4. Presentation that makes different

Gaina is a spin-off of Japan's Aerospace Technology. The "license for spin off" field is "environment and energy". I have  always been fascinated by space technology as in Science Fiction. But in real life, I'm just a house wife, and science technology is too complicated for me. That is why finding Gaina has happened unexpectedly.

When I was visiting Japan, Mr. Suzuki who is one of my friends mentioned how amazing Gaina is. And he suggested that I consider selling Gaina in the U.S. At first, I wasn't interested. However, he was persistent. So I finally agreed to go watch a Gaina presentation at the company that created Gaina.

After I went to Nissin Sangyo, Inc. and saw the experiments in person and listened to the explanations, I had to admit that Mr. Suzuki was right. Gaina was a wonderful product, and the presentation was very good. They said that most of an audience of businessman will purchase Gaina after watching the presentation. Since the live presentation makes it easier to understand and believe, this leads to faster decision making.

Sharing this reminds me of a presentation I sat through a few years ago. My husband and I invited a window salesman to our home for a presentation on the windows he was selling. We though the windows were very good, but we didn't purchase them. They were just too expensive for us at that time. Also, the salesman was pushy, and my husband wasn't sure about the company. Soon after, we heard that the company was having problems.

It was a good experience. Comparison of the window presentation and the Gaina presentation helped me to see each product better. Both products are in the field of environment and energy, designed to improve homes and buildings. Comparing each presenter's style was helpful as well, when I started thinking of selling Gaina in the U.S. When a presenter has enough confidence in his own product, he doesn't need to be pushy.

To my surprise, Nissin Sangyo didn't advertise Gaina, it was spread by word-of- mouth only. For the fourth consecutive year Gaina has been rated the top selling thermal coating in Japan.(2014/03/19) Nissin Sangyo isn't a big company. For them to achieve this level, making Gaina  the highest rated quality as an Eco paint. They went through many difficulties. Because of their pride in high quality and supplying superior products to the world, I felt comfortable applying Gaina in my house. Gaina's live presentation also helped me to see that better.

Mount Fuji

It was November 2012 that I went to my first Gaina presentation. Mr. Suzuki said to me, "Come back on January 15th, a Gaina work shop will be in my house". I said, "January!? Only two months away!" He answered, "Yeah, you should". So, I finished my trip, went back to the U.S. After much discussion with my husband, I ended up going back to Japan the following January.

3. Soundproofing your Home with Gaina

My husband and I have 4 cats. They were rescued over the years. We let them stay upstairs during the day time. We have 5 dogs also, that stay down stairs most of the time. Our cats and dogs can mingle together, but they seem to like this separation arrangement. At night, after the dogs go to kennel for sleep, cats are free to come down and busy themselves checking for any changes. Cats are nocturnal and like to have space, so live their own way. Of course even during the daytime, cats pray, chase each other, and make noise. Their fun running footsteps are heartwarming.

However, there is a sound that's very unpleasant. It's a sound from the upstairs bathroom. When the water runs through the pipes, it makes a loud rumbling noise through the down stairs wall. It's obvious that somebody is using the facilities. So far, nobody (including our guests) has said anything about the presence of this sound. But, doing something about the rumbling water sound was on my list.

This problem isn't uncommon. For example, when I was living in a condo, I could hear the upstairs neighbor's walking on the wood floors, shutting doors, and using of the toilet or emptying the bath. There are several solutions to reducing the sound. The trouble is costly. If we had ready money, it would have been fix by now. Since the priority isn't high enough, we have to put up with the noise till we have some money. Like us, many are looking for an easy and cost-effective solution.

We were excited, when we found that Gaina had a soundproofing effect. Our original idea to chose Gaina was increasing thermal insulation, for keeping comfortable temperatures and saving on our electric bill. Also for improved air quality indoors. On top of that, we could fix of noisy bathroom sound, we were so excited.

However, I did wonder how much sound Gaina could really absorb . (dB - decibel - measure sound level)

Recommended sound level of residential area is:
     daytime- 55 dB, evening- 45 dB, bedroom at night- 30 dB.

The average of noise level is:
     lawnmower - 90 dB
     garbage disposal, alarm clocks, window air conditioner - 80 dB
     toilet flushing - 75 dB
     dishwasher, wash machine, vacuum cleaner, busy street traffic - 70 dB
     children's running foot noise - 60 dB
     conversation - 60 dB (laud - 80 dB).

Here is Gaina's impact sound test, for hitting a regular frying pan and Gaina coated frying pan
with a hammer.

Result of hitting hammer sound was:
     regular pan - 94.7 dB,
     Gaina pan - 74.9 dB.

It was a 20 dB reduction.

Of course these were the experimental results. And different results will come out in various houses or buildings.

This means our toilet flushing sound could be brought down to the recommended sound level.

Since our ceiling and walls were coated with Gaina, we haven't noticed the upstairs toilet flushing sound as much. We are very happy about this effect of Gaina.

