The last place that should be a hazardous environment is your home. Making informed decisions on remodeling and building materials can insure that your home is truly your sanctuary. Heavy chemicals, dirty air, and mold can have serious adverse effects on your health and the environment.

A major step in creating a healthy indoor environment is to eliminate or minimize the usage of products that contain volatile organic compounds or VOCs. VOCs can come from a plethora of products including paint strippers, lacquers, paints, pesticides, furniture, cleaning supplies, and building materials. The EPA has stated that the concentration of volatile compounds inside your home can be up to ten times higher than the exterior.

Healthy home environments should also be free of any allergy triggers. Carpeting is one of the major culprits as it is very difficult, even with a thorough cleaning, to remove dirt and dust. Using hardwood or laminate flooring when possible can cut down irritation from dust particulates and is easy to clean. Proper air ventilation can also cut down on allergens. To suck the contaminated air out and keep clean are flowing in it is important to install an adequate system of ventilation.

An exhaust fan in your kitchen or bathroom can greatly reduce the amount of bacteria, mold, and orders in the air. If you have a tightly sealed home you will also want to install a reversed fan to allow fresh air in. You may also want to consider installing an air filtration system to remove irritants such as pet dander, cigarette smoke, and mold spores.
Another good way to improve your family’s health and have a positive impact on the environment is to install a water filtration system on faucets that provide drinking water. These systems remove the same sediments and chemicals that bottled waters do but cost a lot less than purchasing bottled water and cuts down on waste and fossil fuel usage needed to manufacture bottled water.