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When frost comes nipping and the snow falls, the days of popping open a window to get fresh air in are over for another few months. Even when you can get fresh air in periodically, indoor air quality can be questionable, and dust and pollutants build up in homes hunkered down against the cold.  In energy-efficient houses with tight envelopes to reduce energy loss, the lack of air exchange affects indoor air quality even more quickly. With these five steps, you can keep your indoor air quality up all winter.

1. Clean

Keeping a proper cleaning regimen is an overlooked component of indoor air quality in winter. Vacuuming and dusting regularly reduces the amount of particulates that can potentially go airborne. When you’re cleaning hard surfaces, use low-VOC cleaning solutions to limit pollutant buildup. Microfiber mops allow you to clean hard floors with only water, without using floor cleansers. (continue reading…)

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When choosing a safe and effective home fragrance product, one of the biggest barriers with commercial products is that manufacturers are not required to disclose the exact ingredients of their products. The components that give a home fragrance its smell are only required to be listed as “Fragrance.” Some of these may be relatively safe essential oils, or they may be Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), compounds that readily vaporize at room temperature. Common scented VOCs are limonene, which gives a lemon-orange scent, and pinene, which gives a pine scent.

Even though it can be all but impossible to determine what the health impact of the fragrance itself may be, the delivery systems for these fragrances are somewhat more transparent, and each has its own health and safety concerns.

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America needs to reduce transportation emissions. America’s cities face numerous problems because of the polluted air released by increasing number of vehicles on highways. Within the past few years, Americans have become more dependent on car travel and have more cars per capita than any other nation in the world. This has lead to problems like traffic jams, pollution and global warming.

Traffic congestion alone costs America’s economy approximately $78 billion. Transportation in America produces more carbon dioxide emissions than any other country in the world except China. Studies have found that, bus travel is 79% safer than driving your own vehicle. In addition, sedentary, car-dependent lifestyles contribute to health problems from lack of exercise. (continue reading…)

©iStockphoto.com - Aprad Nagy-Bagoly

We all know that plants can improve our air quality, but which plants are best or just how much they can help? Not only can a few specific plants improve our lives at home, but they can also be used to drastically improve air quality in buildings in some of our world’s most polluted cities.

Kamal Meattle, a green energy specialist from New Delhi, India, recommends three plants to grow your own fresh air indoors. These are not specialized plants that are hard to come by. All three of these plants are very common and familiar to most of us. In fact, it’s likely that you’ve walked by all three of these plants the last time you were in a nearby nursery or greenhouse. (continue reading…)

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To watch television commercials for air fresheners, one could think them to be made from fresh cut flowers. We place them all around our homes. But these fresheners don’t freshen the air, but rather make our home’s air more polluted. Air fresheners used in a confined area, like homes, offices or cars create an intense amount of toxins in a small area.

Indoor air quality can be lower than the air quality outdoors.  The fine particulate matter from outdoor air pollution comes in through doors and windows. Dust mites, mold, pet dander and fur, tobacco smoke and fumes from combustion appliances like gas heaters and stoves contribute as well, as do building materials that out-gas, such as paints, varnishes, insulation, particle board, plywood, carpets and furniture. (continue reading…)

10. Take off your shoes. Ask your guests to remove their shoes as well. We can track in things a lot more dangerous than mud. This is especially important if you have children or pets that play or crawl on your floors.

9. Grow some fresh air. Keep leafy house plants. Plants naturally absorb carbon dioxide and provide fresh oxygen. Growing healthy, organic plants is like growing fresh air.

8. Ditch the dry-cleaner. If you must dry clean, air out dry cleaned clothing before you put it in your home. The chemicals used in the dry clean process are very toxic. If you must have an item dry cleaned, remove the plastic and hang it outside to let the residues dissipate. (continue reading…)

Microbes living with several readily available houseplants help remove sickening pollutants from the air. This valuable information is derived from The Plants for Clean Air Council – an affiliate of the American Landscape Contractors Associations co-financed research by Dr. Roy Wolverton in 1987 at NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Wolverton said the experiments showed that the plants effectively consume the toxins after they are digested by the soil bacteria.

Pollutants such as benzene from cigarette smoke, fumes from copy machines, cleaning compounds, paints and formaldehyde from carpeting, drapes and particle board in furniture are creating a condition called “sick building syndrome”. (continue reading…)