Eco-Friendly Home

In this section we will be looking at eco-friendly home products and materials that will help create a healthy living environment for your whole family.

A Healthy Eco-Friendly Home Environment

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution is considered one of the top five hazards to human health and it is three times more polluted than outdoor air.

The first step in solving this problem is to test your indoor air quality. There are a growing number of inexpensive and easy-to-use indoor air quality testing kits available for you to order online.

Testing kits that screen for pollen, fibers, dust mites, mold, insect biodetritus and skin cell fragments.

These common contaminants can cause allergies, dry, itchy eyes, skin and sore throat, all signs that your indoor air quality might be sub-standard.

Once you get an understanding of the contaminants floating around your home, then your next step is tackling and replacing the offending sources.

Construction materials, paints, household varnishes, furniture and cleaning products used in homes may contain many toxic substances that can affect health.

They can emit harmful gases and chemicals that have been known to cause respiratory problems, headaches, allergies, vomiting, kidney failure, nerve damage, reproductive problems and memory loss.

Once again there are some great online stores offering you a choice of greener and healthier building supplies and materials, such as:

Buildinggreen.com, Environmental Home Centre and Green Building Store.

Household Products

Swapping households products from your usual brand to an eco-friendly product can help make a difference not only to the environment but also your health.

Did you know that since 1976 more than 80,000 synthetic, human-made chemicals have appeared on the market. A real concern is that the EPA has required safety testing on only 200 of them!

So when choosing household products, look for ones made with natural ingredients and make sure that all the ingredients are disclose on the label.

The list of eco-friendly brands is growing with the ever-increasing demand and are easily available in supermarkets, stores and online.

Whether you are choosing products for housework or natural body care, the difference in costs between your usual brands and eco-friendly products are negligible but the benefits to your health and the planet can be huge.

On the next page we will be looking at Home Energy Efficiency, improvements that will make your home more energy efficient and help reduce those utility bills.