper as an antimicrobial agent to reduce harmful bacteria linked to potentially deadly microbial infections, following a year of comprehensive testing in an independent US laboratory. The tests showed that 99.9% of bacteria on a copper surface were eliminated within 2 hours of exposure. Typically this type of registration has previously been granted to liquids and gases falling under the sanitizer and disinfectant categories. Copper's mechanical and aesthetic properties makes it an ideal choice for use in all products or surfaces offering us the benefits of copper's antimicrobial power.

A concise reference article to download is "Copper: essential for life" and a reference website page entitled "Antimicrobial Copper". Increased use of copper is indicated not just for commercial or public buildings and outside public fixtures but in the home copper's logical uses are plentiful including the bathrooms and in a copper kitchen. You can enjoy copper's aesthetic appearance throughout your home, while enjoying copper's natural health benefits with it's proven germicidal, antibacterial and antimicrobial power.

Copper - EPA Approved As Antimicrobial Agent

Tue, 05 May 2009 15:56:16 GMT