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Our homes are basically our second skin — protecting us and our families from the outdoor elements. Yet while we often spend time and money on making our homes beautiful and comfortable, we pay less attention to whether they're healthful. Truth is, much of what threatens our personal health isn’t what’s out there, but what’s inside our homes.
Environmental experts agree that houses, filled as many are with toxins, have the potential to contaminate our bodies in the forms of illness, chronic headaches and even depression. According to the EPA, indoor air is significantly more polluted than outdoor air and is considered to be one of the top five hazards to human health. This fact is not surprising considering that the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors.
But detoxing your home is both simple and affordable, says certified building biology consultant Robert Steller, who helps residents detect health hazards. It often has more to do with what you should not do than what you should. And it starts at the front door.
1. Take off your shoes
Steller says the first step is as simple as taking off your outdoor shoes when you come in the house. And this isn't about muddy shoeprints.
According to the EPA, people unwittingly carry lawn and garden pesticides into their homes on their shoes. Those chemicals are especially hazardous for young children and pets because they spend a lot of time on the floor. And get this: The EPA reports that pesticides tracked in on shoes are more to blame for children’s exposure to them than eating non-organic fruits and vegetables.
But it’s not only pesticides that stow away on soles; lead and other contaminants frequently cross the threshold, too. The solution is simple and free. Remove shoes at the front door. A pretty basket filled with slippers might be further incentive.
2. No vinyl and that’s final!
What’s ubiquitous in our community, has a distinctive smell and is one of the most hazardous consumer products ever created? The answer is vinyl, otherwise known as polyvinyl chloride or PVC, and it's likely hanging from the curtain rod in your shower right now.
The Oregon Toxics Coalition warns us that the chlorine in PVC creates dioxins when produced, used or burned — in other words, from manufacture through disposal. Dioxins are considered potential carcinogens and, according to the Environmental Working Group's "Body Burden" research project, have been linked to reproductive and developmental health problems.
What’s more, PVC frequently contains notorious phthalates to make it soft. According to the Children's Health Environmental Coalition, these phthalates are known to cause liver and kidney damage, endocrine disruption, reproductive system damage and, possibly, cancer, and they can easily leach out of PVC. And finally, harder PVC often contains lead and cadmium, two heavy metals that have also been linked to a host of health issues, including cancers.
Clearly, PVC needs to be evicted — and now! Choose a vinyl-free shower curtain and check your kids’ toy box, their backpacks and the blinds on your windows, for starters. PVC is identifiable by the #3 in the chasing arrows, by the letters PVC or by that distinct smell.
3. Go for a greener clean
The American Lung Association asserts that the indoor air in our homes on cleaning day can be 10 times — sometimes a hundred times — more polluted than the outdoor air in the nation's most polluted cities. And much of that is thanks to the cleaning products that release VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, every time we spray, squirt or spritz.
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Aug 30, 2009 2:06:24 PM
Dec 18, 2008 8:55:11 AM
Wow, the statistic about cleaning products is astounding. I feel kind of dumb that I never thought about it before but this really puts it into perspective. These tips are great, especially for winter when we tend to spend so much more time inside.
jh
Dec 9, 2008 3:01:16 PM