Make Your Family Healthier - Go Green

Studies have shown that the interior of our homes is more polluted than the outside air, by several times! Lower your household’s pollution levels and make your family healthier.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have shown that “interiors of our homes have levels of a dozen pollutants two to five times greater than the air outside.” This is because our homes contain a large buildup of fumes from harmful chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are found in everything from carpets to building materials to paint. Many products continually “off-gas” these chemicals into the air of your home, and if your home is well-sealed, the chemicals never escape. The harmful effects of these chemicals are wide-ranging, including mild headaches, asthma and respiratory illnesses.

A recent Parade article organized tips for living greener—and therefore reducing harmful chemicals in your home—by room.

Living and Family Rooms

• When spot- or deep-cleaning your carpets, choose products carefully. Many standard carpet cleaners are formulated with harmful chemicals, such as naphthalene, which is especially toxic to children, and perchloroethylene, which may affect the central nervous system. Look for nontoxic powder cleaners that are safer, but still effective, as well as cleaners that are pet-, child- and environment-friendly.

• Use natural air cleaners. Some houseplants may remove airborne toxins, such as benzene and formaldehyde, in addition to converting carbon dioxide to oxygen. Decorate with a dracaena (also known as a “corn” plant), English ivy and peace lilies, and keep the leaves and surface soil free of dust and debris, so the plant can effectively convert chemicals.

Kitchen

• Buy appliances that save energy and water. An easy way to find out if an appliance is energy-efficient is to look for the EPA’s Energy Star label. You can also look at the free appliance guide that appears at ACEEE.org, the Web site for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

• Assess the area under your sink. Are there any toxic cleaners? If so, either replace them with green cleaners or move them to safer place in a garage or storage shed.

• Check your stove’s gas line or propane tank annually. Leaks or blockages in these areas might release carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide into the air. Also install a carbon monoxide detector in your home and make sure the kitchen is well-ventilated, with an exhaust fan.

• Use green pest and odor controls. Instead of using toxic sprays or powders to combat pantry moths (Indian meal moths and flour moths) that contaminate flour, rice, cereal, birdseed and pet food, use traps that have natural pheromones that attract moths and capture them on a sticky surface. Also throw out aerosol air fresheners, which release VOCs with every spray.

• Instead of using vinyl shelf liners, which release phthalates, chemicals that may interfere with hormone functioning, paint shelves and the interior of cabinets with a low-VOC paint or sealer that you can wipe clean.

• Try alternative cabinet or flooring materials. Pressed wood, fiberboard and interior-grade plywood can off-gas formaldehyde (one of the most dangerous pollutants) for years. Instead, look for formaldehyde-free strawboard or wheatboard, or bamboo. Environmentally friendly flooring options include cork, ceramic tile, slate, milled or low-VOC pressed bamboo and natural (not vinyl) linoleum.

Bathrooms

• Lower or eliminate your use of chlorine. Chlorine can irritate your skin, lungs and eyes, and are particularly harmful to anyone with asthma or allergies. Instead, use non-chlorine bleaches and cleaners that are based on hydrogen peroxide or sodium percarbonate.

• Throw out your standard glass cleaner and instead clean mirrors and glass with a white-vinegar-and-water solution. Ammonia-based products are also harmful to your health.

• Replace your PVC-based vinyl shower curtains with the white nylon shower curtains hotels use. In addition to being healthier, you can easily toss these shower curtains into the washing machine for cleaning.

Bedrooms

• Opt for cedar (hangers, blocks or sprays) instead of mothballs, which may emit naphthalene.

• Avoid synthetic wall-to-wall carpeting in bedrooms and baby rooms. This type of carpeting off-gases the most amount of chemicals.

• Paint bedrooms (especially baby rooms) with low-VOC paint and use non-chlorine-based, natural cleaners.

To find out more about what household products contain VOCs, log on to householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov. Taking just a few of the above steps will increase your family’s overall health!

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