Housing home user guide

Clothes Washing:
A rotary clothes dryer is provided in your garden, or if you are in a flat, an over-bath
dryer has been provided for energy efficient drying of clothes.
h. Sustainable DIY
Some DIY products contain chemicals which are hazardous to the environment and
to your health so think carefully before you buy. Avoid solvent based paints,
varnishes and glues. Water based are much better. When buying strong cleaning
agents, avoid chlorine bleach.
One further issue to be made aware of is Volatile Organic Compounds:
Volatile Organic Compounds are materials which evaporate readily from commonly occurring sources
such as vehicle exhausts, cleaning agents, furniture polish and fabric softeners. These also include
solvents used in coatings, as well as thinners and brush cleaners.
In the presence of sunlight, these VOCs can react with nitrogen oxides to create ground level ozone
and photochemical smogs. These in turn can contribute to pollution of the atmosphere. The UK
government and the coatings industry are committed to reducing VOC emissions under international
conventions. Although the impact of household coatings on atmospheric pollution is very small (less
than 2% of the total amount of VOCs emitted), manufacturers believe the amount of VOC s in
decorative coatings should be reduced and consumers given the choice of using lower VOCcontaining
products.
Coatings suppliers have introduced a labelling system to inform you of the VOC content of each
decorative coating product – a 5-band classification shows the VOC content as Minimal; Low;
Medium; High or Very High
In your garden; It is particularly important to avoid peat products. Peat is an
internationally rare and declining habitat of high conservation importance, many
species depend upon it. There are plenty of peat free alternatives. Avoid using weed
killers and insect treatments that contain pesticides and toxic chemicals, especially
around children and pregnant women.
i. Sustainable transport
Details of Cycle Storage
Your home is provided with a securely fixed bicycle stand which is permanently fixed
within the dedicated cycle storage facility provided for your new home.
Each house is provided with a timber shed in which a Sheffield
style cycle hoop is fixed to the rear of the shed, allowing for
provision of 2no. cycles to be securely fixed to the stand.