indoor air quality

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Fight Off Three Home Toxins

November 3, 2009 in Air Quality, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

There are so many toxins out there nowadays – from auto emissions to mercury in the water to pesticides in city parks and more. You can’t stop your exposure to all things toxic, but what you can do is limit your home exposure. Following are three home toxins that are easy to wage war on…

Carbon monoxide (CO): An odorless but highly toxic gas that can come from all sorts of places; wood stoves, furnaces, leaky chimneys, badly ventilated gas stoves, and indoor grilling products.

Health effects: CO at high levels can result in death but it’s still no fun at lower levels which can result in fatigue, nausea, headaches, confusion, impaired coordination and vision and more.

Fight CO: Your home should have a CO detector installed and you need to do a battery check at least every other month.

Mold: Mold while naturally occurring is just as toxic as any other baddie toxin. It’s caused by little spores in the air that settle down and multiply on damp or wet surfaces. Mold is common in basements, at baseboards, in kitchen, near windows, and under sinks.

Health effects: Mold can produce general allergies, but also may cause rash, asthma, and other more serious issues.

Fight mold Make a homemade mold and mildew remover and use it. Once mold sets up camp for a while, it’s much harder to get rid of so prevention before mold invades is key. IF it’s too late and mold is rampant, you can try to get rid of it using more chemicals (which sucks, but you don’t want mold). Check out the CDC guide to mold for more ideas.

VOCs: We’ve talked at length about what VOCs are here before – it’s a lengthy topic. They’re not good at all though and they’re in an insane amount of products.

Health effects: VOCs can irritate your whole body – your skin, muscles, head, eyes, and so on. They can cause coughing, headache, and a ton of other very serious health problems.

Fight VOCs: There are many ways to keep VOCs out of your home which improves both your indoor air quality and health. Read the following for more info:

Testing your home air quality

July 8, 2009 in Air Quality, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | No comments

Poor air quality is rampant in many homes. It’s smart to test your home air quality, plus not even that expensive. Most homes don’t need fancy testing solutions. Two kits you can pick up at your local hardware / home & garden shop include a basic carbon monoxide detector and a radon testing kit.

Talking Combination Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm

A carbon monoxide detector will sound an alarm if gas levels in your home rise to an unsafe level. Carbon monoxide can leak from any poorly maintained fuel burning appliance and an appliance can go wacky without you knowing. Other places carbon monoxide can come from include, kerosene and gas space heaters; leaking chimneys and furnaces; back-drafting from furnaces, gas water heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces; gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust from attached garages; and tobacco smoke, worn or poorly adjusted and maintained combustion devices (e.g., boilers, furnaces) or nearby auto, truck, or bus exhaust.

If you’re exposed to carbon monoxide at low levels you may feel fatigue or chest pain. At high concentrations, carbon monoxide can cause impaired vision and coordination; headaches; dizziness; confusion; nausea, flu-like symptoms, angina, impaired vision, and reduced brain function. CO exposure can be fatal. A carbon monoxide detector can actually save your life and all homes should have at least one.

The U.S. Surgeon General and EPA recommend that all homes be tested for radon. Radon, a radioactive gas that you can’t see, smell or taste, can pose a danger to your family’s health. Radon is the most common cause of lung cancer (after smoking) and claims about 20,000 lives annually. Studies show that it’s found in all 50 states and that one out of every 15 homes has an elevated radon level.

According to the EPA, radon can creep into your home through…

  1. Cracks in solid floors
  2. Construction joints
  3. Cracks in walls
  4. Gaps in suspended floors
  5. Gaps around service pipes
  6. Cavities inside walls
  7. The water supply

Luckily testing for radon only takes minutes and is easy to do. Learn how to test for radon.

Testing your home air quality is just one part of the puzzle. You need to also keep mold in check, keep icky chemicals out of your home, and take daily steps to improve your indoor air quality.

Six in ten Americans health affected by air pollution

May 17, 2009 in Air Quality by Jennifer | 1 comment

Air pollution is a major health risk for 6 out of 10 Americans according to 10th annual American Lung Association State of the Air report.

State of the Air is basically a report card for cities. The report assigns A-F grades to communities in the USA and looks at trends for 900 counties over the past decade. Ranking includes cities and counties most affected by pollution (ozone, or smog; annual particle pollution; and 24-hour particle pollution levels).

The problem of air pollution is double fold as most of the major pollution causing problems not only affect human health but also create more widespread global warming issues. While almost every major city in the USA has more pollution than it should, some are fairing better than others. According to the report, some very large cities have improved their air quality somewhat due to green efforts. Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Baltimore are among the cities making positive changes. have made improvements in their air quality over the past decade.

The fact that some cities are cleaning up their act can be misleading though, because while LA is cleaning up, they’re still ranked as #1 on the list for metropolitan areas most polluted by short-term particle pollution.

