Grow Fresh Air Inside

Written by Danielle Davis for Your Daily Thread

In Los Angeles, we get 80 degree days in February, but that doesn’t change that overall, winter still means more days indoors, protected from cold or rain. And everywhere, people spend more time inside than ever before, clocking in at closed up buildings. My biggest complaint about a previous job I had was that the windows didn’t open.
Why does it matter? Because the air inside may not have smog per say, but it can be up 10 times more polluted than what’s outside that window (according to my favorite book on the subject, How To Grow Fresh Air. A home or office can be poorly ventilated and have too high or too low humidity. And the real kicker is that what we surround ourselves with in spaces can be, well, toxic. Yeah, that new paint, new carpet, new couch smell—all bad. Same goes for what you can’t smell like printers and particle board furniture and curtains. The culprits range from VOCs (volatile organic compounds) to formaldehyde and none of them is good to have hanging around.

So in the service of breathing better when you’re inside and can’t open a window, here are ways to freshen up your indoor air:

*Kick off your shoes. Footwear can track in all kinds of chemicals, dog doo doo, pesticides, oil and who knows what else from the street. If you leave shoes at the door and don socks or slippers, you keep all that off your floors and from your lungs. Even a welcome mat can make a difference eliminating pollutants. (Those made from recycled tires go the extra eco-mile.)

*Invest in indoor plants. Growing things inside connects us to nature while actually improving our mood, concentration and creativity. Greenery makes us feel better all around (amazing indoor plant facts here). Certain ones have been found particularly helpful for cleaning up the air we breathe too because plants filter chemicals like nobody’s business. A comprehensive resource is aforementioned How To Grow Fresh Air. But this article will get you started. Here’s my own plant collection for you to see how I keep things fresh and green in my apartment all year round.
Other efforts:

*Use the fan over your stove when you cook and the one in your bathroom when you shower.

*Choose only no VOC paints when embellishing your walls with color. (More on eco-friendly paint and where to buy it.)

*Open a window for ventilation when possible.

*Opt for natural cleaning products. (Or make your own like we recommend.)

*If you can swing it, get rid of carpet, harborer of dust and mold and gunk.  Here’s a fabulous resource for green flooring options. And here’s one for recycling the old.

*Look for real wood furniture (FSC certified is even better) and eschew toxic stains.

*Consider making your bedroom an eco-haven for you and not for chems and dust mites.

*Only use candles made from bees’ or soy or another natural wax, scented with essential oils and sporting an all cotton wick.

Oh yes, and don’t buy an “air freshener” full of scary chemical fragrance. Spritz some lavender water or hang some cinnamon sticks instead.

Got any more fresh ideas on how to clean up indoor air? Do share!