How to clean up your air indoors
With more than 90% of our time spent indoors, indoor pollutants can have a significant impact on our lives. Mold spores, dust mites, pollens, gases, particulates from chemicals and a host of other pollutants can be found in the cleanest of homes. According to the EPA, indoor levels of many pollutants are two to five times higher than outdoor levels. People who spend more time indoors (work out of your home, stay at home mom/dad, retired for example) are more at risk according to the EPA.
Homes aren’t regulated like office buildings. Their heating systems (HVAC) are sometimes neglected to change their filters or to replace if it isn’t functioning properly. Everything that comes in to our homes has the potential to be harmful to our health; this includes things from the building materials and elements that hold our homes together to the furniture we sit on and the paint that goes on the walls. Indoor air pollution can be bad, but it doesn’t have to be.
Things you can do to clear the air
- Read labels (make sure chemicals don’t make it in your home)
- Dust and vacuum often
- Replace carpet with hardwood, cork, marmoleum or wool/jute carpet. (clean with healthy cleaners)
- Don’t use perfume or scented items
- Buy furniture, rugs, mattresses, drapes without PBDE’s (fire retardants). Contact Eco Remedi for local suggestions)
- Leave your shoes at the door (keeps toxins at bay)
- Check your HVAC system and make sure the filters are changed.
- Purchase an air filter (HEPA) – I like Austin Air, IQ-Air and Blue Air.
Keep Sources of Pollution Out of Your Home – from The Lung Assoc.
- Declare your home a smokefree zone. Never let anyone smoke indoors. Ask smokers to go outside.
- Test your home for radon, an invisible gas that causes lung cancer. Every home should be tested since radon may be found in any home. If your home has high radon, it can be fixed.
- Keep humidity levels under 50 percent. Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner, as needed. Clean equipment regularly so they don’t become a source of pollution themselves.
- Fix all leaks and drips in the home. Standing water and high humidity encourage the growth of mold and other pollutants.
- Put away food, cover trash and use baits to control pests, like cockroaches.
- Avoid burning wood because it adds pollution indoors and out. Don’t use outdoor wood boilers, also called hydronic heaters, to heat your home’s water. They add unhealthy soot to the air in your neighborhood.
- Don’t use scented candles or fragrances to hide odors. Figure out what is causing the odor, then clean that up and ventilate to add fresh air.
- Use cleaning, household and hobby products that are less toxic. Don’t store hazardous chemicals in your home.
Ventilate To Clean Dirty Air Indoors The Lung Assoc.
- Use exhaust fans in bathrooms to remove moisture and gases from the house.
- Fit your kitchen with an exhaust fan that moves the air to the outside. Use the fan or open a window when cooking to remove fumes and airborne particles.
- Make sure gas appliances vent completely to the outside. Do not use ventless stoves.
- Have gas or oil stoves, dryers or water heaters inspected by a qualified technician once a year. Install a carbon monoxide detector near your bedrooms.
- If you paint or use hobby supplies or chemicals in your home, add extra ventilation. Open the windows and use a portable window fan to pull the air out of the room.
- Never idle your car in an attached garage.
- New Construction and Remodeling tips to keep your air clean
Improve your air -Tips from the EPA
CO2 levels are higher in a lot of homes due to off gassing as well. Find a local company to perform a test outside and inside to see if the levels are different. You should have clean air in your home to breathe. It is hard to detect and many people don’t have symptoms but over time, allergies, persistent upper respiratory infections and asthma may occur.
The exposure to toxic chemicals in the air outside some schools appears so high that students could be at risk of suffering a range of ailments, from asthma to cancer.
Use a high quality air filter to purifier the air, especially since you live on a high traffic street. You can’t see or smell the toxins that are emitting into your air space. Carpets, furniture, drapes and even computers produce particles that interrupt the quality of the air. Put them in each bedroom and in your living room. Keep your windows open and fans on when cooking. Do not use plug in air fresheners, they are a fire hazard and are unhealthy to breathe in the chemicals.
The Most Common Sources of Indoor Air Pollution
| Tobacco Smoke | Carpeting |
| Air fresheners/deodorizers | Cleaning supplies |
| Particle Board Furniture | Showers with chlorinated water |
| Dry Cleaning | New Cabinetry |
| Pesticide use | Attached Garages |
| Gas appliances | Laundry Soap & Fabric Softener |
| Newspapers/magazines | Paints |
| Upholstery | Water damage/mold |
| Perfumes/fragrance | Wearing shoes indoors |
Household plants that purify the air
1. Philodendron scandens `oxycardium’, heartleaf philodendron
2. Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
3. Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana’, cornstalk dracaena
4. Hedera helix, English ivy
5. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
6. Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig’, Janet Craig dracaena
7. Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii’, Warneck dracaena
8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
10. Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’, peace lily
11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
15. Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena
Examples of a town with toxic air and what is happening to the residents.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/02/26/toxic.town.mossville.epa/index.html?hpt=C1
Check to see what industrial plants are affecting your air in your neighborhood.
http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/index
Eco Remedi Now tests Indoor Air Quality. Contact us to get your air tested in the Portland, OR area.
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