You can design your renovation projects to minimize indoor pollution, in consultation with your contractor and architect. Your local chapter of the American Lung Association has access to data obtained from the various “healthy house” efforts of its chapters around the country.
If your carpeting has been around for a while, it likely contains a variety of volatile organic compounds from adhesives, resins, and preservatives used in its manufacture. The level of such compounds in carpeting is not high, but if they make you dizzy or nauseous, that is a problem.
The carpeting industry has recognized the problem and has reduced the use of formaldehyde in adhesives. Some smaller manufacturers are actually making area rugs of natural seaweed, while others are using nontoxic dyes.
If you are having your floors refinished, you should leave the house while the work is being done, owing to the dust and the odor of varnish. But water-based polyurethane that “off-gasses” quickly can be used to protect refinished floors, making them harmless to chemically sensitive people.
Likewise, modern paints are being formulated with low-volatile organic compounds. Paint odors also can be reduced by mixing baking soda with the paint before you apply it. The baking soda neutralizes the paint odor in the container and on the wall, just as it does with smelly carpets and refrigerators.
Related posts:
- Dealing with Indoor Pollution (1) You can deal with indoor pollution in a few different...
- Mold Problems at Our House (2) Have the joists and studs inspected by a professional, typ-ically...
- Mold Problems at Our House People may inhale and ingest these toxic spores. Fortunately, according...
- Mold Problems at Our House (3) To increase the surface temperature, insulate or increase the circulation...
- Home, Sweet Green Home Erik Braunitzer of Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company, agents for...
air, health, home improvement, house, pollution, renovation, solution, ventilation