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Five Ways to Create a Healthy Home


Have you ever thought of your home as being healthy or unhealthy? While the concept of a healthy home may be new to some of us, it is steadily gaining popularity with homeowners. A healthy home can include a number of elements from building materials used to construct your home to using non-toxic cleaning products. Below is a list of five ways to assist you in creating a healthy home environment.

1. Clean Air and Circulation:

Here are some little known facts from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) about the air inside many of today's homes:

? Indoor air pollutant levels may be two to five times higher than the pollutant levels outdoors.

? Indoor air pollutant is one of the top environmental concerns today.

? Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors.

? Indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke, pollen, mold, dust, and animal dander have the ability to create asthmatic and allergic reactions.

Listed below are a few ways to improve the quality of your indoor air:

? Consider an Indoor Air Purifier. The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM) has put forth industry standards for indoor air purifiers. To view results of their standards and testing or to find a certified indoor air purifier, you can visit their website at cadr.org.

? For better air circulation, leave doors between rooms open most of the time and open windows when possible to allow for a good supply of fresh outdoor air. You can also install exhaust fans in bathrooms to help remove moisture and chemicals from your home.

? Upgrade the air filters on your furnace with the pleated filters that capture smaller particles. Change the filters regularly as recommended by the manufacturer's instructions.

? You can also use indoor houseplants to aid in purifying your home's air. For example, Boston Ferns cleanse formaldehyde from the air. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas. When present in the air at levels above 0.1 ppm (parts in a million parts of air), it may cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes, nose and throat, nausea, coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, skin rashes, and allergic reactions. Formaldehyde can be found in insulation, particleboard, paper products and many cleaning products.

2. Dust-proof Your Home:

? Dust your rooms and knickknacks regularly with a damp cloth.

? Dust your hardwood, tile, linoleum, and laminate flooring regularly with a dust mop or a vacuum made for hard flooring.

? Vacuum carpets, rugs, and upholstered furniture regularly. Consider buying a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. A HEPA filter is capable of removing a minimum of 99.97% of all particles that are 0.3 microns or larger. In addition, consider using a bag-less vacuum to avoid the exposure of dust when you change a bag.

? Encase pillows, mattresses, and box springs in an airtight, dust-proof cover.

? Dust/clean ceiling fans regularly to make sure they are not releasing dust in the air every time you run them.

? Replace dust-collecting blinds and long drapes with window shades or washable curtains.

3. Use Natural and Non-Toxic Cleaning Products:

One way to assure that the fragrances in your home are clean and fresh is to avoid using harsh cleaning products, which can create fumes that may linger for days. Try using natural ingredients such as baking soda, vinegar, club soda, and lemon juice.

For example, to make a natural glass cleaner, combine:

? 2 teaspoons white vinegar

? one quart of warm water

? Mix ingredients together and pour into spray bottle. Spray on surface and wipe dry.

4. Fill Your Home with Natural and Earth-Friendly Products. Below is a small list of eco-friendly products available on the market today:

? Organic cotton towels, linens, clothing

? Mattresses, bedding, pillows

? Cork flooring, wool carpet

? Sofas, chairs, ottomans

? Toys and games for all ages

? Pet products

? Soap and laundry detergents

? Organic candles, home décor accessories

? Personal accessories

5. Use Safe, Non-Toxic Interior Paints that have:

? very low VOC (volatile organic compounds) content

? no formaldehyde

? low odor

Try using any of the above suggestions to create a healthy home environment. Although the concept of a healthy home is relatively new to many, there are numerous resources available including books, articles, and websites, where you can find additional information.

