Healthy Home
Make your home more
By Sandra Gordon
H
ome is where the heart is—but it can also be where
the pollutants are. From the water you use to radon,
mold spores and off-gases from household cleaning
products, cooking and heating, your house has the potential
to be more polluted than even the most industrialized city,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Kids are especially at risk because they breathe more air
for their size compared with adults. To make your home an
environmentally friendly zone, try these four tactics that
can help you clean up your act.
environmentally
Banish dust bunnies. House dust can contain industrial
chemicals, including lead and arsenic, which you can easily
inhale or ingest. To rid your home of dust and breathe
easier, "dust and vacuum often, and use an air purifier with
HEPA air filter, replacing filters once a year," says Sophia
Ruan Gushee, the New York City-based author of "A to Z
of D-Toxing: The Ultimate Guide to Reducing Our Toxic
Exposures" (The S File Publishing, 2015).
Use cleaners that don't contain harsh chemicals.
Look for cleaning products with the EPA's Safer Choice
label. Products with the Safer Choice label meet strict EPA
product standards for safety with regard to human health
and the environment. The EPA reviews every ingredient
through the supply chain based on its performance,
packaging and ingredients.
Get rid of standing water. Walk around your home and
look for any leaks in your basement, laundry room, bathroom
or kitchen, and then fix them. Moisture control is the key
to reducing indoor mold, which is linked to problems like
allergies and infections.
Tap into your water quality. Make a point of finding out
whether your water is safe, says Pauli Undesser, executive
director of the Water Quality Association in Lisle, Ill.
If you have well water, the quality of your water is solely
your responsibility. But even if you have city water, you're not
off the hook. Water leaving a municipal facility may need to
travel through miles of pipe before it gets to your home.
"Contaminants can be picked up along the way—either
in those pipes or even within your home—if you have a
home built before 1986, when federal lead regulations were
enacted," says Undesser.
In any case, it's a good idea to get your water tested once a
year to check for toxins, such as lead and arsenic. For more
home water safety tips, download the free publication "Water
Treatment for Dummies" at www.wqa.org/dummies.
friendly
2 9
w w w. s p i r i t o f w o m e n . c o m | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 | S P I R I T O F W O M E N