Making Your Home Healthy and Green
As parents the health and safety of our families is a top priority, yet it’s surprising how easy it is to neglect ways to protect them. There are many things to consider if you are planning to remodel, redecorate or even build a new home. One of these should be how to make healthy choices for your family in what you are planning on doing.
Homeowners need to realize how much their homes — carpets, paints, finishes, cleaning supplies, heating and air conditioning systems, fireplaces etc. — can affect their health.
Here are some ideas for making your home green and healthy at the same time.
Clean air helps you breathe easy:
Growing evidence tells us that indoor air can be more seriously polluted than outdoor air. With 90 percent of our time spent indoors, health risks from airborne pollutants inside the home may be much higher than we think.
Some common sources of indoor air pollution include cabinetry and insulation (formaldehyde), improperly vented fireplaces, and poorly installed or maintained heating and cooling systems or home appliances, such as gas ranges, stove hoods or water heaters.
Some things to consider when you are remodeling are installing hard-surface flooring rather than carpeting to protect indoor air for the long term. Think of how it smells after you install new carpeting in your home, is that chemical scent the air you want to breathe? If you decide to go with carpeting, you can now find products that meet air quality standards for low emissions through a Green Label program. And, ask for carpet manufacturers with recycling programs, as an estimated 5 billion pounds of carpet go to landfills annually because its synthetic components prevent easy recycling.
When planning to do some painting shop for paints that do not use volatile organic compounds, known as VOC’s. VOC’s are used in most paints, lacquers and cleaning supplies and emit gases with significant health effects. Low- or no-VOC paints (and cleaning products) are now widely available.
Quality contractors can help you find green and healthy products for you. The U.S. Green Building Council provides up-to-date information on safer and greener products and building techniques.
Conserving Energy:
One of the foundational elements of green building or remodeling should be energy conservation.
If you are building a new home, get your architect to design your house with energy consumption in mind. Maximize the benefits of natural daylight (so you’ll need fewer electric lights). Also consider passive ventilation, which will promote the flow of fresh air throughout your home when you need it. And, of course, install energy- and water-efficient appliances.
Some other easy ways to lower household energy use are replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescents, programming your thermostat, plugging air leaks and upgrading your appliances to Energy Star products. New, energy-efficient windows can also significantly reduce energy used for heating and cooling older homes or apartment buildings, and there’s some evidence that double-paned windows can also reduce fire damage.
Green and Healthy Remodeling:
If you are updating your home or building a new one, you’ll be astounded at the array of green options available.
For instance there is bamboo flooring. It’s contemporary, durable and comes in a variety of finishes — and it’s not even wood. (Bamboo is actually a member of the grass family and grows like a weed). Cork and eucalyptus flooring have similar eco friendly qualities. Resources abound for other green flooring options, including reclaimed wood from rivers and lakes. Especially for historic homes, reclaimed wood can provide unmatched appeal.
If you prefer traditional wood, you can still go green by purchasing products that are made from woods that are responsibly managed, harvested and manufactured. Flooring, structural lumber, cabinets and a wide range of furnishings are available from suppliers nationwide that are manufactured with woods that are responsibly managed.
Green advantages as well can be found in cabinets, tile, plasters and countertops.
Cabinetry made without toxic glues and formaldehyde is widely available. It can also be finished with low-VOC paints and lacquers.
Tiles that are lead-free are also available, with significant recycled content.
And when it comes to countertops, the options are numerous, from recycled glass, concrete or plastic to finely made white oak butcher block.
Even wallpaper makers have introduced elegant grass cloth products with recycled backing paper.
So as you can see there are many things you can do to make healthy choices for your family when building a new home, remodeling or even redecorating. These are only a few. We will be talking about more things next time.
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How I Make $300 a Day Online posted on June 18, 2009:
Hey, nice post, very well written. You should blog more about this.
REAC posted on June 20, 2009:
You have a good site here Thanks and I will be back to enjoy it some more.
