After a summer break peppered with beach days, road-trips and vacations, back-to-school season often means getting back to well planned routines for everyone in the family. It’s also a popular time to think about home improvement.

Now is a great time to read-up and get smart about the best home improvements to prioritize for this fall. How will you decide? Think about what will really benefit the whole family all year. Professionally installed window film is a great option that can help to keep your family safer, healthier and more comfortable at home and in the car, all year.

Windows are a major asset in our homes. They let in beautiful natural light, expansive views and visually connect our interiors with the natural world around us. Moreover,older windows can be cost-effectively updated to modern standards with today’s advanced window films. In addition to thinking about energy savings, windows often leave you with potential dangers lurking if left unprotected. It’s important to be aware of how leaving unprotected windows can actually leave our families and homes at risk.

A new medical study shows that melanoma cases rose for indoor worker sin recent decades. Many people don’t realize that while you spend time studying or working behind a window, ultra violet (UV)rays can cause skin damage. Unprotected glass lets harmful UV rays through, and cumulative skin exposure may be dangerous.The New England Journal of Medicine reports that people who drive often can have pronounced sun damage and skin cancer on their left side. Did you know that window film can reduce UV exposure by up to 99%?

Many of us spend quite a bit of time in our vehicles. Especially when school is back in session –we are in our cars bringing kids back and forth to school and activities. And, with longer winter days around the corner when the sun is lower to the horizon, exposure in your vehicle can actually present a double-whammy due to both UV and glare issues.Window film mitigates both problems. In fact, window film dramatically reduces glare, decreases UV exposure significantly, and provides the added benefit of a more comfortable interior cabin. Window film reduces solar heat gain, so your car isn’t heating up lightning-fast when it’s in the sun. With today’s safety window film options – window film can also helphold shattered glass in place so fewer granules of glass fly into your vehicle and injure passengers.

Various options for tints, from visibly clear to darker shades offer privacy benefits also, especially in the rear of a vehicle.You can check what level of visibility is permitted in your state by visiting our automotive window tint State law charts >

Get the facts about professionally installed window film from the unbiased consumer resource, the IWFA. Our booklets on energy savings and the health benefits of window film are available free.

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During this back-to-school season, be smarter about the many benefits of window film for you and your entire family – you will have a lot more to be thankful for when Thanksgiving rolls around!