How Clean Is The Air You Are Breathing?  

This is great information. I think there might be mold in our rental home, so I think we need to get that checked out real soon.

the air is not that clean in montreal, many people have asthma because of it. I have chronic bronchitis myself. I wish the companies and car owners would be more responsible for the environment than they are.

I know from hearing reports and other people that the air in Delaware is not very good because of all the chemical plants and factories here in my state. It is the reason why so many people have allergy problems and sinus problems. I wish there was something they could do to make the air better and safer to breath. That is the one thing that I do not like about living here otherwise it is a great place to live.

This is good advice when you have some control. The following is about plants that you can include in whatever environment to help you with your Air Quality. Thanks for letting me share!!

It is suggested that one plant should be allowed for approximately 10 square yards of floor space, assuming average ceiling heights of 8 to 9 feet. This means that you need two or three plants to contribute to good air quality in the average domestic living room of about 20 to 25 square yards.
Research has shown that these 10 plants are the most effective all-around in counteracting offgassed chemicals and contributing to balanced internal humidity.

* Areca palm
* Reed palm
* Dwarf date palm
* Boston fern
* Janet Craig dracaena
* English ivy
* Australian sword fern
* Peace Lily
* Rubber plant
* Weeping fig

Although many plants like light, they do not all have to be placed near windows. Many indoor plants originated in the dense shade of tropical forests and have a high rate of photosynthesis. These are ideal for the home and can be placed in darker corners. When positioning plants, try to strike a balance between light and ventilation because the effect of plants on indoor air pollution appears to be reduced if they are set in a draft.

I can really relate to this discussion. I am living in a very damp cabin at present, and I've had to fight with mold and mildew.
It has grown on the walls behind furniture and on the inside of a wardrobe.
I've used a commercial spray that is supposed to kill it, but it seems to come back in the same places after a few weeks.

Yes it is certainly suprizing to find out what we really are breathing isn't it. My house is old! At least by North American standards. We did a reno awhile back. I have never had carpet just old hard wood floors. Luckily we did not have mold. Spider Plants in your home are good air purifiers. And are simple to grow.

related resource: home air purifiers

Good morning, great discussion, I am very fortunate as I have very little problems with mold and I live in a very rainy area, I didn't think I had allergy's until I went down to the underground parking and went into the carpentry shop(last used in 1990) to find some wood and darn near lost my breath for a week. I could smell mold as I was looking and it became worse the longer i stayed down there. I left and have not gone in there since, The underground parking has lattice cement walls to have circulation but not the carpentry shop. It was awful. my lungs felt as if I was breathing through a wet towel. So I avoid places like that now. So thank you for the information it was very interesting.

Great article. Something everyone should think about. I would also like to add that Tea Tree Oil is great for killing mold. White vinegar and tea tree oil in a spray bottle and spray the moldy areas. May require repeat treatments, but it works.
Also, one may want to look at the cleaning products being used in the home. Many can make asthma symptoms worse. Try to use simple and unscented products/ingredients for cleaning.
Baking soda, white vinegar, borax, natural soaps.

I have heard it said that the air inside our house is worse than the air outside! I don't know how true that is...but the city in which I live is an industrial one and the air gets pretty icky here in the humidity of the summer.

Thank you for such a substantial discussion entry! Here in Washington State mold seems to always be a problem, even when I think I've gotten rid of it. Killing the mold that frequently pops up in my bathroom, especially in my current residence which doesn't have a fan, basically involves chemicals that are just as bad. I would add that for a $10/6 months membership fee you can get 10 free trees delivered, hand picked from your area. Go to www.arborday.org for more information. Check with your municipality as well - in my town there is a great free program where they help you select free trees to plant in your garden, as long as they are along a public street. Also, look for cleaning chemicals from companies such as 7th Generation which are always biodegradable, chlorine and petroleum free, etc.