Home Detox

Reduce Indoor Pollution

How clean is the air in your home? Indoor air pollution can be the cause of maladies ranging from nasal congestion and coughing to retinal hemorrhage and hearing loss. ¹
The most obvious indoor pollutant is tobacco smoke. The more insidious, unrecognized offenders include combustion products from stoves, space heaters, fireplaces, furnaces, and water heaters; biological pollutants, like molds, animal dander, and dust mites; volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde, pesticides, solvents, chemicals from cleaning solutions, paint, chemicals from crafts, and air fresheners; and heavy metals such as airborne lead and mercury vapors. Hair sprays, perfumes and colognes, glues, pesticides—all these vapors pollute your air.

Spider Plant

   In recent years, airborne formaldehyde has plagued new construction and remodeled homes. Formaldehyde-based resins used in particleboard, plywood, paneling, subflooring, cabinetry, and furniture contaminate the air through off-gassing. Paint, carpet, carpet padding, mattress ticking, upholstery, and draperies can off-gas as well.
   Lead from old paint has long been a concern, while newer latex paint (manufactured prior to 1990) containing PMA is a source for mercury vapor. The EPA warns that paint that includes PMA may still be on the shelves.
   So what can we do to clean up the air in our homes? First and foremost, clean up your act. Smoke outside, if you choose to smoke. Don’t use chemicals in your house! Don’t pollute your air with air fresheners. Buy chemical free cleansers or clean with all natural ingredients and steam. (Use vinegar and water to clean glass, baking soda and water to scrub sinks and counter tops, a steam mop or plain hot water for your floors.) Buy green non-toxic products when you invest in new carpets, paint, cabinets, draperies, or furniture.
   Next, open your windows when weather permits. Too often we ignore warnings that tell us to use a product in well-ventilated areas. If this warming is on a label, first ask yourself if

you truly need to use the product. If you choose to use it, use it with care—and lots of ventilation.
   The more we create air-tight homes to save heating and cooling costs in buildings that use chemical-laden building products, cleaning products, and personal products, the more we contribute to sick-building syndrome as the levels of chemical off-gassing in our homes and offices increase.
   Recent reports cite the results of a 2-year study by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America listing the top houseplants to combat sick-building syndrome, or to clean up the air in your home. In reality, NASA started this research back in the 1970s after identifying 107 VOCs in Skylab’s air. Dr. B.C. Wolverton, an environmental scientist who had previously completed research on the use of plants to clean water sources, worked with NASA to discover which plants were most effective at cleaning the air in a closed system filled with VOCs. ² Along with many published reports, he authored a consumer-friendly book, published more than ten years ago, How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 Houseplants That Purify Your Home or Office. This bookcontinues to be available through Penguin Books or online through Amazon or Barnes and Nobel. ³
   “Another one of Wolverton’s discoveries is

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that the more air that is allowed to circulate through the roots of the plants, the more effective they are at cleaning polluted air,” states NASA’s website. Wolverton’s research, in conjunction with the Japanese company, Actree Corporation, has led to the development of the “EcoPlanter,” a pot that uses high-efficiency carbon filters and a root-level circulation system, allowing the plant to remove approximately 200 times more VOCs than a single traditionally-potted plant.² Dr. Wolverton and Mr. Kozaburo Takenaka have co-authored a new book involving their latest research into plants and indoor air quality, which is due to be released this fall. ³
Wikipedia lists the following plants as being the best choices to filter your air:

English ivy (Hedera helix)
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
Weeping fig (Ficus benjamina)^[4]
Gerbera daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
Pot mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
Rubber plant (Ficus elastica)
Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata "Bostoniensis")
Kimberly queen fern (Nephrolepis obliterata)

Snake Plant

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Dwarf date palm (Phoenix roebelenii)
Areca palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens)
Dendrobium orchid (Dendrobium sp.)
Dumb cane (Camilla) (Dieffenbachia)
Dumb cane (Exotica)(Dieffenbachia)
King of hearts (Homalomena wallisii)
Moth orchid (Phalenopsis sp.)

Reports recommend 15-18 houseplants for a 1,800 square foot house. What a lovely way to go green and improve air quality.

1 EPA
2 NASA, Scientific and Technical Information
3 Wolverton Environmental Services

Allene Edwards is a contributing writer and the editor for both Green Lifestyle Magazine and Organic Lifestyle Magazine. Growing up in the 60s, Allene was considered a hippie; she never lost her concern for the environment.

Home Detox