Trent posted on June 22, 2009:
This is very good I am always looking for ways to live more green.
Chipper posted on July 1, 2009:
I really do want to live more green and your blog is helping me do it. thanks
Don posted on July 3, 2009:
I have been trying to do this but I need help. This article helped me.
Floria. posted on July 3, 2009:
This is exactly what I have started to do.
Contin posted on July 5, 2009:
This is what I am trying to do and there seems to be lots of help out there like yours.
Cody A posted on July 6, 2009:
I wish my house was more green that is why I’m reading these articles to help me. good article by the way.
Hap posted on July 7, 2009:
This is another good article with lots of content.
Madee posted on July 8, 2009:
I really do want my home to be healthy and green at the same time.
Tax posted on July 9, 2009:
I’m working at it but I am finding it had sometimes to change my habits.
Atlanta posted on July 11, 2009:
this is what I want to do make my house more green. Thanks for the good article.
Ulam posted on July 12, 2009:
Thanks for the help in making my house more green and healthy.
Tim posted on July 13, 2009:
I really like your blog keep it up
Al posted on July 14, 2009:
You know having a healthy home is very important to me. I like your ideas
Where can i buy green posted on July 15, 2009:
Making my home healthy is really important to me for myself but mostly for my kids. I need all the help I can get so I make wise choices.
Tremane posted on July 16, 2009:
Tthis is exactly what I want to do.
Vic posted on July 17, 2009:
I have never been so conscience of having a healthy home since I have had kids.
Script posted on July 18, 2009:
good blog I like what you have to say
Tamara posted on July 19, 2009:
When you have young children you want your home to be healthy. And that is me.
yvone posted on July 20, 2009:
This has never been so important to me. Thanks for the encouragement and help.
Telly posted on July 21, 2009:
Making my house healthy is a top priority for me. I think it’s good but for my family it is necessary.
Cheesi posted on July 22, 2009:
I wan to be more green I am just finding it hard to change my ways. This blog might just be the help I need.
Al posted on July 23, 2009:
As I think of our house one of the things I want it to be is healthy. Thanks for the tips for making it that way.
Peper posted on July 24, 2009:
I want my home to be healthy first. If I can make it green as well all the better.
Fotch posted on July 24, 2009:
I do want a healthy home now just to take your advice and get started.
Peter posted on July 25, 2009:
Is there anything more important than having a healthy home for your kids?
Hecter posted on July 26, 2009:
Have a healthy home is tops in my book.
Banne posted on July 27, 2009:
When we do things around the house we most often don’t think about the products we are using except the price and will they do the job. Thanks for this article. We need to do more and think about their impact on the health of our house and family.
Bux posted on July 28, 2009:
I know that what you are saying sounds crazy to some people but I have found it to be true in my life.
Pason posted on July 29, 2009:
When we are wanting to go green I think we do it for the planet for our pocket book and for our health. Seems to me we need to do this.
Dol posted on July 31, 2009:
I want my home to be healthy but things seem to cost a lot more.
Online pharmacy oxycodone. posted on August 1, 2009:
The ways you talk about seem to be a lot of work but I am committed so here goes.
phil posted on August 1, 2009:
Making my home healthy is certainly one of my priorities. Thanks for the help.
Cody posted on August 3, 2009:
I like how you write you make things easy to understand.
Penie posted on August 4, 2009:
I will never stop trying to make my home more healthy.
Viger posted on August 18, 2009:
You have a good blog here and I like what you are trying to do.
Conin posted on August 20, 2009:
I want my home healthy for sure.
Long posted on August 22, 2009:
I am not sure how I am going to do it but I am going to go green. Thanks for the help.
Loralee posted on August 23, 2009:
I think everyone wants to live in a healthy home.
Hippe posted on August 29, 2009:
Having a health home sure is important to me and I think to most people.
Alazo posted on August 30, 2009:
Healthy for sure green that’s what I’m working on.
Blix posted on August 31, 2009:
Who doesn’t want a healthy home but does going green have to go hand in hand with it.