Lesley Dietschy is a freelance writer and the creator/editor of The Home Decor Exchange and the Home & Garden Exchange. The Home Decor Exchange is a popular home and garden website featuring resources, articles, decorating pictures, free projects, and a shopping marketplace. The Home & Garden Exchange website is a link exchange program and directory dedicated to the home and garden industry, as well as offering free website content and promotional ideas. Please visit both websites for all of your home, garden, and website needs.

http://www.HomeDecorExchange.com

http://www.HomeGardenExchange.com


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in markets with declining home prices and that values are expected to continue to fall. Shares of the home-improvement retailer fell 3.5 percent yesterday to close at $25.77. Through the summer, it has been hard to determine how American consumers are

in markets with declining home prices and that values are expected to continue to fall. Shares of the home-improvement retailer fell 3.5 percent yesterday to close at $25.77. Through the summer, it has been hard to determine how American consumers are

popularity of a whole raft of spin-off products: the property TV show (even I've just made one), the home-improvement mag. We have become, in a way very few other nations have, a people who define ourselves by the places we live in. I have, I confess, a

flea markets report a rise in attendance this year. Credit a sagging economy with that. A Craigslist culture. Home-improvement shows that focus on decorating on the cheap and with recycled materials. And yes, 'Antiques Roadshow.' The usual silk-screen

to send additional children to the local school or put more cars on the roads? And the proposed home-improvement fees depended not just on the size of the addition, but on the size of the home. In some cases, the cost of a 500-square-foot addition would

to a Reuter's report, Home Depot's CEO says America's battered housing market has almost bottomed out but the home-improvement sector will still feel some pressure in 2009. 'We don't think we're at the bottom yet, but we think you can see it from here,'

popularity of a whole raft of spin-off products: the property TV show (even I've just made one), the home-improvement mag. We have become, in a way very few other nations have, a people who define ourselves by the places we live in. I have, I confess, a

in markets with declining home prices and that values are expected to continue to fall. Shares of the home-improvement retailer fell 3.5 percent yesterday to close at $25.77. Through the summer, it has been hard to determine how American consumers are

going. Now, Vally, host of the Discovery Home Channel's 'Toolbelt Diva,â? is teaching women to tackle their own home-improvement projects. Vally discussed her career and her upcoming visit to the Tulsa House Beautiful Show during a recent phone

book-ended by two big retail blocks - one at 145,546 square feet and the second, described as a home-improvement store with a main building and labyrinth garden, encompassing 173,630 square feet. It would also have a hotel, office space, lots of

in markets with declining home prices and that values are expected to continue to fall. Shares of the home-improvement retailer fell 3.5 percent yesterday to close at $25.77. Through the summer, it has been hard to determine how American consumers are

executive Frank Blake said a battered US housing market was nearing the bottom of its decline, but the home-improvement sector would remain under pressure at least through early 2009. And shares of GM rose 5.8% to $11.27 Among the day's economic data,

to send additional children to the local school or put more cars on the roads? And the proposed home-improvement fees depended not just on the size of the addition, but on the size of the home. In some cases, the cost of a 500-square-foot addition would

popularity of a whole raft of spin-off products: the property TV show (even I've just made one), the home-improvement mag. We have become, in a way very few other nations have, a people who define ourselves by the places we live in. I have, I confess, a

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Among those other ideas: Raise some permit fees and improve the enforcement of permit requirements, such as for home-improvement projects. Lobby the state government for the ability to impose a local sales tax or to retain, locally, a portion of current

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wait to be seen when I had been brought in by ambulance. Alisha Coker, Fayetteville Jeers to a home-improvement store. I bought a countertop and sink. After a few months passed, I noticed there was always water under the sink. I dismissed it, because I

going. Now, Vally, host of the Discovery Home Channel's 'Toolbelt Diva,â? is teaching women to tackle their own home-improvement projects. Vally discussed her career and her upcoming visit to the Tulsa House Beautiful Show during a recent phone

and other vulnerable uses. The plan for a facility that would be the size of nearly three Lowe's home-improvement stores is vehemently opposed by the City Council, which along with the community, has repeatedly cited public safety, traffic, noise, air

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Extract not available.

Judge John Kavanewsky Jr. sentences him Oct. 23. In November 2002, Girasulo pleaded guilty to 10 counts of home-improvement fraud, seven counts of first-degree larceny and a number of other larceny charges. Girasulo was accused of fraud totaling $201,091

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