If you’re concerned visit The American Lung Association and view the report for all sorts of tips and facts such as…

  • How your city or county ranks.
  • How to protect your family from air pollution.
  • How to advocate for cleaner overall air quality – tips for addressing the EPA and others.
  • And lots more.

New Ways to Solve Indoor Air Pollution

February 26, 2009 in Air Quality by Jennifer | 1 comment

Indoor air pollution is fairly common. Here at Best Green Home Tips, we’ve looked at many ways to keep the air in your home clean and healthy. To catch up, read…

Today, some extra tips that can help keep your home green and your indoor air clean.

Be an Apple user: I’m actually a PC girl, but Apple computers are free of PBDE which makes them a green step above if you can go that route.

Use a cloth shower liner: Vinyl shower liners suck to keep clean and worse can release icky chemicals into your home air and in some people these chemicals can even cause allergic reactions.

Opt out of dry cleaning: Dry cleaning, in most cases, is super bad for your health and the earth’s well-being. If possible only buy fabrics and home items that you can clean yourself. If that’s impossible, go with a greener dry cleaning option. Also read, “Green” Dry Cleaners to Be Leery Of.

Don’t forget your pets:  Most people don’t consider their pets when it comes to greening their home, but your dog’s bed may be releasing chemicals if you haven’t gone organic. That said, a good dog bed can do double duty for your air quality. Dog and cat beds capture a lot of dander and if you go organic (or buy beds made with natural materials) the bed won’t release chemicals found in conventional cotton.

Some healthy pet bed options: Read the rest of this entry »

Are Shoes an Eco No No?

February 3, 2009 in Air Quality, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home, Healthy Green Home by Jennifer | 1 comment

Your shoes may be vegan, they may be made with recycled soles, they may even be made by a totally ethical company, but when you get right down to it, your shoes may be waging war on your green home.

Quick step: Take your shoes off at home.

Why?: Research shows that shoes drag in way more eco-baddies than we think. From pesticides to chemicals whatever is on your shoes comes inside with you and gets tracked all over your house.

Other tips:

  • During the summer taking off your shoes is more important. Summertime shoes have been shown to be worse offenders. During the summer pesticides used outdoors are at their peak, and more of these chemicals make it onto your shoes.
  • Having hardwood, clay, or tile floors reducers your exposure. Carpets, not so eco-friendly on their own, become worse when shoes walk all over them. Studies show it’s almost impossible to clean out dust, pesticides and chemicals from carpets – no matter how often you clean.
  • Keeping the above in mind, a rug or mat outside your door will help to limit the junk you carry inside, because the door mat collects some of the pesticides.
  • It’s also important to improve your overall indoor air quality which can help to combat the stuff you bring in on your shoes.
  • If you hate going shoeless, keep slippers or house shoes by your front door. You can change once you arrive.
  • Don’t forget the kids – they walk where you walk. Their shoes may be small, but they cause the same risk.

Do you go shoeless at home?

Stop Air Pollution in Your Home

September 8, 2008 in Air Quality, Green Cleaning, Green Your Home by Jennifer | 3 comments

There are plenty of things that can contribute to air pollution in your home. Your goal should be to have pure, clean air inside your home, both for the sake of planet health and the health of your family. Allergies, asthma, and even cold-like illnesses can all be affected by the quality of air inside your home.

Following are some ways to make sure your home air quality stays clean and healthy:

No smoking allowed: If you smoke, go outside, away from other people. Smoking in your home, especially if you have kids is dangerous for both health and fire safety reasons. In fact some studies show that banning indoor smoking is the number one best way to improve your home’s air quality.

Use your fireplace or wood stove smartly: Wood fires can release tiny particles and smoke that invades the air and your lungs. If you don’t have to use a wood burning fireplace, it’s better not to. If wood heat is your only source of heat; yes for some people it still is – in Humboldt we had only wood heat so we’d open windows and burn cleaner wood. To learn more read the EPA guide Wood Burning Efficiency and Safety.

Open the windows: Fresh incoming air is a great way to push out old stale air, and any icky household fumes.

Buy some naturally air cleaning houseplants.

Quit stirring up the dust: Use a damp rag to dust, not a feather duster or dry cloth. You may be tempted to buy those static cloths for dusting, and they do work, but they’re not long-lasting. You’ll end up tossing them. A wet cloth works just the same.

Clean regularly: Keeping a clean house is one good way to keep your air clean. This means making sure that items like appliances and humidifiers are cleaned as well.

Don’t EVER use toxic cleaners: Chemical, toxic, yucky home cleaners contribute to much of the indoor air pollution you encounter – and worse, none of these cleaners are necessary for a clean home. Choose green homemade cleaners instead. To learn more read the following: