Losing It With Jillian Michaels
Freshen That Indoor Air
Today I wanted to take a step back and give it up for one of my fabulous Wellness Team bloggers (and my green home and lifestyle consultant) Caroline Howell. In one of her recent blog, Caroline talks about how you can help yourself, those around you, and the environment with a couple of small changes that will improve the quality of the air you breath. Check it out:
Cleaning supplies are one of the biggest contributors to yucky indoor air quality and that’s why I think it’s crucial that we know some easy ways to improve our indoor air quality. Would you believe that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks Indoor Air Quality as one of the top 3 health concerns in the U.S.?
I talk a lot about this topic (ad nauseam, some friends and my hubby would say) when I speak to groups around Los Angeles and have done a lot of GreenBeanie blogging on the topic too. Poor indoor air quality exacerbated my son’s asthma when he was a baby and this really started our family on our path to “greener pastures.”
So let’s do a little vocabulary work and then a few quick ideas on improving indoor air quality in your home.
“VOCs” or Volatile Organic Compounds – a variety of chemicals that are emitted in gas form from certain solids and liquids. The concentration of VOCs is higher indoors than out, often up to 5 times as much, according to the EPA. You might have seen “low VOC” paint in the aisles at the hardware store.
“Offgassing” – The releasing of VOCs into the air. Offgassing occurs from a variety of materials and products including paint, cleaning supplies, finishes, some furniture, et al. Want an example of offgassing? The smell of a beach ball or plastic shower curtain. Yep, that’s offgassing and it’s not healthy for you!
There are a variety of things you can do to improve the quality of the air in your home or indoor space including:
1. Open the windows – let the air flow and circulate.
2. Leave your shoes at the door – avoid tracking the grime off the street into your living space. Did you know that 70-80% of the dirt in our homes comes in off our shoes? Seems like a no-brainer to leave your shoes at the door after hearing this stat.
3. Vacuum and wet mop floors at least once a week. If you have animals, you should clean the floors two times per week.
4. Use plants as natural air purifiers. A NASA study states that there are some plants that help clean the air better than others. Check out photos of these plants.
How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air – TED 2009
Ann LRD on May 2nd, 2009
How to Grow Your Own Fresh Air – TED 2009 « GreenSpaces Blog
Also, compared to other buildings in Delhi, the incidence of eye …..3 Plants To Grow Your Own Indoor Fresh Air : Kamal Meattle at TED « This is Life! …
greenspaces.in/blog/ted09/ – 101k -
Which are these plants?
5. Purchase eco-friendly, non-toxic cleaning supplies, as we talked about in my previous blog.
6. Don’t use toxic pesticides on your lawn. These chemicals come in the door on little feet and paws and settle into your carpet or floors.
Last Updated: 10/28/2010