How about cats? Are they quieter? Well, from time to time, they sit atop the stairs, looking down on the dogs through the boundary gate. Still, we have the sounds that a dog will make, who has been provoked purposely. Making noise in a fit of their natural impulse to chase cats, is the one of providence in the natural world, isn't it?

2. Gaina can as an Air Purifier

Gaina is the thin (0.3-0.5 mm) insulating material that can be coated inside and outside buildings. Dried Gaina contains 80% of ceramic. In the process of drying, ceramic beads from 30 layers in a 0.3 mm thick coating. So, the surface area increases, and the effect is substantial.

If we apply Gaina inside, there is another effect as an air purifier. That was one of the strong reasons for me to choose Gaina.

I have been suffering many years with allergies, even before moving into the new house. My allergy-test results showed that pollen was the worst. Every pollen season, I couldn't lay flat to sleep. My runny nose and nasal congestion made it so I couldn't breathe well. My allergies were also accompanied by a dry, sore throat and lots of coughing. Since medication didn't work, I purchased the air purifier to produce negative ions.

Back then, electric negative ion purifying was new, and I didn't know much about it. Because I was desperate, I tried everything that sounds good to me. This time, it worked! Of course, negative ions didn't cure my allergy, but helped me to lay flat and sleep well.

There are many ionic air purifiers to electrically produce negative ions. I hear that ion generating devices have been shown to be effective. Under an ideal balance of negative and positive ions dust, cigarette smoke, pet dander, pollen, mold spores, viruses, and bacteria are neutralized. In addition to eliminating harmful particulates from the air, negative ions also have a number of unique health benefits. However, negative ions are still being studied, there are some negative comments. Besides, ionic air purification works best from a location near the ceiling. It won't work much if you set the purifiers on the floor.

In nature, air borne negative ions are highest near braking surf, in the mountains, forests, near waterfalls and rivers. Air ionic content is one reason why these places are more comfortable. I thought it would be nice to make negative ions without using electricity, and I found a way. It was Gaina.

Dr. Teruo Iwasaki (PhD in Education / preventive Medicine) measured the ion balance in the room applied with Gaina.
Result : Negative ions had the advantage over positive ions. Also there was much less dust and dirt in the air than before. The amount of ions are considered high-quality as in the forest at 3000 ft above sea level.
If we paint Gaina inside, it will seem like staying in a highland resort, while we are actually still in town.

When sunlight filtering through foliage came in through the window, I used to see dust floating in the air. But now, I only see beautiful sunlight, and enjoy a moment of peace and tranquility. It hasn't only improved air quality, without noise from electric negative ion purifier, it is more peaceful.

1. Save money while living comfortably

When you hear "comfortable living", what comes to mind? Some may imagine living in a luxurious house with nice interior design and designer furniture. Others may value a simple frugal life, having just enough to pay monthly bills. How about a worry free retirement? Comfort might be relatively defined, but isn't the common theme to feel ease of mind or body? How can we enjoy "comfortable living"?

The World Health organization's standard for warmth says 64°F is suitable for healthy people who are appropriately dressed. The average comfortable living room temperature is about 64-70°F. Therefore, ideal indoor conditions would be cool in summer, warm in winter, without the use of extra cooling and heating energy.

Adding insulation is the best way to improve energy efficiency in our home. Studies show that proper insulation can reduce your heating and cooling costs by 30%. If the average homeowner spent $300/mo. on utilities, that's a savings of $1,080 a year, and $ 10,800 over ten years. Wouldn't that be a nice amount of money back in your pocket?

I searched for Insulation on Google. There are more than 1.5 million search results. Many people are interested in keeping a comfortable but cost-effective indoor temperature.

Like everybody, I have been thinking about "living cool in summer, warm in winter". Every morning, I get up and go outside. On my deck there is a good view of trees and neighboring roofs. I think about energy conservation, because in winter, when frost and snow covers those roofs, the snow melts faster on some roofs than the others. I wondered if some people like to keep a higher temperature inside, or don't have good insulation. Either way, they are consuming a lot of energy for heat. They may not care about high heating bills. But, by and large, "green" trends are encouraging a low-carbon footprint economy. Wouldn't everyone want to save on energy costs? Take summer, for example, when roofs cook with radiant heat like a hot stove for those homes that lose heat in winter.

By the way, my husband doesn't like air conditioning. Oh, don't worry about me. We are living in the Pacific Northwest. When we purchased our house, we made sure that cool air could circulate throughout the house, so we could stay comfortable in the summer heat. Fortunately, our choice was successful. Although, once or twice in every summer, I do think about getting air conditioning seriously, but after a few days the heat goes away.

This is why when we heard about Gaina (ceramic beads insulation), we painted the coating in our house to give it a try. So far, our electric bill hasn't risen much this past winter, and the gas bill was also lower than usual throughout the year. We are very happy about it.

There are many ways to achieve comfortable living. Each individual might like their own way and have different experiences. I am still learning. Because invention and technology are continually advancing. Therefore, I'd like to share my experience that could help others. So, we can all enjoy "comfortable living" together and smile.