Cleaning Up The Air Inside Your Home || The Tranquil Parent

Six ways to clean the air inside your home

By Mika

September 17, 2008

Six ways to clean the air inside your home

Air cleaning plants like the spider plant above are just one of the ways you can improve the air quality inside your home. Photo by Nicolas, shared via Flickr

People often worry about outdoor air pollution and the effects that this has, especially with the rise of asthma among children. What people don’t think about as much is the air inside their homes. Often, this air is found to be more polluted that what is outside!

Consider these possibilities to greatly reduce the amount of toxins you will breathe while you are inside your home:

Burn only 100% soy or beeswax candles. Traditional paraffin candles, which are made from a by-product of petroleum, release cancer-causing agents into the air. Soy and beeswax candles, made from renewable resources, do not pollute the air around you as they burn. Another bonus is that soy candles burn longer and support U.S. farmers.

Paint using no or low-VOC paints. If this is not an option, in the case of moving into a newly painted rental property, make sure to have the home well-ventilated to encourage the paint to dry quickly and to disperse any fumes that remain in the air.

Avoid dry cleaning your clothes. Traditional dry cleaning uses a toxic chemical known as perchloroethylene. One way to avoid exposure to this chemical is by avoiding dry cleaning altogether by purchasing clothes that do not need to be dry-cleaned or washing your clothes yourself. If dry-cleaning is absolutely necessary, alternative (greener options) are starting to become more available. Or if an alternative is not available, take your clothes out of the plastic bag and air it out outside before bringing in into the house.

Use phthalate-free air fresheners, or avoid them altogether. The Natural Resources Defense Council recently did a test of fourteen brands of air fresheners, and twelve of them tested positive for phthalates. (Two that came up clean were Febreze Air Effects and Renuzit Subtle Effects. Please note that these are specific products by these brands, and do not mean that all products produced by these companies are phthalate-free.) You can find the NRDC's report on their testing here, or download a PDF summary of their findings.
Switch to non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaners or make your own cleaner. Seventh Generation and Method are two of my favorite brands of non-toxic cleaners that can be found in most stores. Seventh Generation makes a great All-Purpose Cleaner and my favorite Method product is their eucalyptus scented flushable bathroom wipes which come in minimal packaging and are biodegradable. Lots of books are out now that help guide you in cleaning your own in a healthier way. Both Seventh Generation and Method have books out regarding cleaning with non-toxic cleaners. Better Basics for The Home is a book loaded with recipes, for those that are interested in making their own, that covers not only cleaning but also areas such as personal hygiene and home improvement. Healthy Child, Healthy World is a book by the organization of the same name which offers solutions for many indoor air quality problems.

Grow plants inside your home. Along with bringing a little nature to the indoors, plants can reduce the amount of pollution by removing air pollutants and purifying the air. Some of the most effective plants include Peace Lily, Gerbera Daisy, Chinese Evergreen, Golden Pothos, Philodendron and Areca Palm. Check out the book "How to Grow Fresh Air" by B.C. Wolverton that rates 50 houseplants in their effectiveness to remove various pollutants and how to care for them.

What other ideas have you incorporated into your home to give your family a breathe of fresh air?

Categories: green, green living, houseplants

4 comments | Comment on post

4 Comments

1. Andrea [9/17/08]

Beeswax candles are great in your home because unlike soy candles they actually clean the air by producing negative ions. For a good selection check out http://www.sunshinebay.com

2. KGS [9/17/08]

Houseplants are great, but a lot of those commonly listed as good air cleaners are also poisonous, so please make sure to keep them out of reach!

3. Mika [9/17/08]

KGS-
Thanks for the comment, that is an good point you bring up. You should always make sure the plants you have indoors that your child and/or pet could get to are non-toxic, otherwise put them out of their reach. Here’s one website that lists toxicity of common houseplants:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/factsheets/031.htm

4. elizabeth [9/23/08]

A woman named Sloan Barnett has written a great book on going green, Green Goes with Everything: Simple Steps to a Healthier Life and a Cleaner Planet. This book really helps us go green (and talks about the toxins we’re bringing into our homes). I just learned that there are so many more options on the market today! I don’t have to do everything at once—but I sure can take a bunch of simple steps to make my family and me green and healthy.