There have been studies done in the past that suggest the air indoors is more polluted than the outside air. This even occurs in highly industrialized cities that are known to create pollutants. There has also been research that says people spend about 90% of their time indoors. Just having a job exposes you to 8 or more hours a day of indoor air pollution. After work you hop into an enclosed vehicle and commute home. Then you walk in the door to get ready and relax for the evening. Soon enough it is time for bed and again you are spending about 8 hours sleeping indoors! So you can easily see how that study has a lot of merit. The problem with all pollution is the interaction and accumulation of various pollutants. That suggests that individual pollutants may be less risky but it is the combination of pollutants that poses the most threat to our health. I have read a study that says the average home contains 62 chemicals! Just think of the combining of chemicals that occur during natural disasters; floods, fire, hurricanes, tornadoes etc. But not all is lost. There are very easy ways to reduce the risk from indoor pollution and prevent future occurrences. Indoor air pollution occurs when gases or particles are released into the air. Now that our houses are closed up for the winter there is no place for the pollution to go. Modern houses seem to have been made somewhat air tight so that there is no "out-gassing" of indoor air. Also certain pollutants have an increase of concentration with high temperatures and humidity. So how warm and humid is your house in the winter? There are many ways for you to have pollution in your house. The first thing that comes to mind this time of year is sources of heat. These could include using gas, oil, kerosene, wood or coal as a heat source. Some of the other sources for indoor pollution are furnishings, certain types of press board products, damp or wet carpet and carpet in general. Then there is what I believe to be the worst of all, household cleaners! Eliminating household cleaners in our house was the easiest thing we could do to reduce the risks from indoor air pollution. By doing so, we have saved a lot of money over the last 5 years. We started using Streak Free Pro microfiber cleaning cloths. The first advantage is that you don't use any chemicals to clean and just requires water to do the job. We don't have to spend as much money on paper towels either. You can find them at StreakFreePro.com. Of course you could do like my Dad and spend several thousand dollars on a system that integrates with the heat and air units. It is a fancy filtration system that cleans the air. Even though I believe winter is the worst time of year for indoor pollution there are steps you can take to reduce the risks. Just check around and identify sources of potential pollution and make adjustments. It is also important to have an exchange of air between indoors and outdoors. Some air exchange is by infiltration such as cracks and spaces in floors, walls, windows and doors. When you open a door to the outside or open a window you are increasing the exchange rate of the air. Another way to have an exchange of air is with fans in certain areas of the house such as the kitchen and bathrooms. 'Tis the season to be more conscientious about how we clean our house and what products we use that may pose a potential health hazard. Our motto is: Wet It-Wring It-Wipe It-Done!!!!
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