Plants for Indoor Air Quality!

We spend 90% of our time indoors. According to the EPA, indoor pollutants may be 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels. Many traditional cleaning products, paints, building materials, and office equipment such as printers and markers emit fumes that may have adverse health effects. We previously blogged about "freeing" your home of harmful toxins. Another great way to reduce toxins is by adding plants into your home.

In the late 1980s, NASA conducted a study of how houseplants could improve indoor air quality. Many newer homes are designed for energy efficiency, thus are often tightly sealed. This reduces energy loss, but also traps toxic chemicals in the air. Here is how houseplants can come to the rescue. Many houseplants come from tropical environments with thick canopies and limited light levels. Thus these plants evolved to become very efficient at capturing light and processing gases.

Here are some varieties that are best at filtering:
English ivy
Spider plant
Peace lily
Pothos                                                                
Snake plant (Mother-in-law tongue)
Philodendron
Dracaena
Ficus

These plants not only produce oxygen and water vapor, but they absorb carbon dioxide, benzene, formaldehyde, and/or trichloroethylene (chemicals commonly found in building materials and cleaning supplies).

On a side note . . . has your home ever been tested for radon? Radon is an odorles, tastelss, invisible gas produced by the decay of naturally occurring uranium in the soil and water. Radon moves from the ground into homes where it is then trapped.  It is the second leading cause of lung caner and the EPA recommend that all homes be tested (radon disclosure required for MN home sellers). Test kits can be found at hardware stores.

Household Products Can Dirty the Environment

Have you ever read the labels of the products you use at your home?  Many products say “Danger” or “Warning” or “Caution”.  They can be harmful to humans through different kinds of exposure.  While these products, such as pesticides, paints, and certain types of cleaners make your home look good, they can be dangerous to human and environmental health through different types of exposure.

The EPA  defines  “household hazardous waste” as leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable or reactive ingredients.   These items should not be disposed of with regular household garbage.  The Superior Municipal Landfill bans hazardous waste.  Chemicals from hazardous waste can leach out of the landfill and into groundwater supplies.  You also should not dump liquid hazardous waste down drains in your home or storm drains.  Superior residents can bring household hazardous wastes to the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District (WLSSD) Household Hazardous Waste Facility.  WLSSD also has a Project Reuse Center where you can pick up leftovers from other residents’ projects that they’ve dropped off at WLSSD.  This is a great way to reduce waste and save money!

In addition to correct disposal of household hazardous waste, more and more environmentally friendly products come onto the market every day.  For example, there are many widely available “green cleaning” brands (Method, Seventh Generation, etc).  Even traditional cleaning product manufacturers are creating brands with fewer harsh chemicals.  Another option for cleaning products is to use common alternatives like vinegar and lemon juice to clean your home (see a guide here).

While it would be impossible to limit all hazardous waste from your home, swapping out toxic products with made from non-toxic materials can keep your family and the environment healthier.

City of Superior Disposal Information
EPA Household Hazardous Waste

Directions to the WLSSD Household Hazardous Waste Facility:

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-Written by Jillian Schubert Edwards