By Joe Bonikowski
JUPITER — The stuffed animals, carpeting, and other dust- and dust mite-hiding items, are gone.
So is the little-girl décor.
In are: a stunning two-tone wood floor; tropical style furniture; a sunny paint job; and an eye-grabbing palm tree mural.
Not only is the Healthy Living Foundation giving Madeline Middleton a chance to breathe better, but it's helping her grow up a little bit, too.
The Jupiter Farms-based foundation, which is working to educate the public about the importance of indoor air quality, recently held its first essay contest to make over the bedroom of a child with asthma.
Madeline, an 11-year-old who's going to be a sixth-grader at Jupiter Middle School in August, was the winner. "I would love to have an asthma-friendly room," she wrote. "Always having to wheeze stinks. It even happens in my room."
"May was 'Asthma Awareness Month,' an international event," said Denise Robinette, president of the foundation. "There was nothing going on in Florida and I thought it'd be great way to educate through a visual standpoint.
"It's so important ... a child's sleeping area. They are in there eight to 10 hours a night. It so critical to have a safe sleeping zone. That means eliminating or minimizing the problems."
Those problems include the obvious, such as dust, and the not-so-obvious.
"Environmental controls are the number one prevention of asthma and allergies," Robinette said. "A lot of times, people don't even know they are being triggered by certain things such as paints, cleaning chemicals, and high relative humidity which will exacerbate the dust mites and the mold."
So Robinette, an interior designer by trade, rounded up donors of items that would improve Madeline's health and surroundings. Her supporters backed her project with $6,500 in materials and labor.
And during nine days, from May 21-29, her room got the makeover she wanted - and needed:
May 21 - The 'before' photo is shot and disposal of most of the stuffed animals.
May 22 - Painting of the room begins.
May 24 - The carpet is torn out and the wood flooring installation begins.
May 25 - The painting and the window treatments are finished.
May 26 - Mural dry rub transfer of a palm tree, birds and grasses goes onto the east wall.
May 27 - The flooring is finished.
May 29 - The furniture (dresser, nightstand and headboard) and room accent pieces (lamp, palm tree coat rack) arrive. The 'after' photo is shot.
Madeline's bedroom went from kiddie and cluttered to grown-up and spacious. What once was bathed in pale pink is now awash in a warm, sunny yellow. A menagerie of stuffed animals gave way to a serene beach scene.
The clutter's gone. Now Madeline has room to breathe, and the opportunity to breathe better.
"I like it now. It's awesome," Madeline said. "It's more grown up. I like the beach and I like the water."
The biggest change for Madeline was getting a two-tone wood floor where once carpet was because, "I never thought I'd get a nice wood floor."
Madeline's mom, Amy Murphy, is grateful for the conversion.
"I can tell by looking at it that the room is going to be so easy to clean and maintain," Murphy said. "It can really help her with her allergies. "I think the room is beautiful. We really appreciate that Denise did this for us. We're really happy that Madeline has a 'clean' room now."
For Robinette, the makeover's done but her work is really just beginning.
"It's important to understand that a healthy room can be more beautiful than an unhealthy room," she said. "We're helping one child, but we're educating everyone else."
12 Steps to an Asthma-Friendly Home
1.Keep second-hand smoke outside.
2.Control moisture and mold by fixing leaks and using exhaust fans while cooking and showering.
3.Get rid of dust mites by encasing pillows, mattress and boxspring with dust mite covers. Wash sheets and blankets once a week. Damp wipe all surfaces to reduce dust.
4.Get rid of cockroaches by keeping the home clean of clutter and garbage. Use boric acid instead of chemical bug sprays to kill ants and cockroaches.
5.Clean with green -use non-toxic, fragrance-free cleaners instead of bleach and other harsh chemical cleaners that linger in the air for hours.
6.Try to minimize dust and toxic fumes during renovations. Choose new products that are formaldehyde-free and low V.O.C(volatile organic compound) paint.
7.Remove carpet, stuffed animals and drapes that can collect dust and allergens. Replace the carpet with hard-surface flooring. For the few dust-collecting toys that remain, wash them in hot water or freeze for 48 hours to kill dust mites.
8.Keep pets outdoors if possible, and definitely out of the bedroom. If animals remain in the home, close bedroom doors.
9.Cut back on personal care items that have lung irritants, such as hair spray, perfume and nail polish. Burn candles and incense outdoors, not indoors.
10.Air out the home on a regular basis because air conditioners recirculate the same air. Keep windows closed on high-pollen or high-pollution days.
11.Maintain the air conditioner and change filters monthly. Also make sure the system keeps the relative humidity below 60 percent to control moisture and mold.
12.Vent nitrous dioxide from indoor, fuel burning appliances such as gas or oil furnaces, gas stoves, or gas heaters. Don't use gas cooking stoves to heat a home.
