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A Green Home With Smog?
Caitlin Chock | Friday 5th February 2010
 It may be scary to learn that one of the most polluted places could very well be your own green home even despite your best efforts to live as eco-friendly as possible. The reason for this is that many of the pollutants may be out of your control or you haven't even thought of them. For instance any wood that has been treated or finishes on carpets and paints, the fumes from stoves or gas heaters, and even upholstered fabrics could be common household contaminants. While you may have opted for greener home cleaning products and have side stepped all of those nasty toxins from floating in the air of your house, you most likely have a fax machine, copier, or printer somewhere.The air inside of your green home could be cause for health concerns from any number of sources; there are molds, bacteria, and other fungi that are particularly hindering for people with breathing problems such as asthma. And the aforementioned products above could be releasing ozone, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and other fumes. This is particularly true during the winter months when we are more likely to be shutting the windows and doors to prevent cold air from coming in. While doing so is a good measure to reduce your energy consumption from your home's heating system, it does leave you in a bit of a bind in terms of indoor air quality. Here is what you can do to improve the environment you live in; first identify the places these pollutants are coming from. As for the printers, copiers, and other devices try storing them in a room that isn't the central point of your home and then shut the door when you aren't in there. Seek out formaldehyde-free particleboards or kinds of carpets if you are revamping your dcor, and as for the paints you want ones that are without VOCs. Yet you can reduce mold growth by going for either linoleum or wood floor; and if you are redoing a room make sure that you give that space enough time to air out, at least a day, before getting settled in them. You can also fill your green home with plenty of plants which will not only reduce the carbon monoxide in the air but the formaldehyde too; the two best types of plants for this are golden pothos and spider plants. You may also want to install a carbon-monoxide detector and even an eco-friendly air purification system. And when you can, just let that house of your air out; if only for a little bit of time open up the windows and crack the doors every so often to let your home breathe. Finally, by keeping the filters and other components of your home's cooling and heating networks you can reduce the amount of contaminates left to float around. By being mindful of what is in your home and keeping out as much of the toxins you possibly can you and your family will be living in a healthier environment. |
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