Indoor Air - October's Sustainable Living Tip

As you tighten up your home for winter, it's all the more important to protect indoor air quality by choosing heaters, paints, finishes and cleaning products that don't emit noxious fumes.

Indoor Air Quality Facts

1. According to the EPA, indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air even in the largest and most industrialized cities.
2. Most people spend 90% of their time indoors.
   
3. While pollutant levels from individual sources may not pose a significant health risk by themselves, most homes have more than one source that contributes to indoor air pollution.
4. Appliances that burn oil, gas or wood create potentially deadly air pollutants such as carbon monoxide; vents must take that pollution outside where it will be diluted.
5. Solar and electric space heaters are clean ways to heat your home that do not contribute to indoor air pollution.
   
6. Some types of paint, finishes, furniture, carpet, and cleaning products continuously emit pollutants.
7. When painting, you can avoid dangerous fumes by choosing "zero-VOC" water-based acrylic paint or milk paint.
   
8. You can improve indoor air quality by choosing resilient flooring such as Marmoleum natural linoleum instead of carpeting. Carpeting harbors dust mites and other sources of pollution.
   
9. Mold grows in moist areas, particularly on surfaces where condensation forms.
10. Install exhaust fans in kitchens and bathrooms to remove warm, moist air that can lead to condensation and mold.
11. Another way to prevent mold is to insulate well and prevent warm air from flowing over cold surfaces. Spray foams and dense pack cellulose are effective insulation materials that also prevent air flow.
12. Petroleum-based fragrances and air fresheners found in conventional cleaning products can negatively affect indoor air quality.
13. Certain types of insecticides and moth balls contain extremely toxic chemicals that can contaminate indoor air. Use safer alternatives, such as boric acid traps for ants, glass traps for fruit flies, and pheromone traps for moths.
    
14. According to the EPA, eliminating the sources of indoor air pollution is the most effective long-term strategy for improving indoor air quality in most homes.
15. Ventilating a home, bringing in fresh outdoor air and exhausting stale indoor air, is also important. In a typical home, exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens vented directly to the outdoors provide sufficient ventilation. But in extremely tight construction in Maine's climate, a special-purpose heat recovery ventilator, which exchanges indoor and outdoor air without losing heat, may be necessary.
16. An air cleaner may help individuals with allergies or particular sensitivities to indoor air problems that cannot be removed (such as built-in cabinets or carpets in rental units). Research is underway examining the effectiveness of houseplants and other non-conventional means of improving indoor air quality.