In the last several years, a growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities. Other research indicates that people spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors. Thus, for many people, the risks to health may be greater due to exposure to air pollution indoors than outdoors.

In addition, people who may be exposed to indoor air pollutants for the longest periods of time are often those most susceptible to the effects of indoor air pollution. Such groups include the young, the elderly, and the chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

From the United States Government Indoor Air Quality Web site (which is a fantastic resource).

Indoor air quality is something I’m concerned with and try really hard to work at keeping healthy but has been really challenging for me - especially with my new 1941 home.

I’m not a Martha Stewart cleaner nor do I have a lot of time (or desire) to clean every single day but the challenges that I face with my home (keeping mold at bay, humidity, lack of fresh air, dust, chemicals from paint, rennovations and 70 years of living) have to be dealt with. The question was how do I keep the home clean without adding to the indoor pollution problem, breaking the bank or having to mix my own cleaners.

For me, the book Organic Living has been extraordinarily helpful. I thought I knew how to keep a green home (plants - check. green cleaning products - check) but this book taught me so much more than just the basics of “clean with a green cleaner!” It explained how everything in the home worked and how to maintain it in a way that wasn’t preachy, intimidating or too “natural” if that makes sense (you now, how some green books tell you to chant? Not this one). From the inside out, I’ve been learning how to keep the home clean and healthy in easy, practical ways and I really think I can tell the difference of the indoor air quality.

What has worked for me has been what the book said were “musts” - a rubber broom and a hand held steamer. I was incredibly skeptical about this however, after using both for a couple of weeks, I don’t think I could be without either (I found both from QVC which allowed me to try and return should they not have worked at all). With 1000sf of hardwood floors and a humidity problem thanks to 95F/32C weather ten months of the year, mold is an issue as is dust from having to keep windows closed so often. The broom has kept my floors clean without damage and the steamer has gotten rid of small amounts of mold that had grown around the toilet and the caulking. It’s also helped get rid of baked on dirt that had accumulated over the years in my window sills - something cleaners couldn’t do no matter how hard I scrubbed.

When I discovered there was a huge chigger and flea problem (thanks to an untamed yard and cats that were adoring my drive) my first reaction was to grab a bottle of Raid and kill everything off. My cat, who had never had fleas all of a sudden was scratching so bad she developed bald spots. Flea powder, right? But the book suggested otherwise and thanks to that, I learned great green alternatives on how to fix everything. Although this part took a lot of patience and hard work, it paid off. The yard was taken care of in a way that other vegetation was not destroyed, the neighbourhood cats wouldn’t be harmed by ingesting anything and wouldn’t have to worry about walking through the yard and bringing the chemicals in via shoes. Inside, I sanitised every bit of cloth (thank god for slip covered everything!), washed the floors with the rubber broom and sprayed a natural deterrent on my window screens. Twice a day, I went through my cats coat with a small flea comb removing a few by hand. By repeating the deep cleaning every two weeks, taking care of the outside and in, the problem is gone without sacrificing health.

Another lifesaver for me has been the Dyson Vacuum Cleaner. Dozens of friends recommended it and after seeing reviews on Sears, Eopinion and Amazon, I felt I had to give it a go. I’d been so disapointed with hoovers of the past as they always broke down or made you handle all the dust somehow. I was nervous about spending so much on yet another vacuum (did you know they’re the most often replaced appliance? Averaging a new purchase every four years?) but this one has been fantastic. For someone with a pet, allergies and hardwood floors - it gets everything! And for the men, you will love the transformer style as it goes from floor to ceiling hose. This has been helping to keep dust and bugs at bay because it really sucks up everything and gets into the cracks of the floors and cushion covers.

I’ve never been a fan of bleach so with the recent purchase of a new washer I was happy to discover it had its own hot water tank which allowed me to get dingy whites incredibly bright without using any chemicals whatsoever. When I had a small tea cloth that I didn’t want to throw in, I boiled hot water, put the cloth in and let it simmer for an hour and got the same results. I’ve also never been a fan of dishwashers and this book has so much great information on how they work and, if you choose to use one, how to do it in a way you’re not baking more chemical gunk into your dishes. Nothing is said in a preachy “you’re going to go to hell if you don’t!” way but it just informs, gives you alternatives, and lets you be on your happy green way.

You might be asking how does purchasing these things not break that bank? I believe that by keeping the indoor air quality green, I’m keeping myself healthy which will save me on healthcare (trips to the doctor, hospital, pills etc). Most of these things are also just one time investments; the washer whilst expensive is energy efficient saving money on both water and electric bills. I also don’t have to buy extra products to get things clean. The hoover does so many different things that I don’t need to buy other products and with a 20 year warranty I know I’m not going to replace it in four more years. There is a value to going green and keeping your home healthy.

So, perhaps some organic cleaning takes a bit more elbow grease once in awhile and there might be an initial investment but the effects on your health - and home - are worth it.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had to use coin operated washing and drying machines which meant that often my clothes would go missing or come out not so clean. The old machines would leave smells that weren’t mine and it seemed almost futile to use “free” detergents (free of chemicals and perfume) for my sensitive skin since other people always put in bleach in for their clothes. And, of course, there was always the need for quarters and always being one short.

So when faced with a new home and having to purchase a new washer and dryer, I seized the opportunity to really find a great set that would suit my needs.

My requirements?

- Energy Efficient for both electricity and water
- Front Loading (these are the best for water efficiency)
- Quiet (I live in a small place)
- Relatively inexpensive for what I was asking for.
- Easy to use (I don’t want 15 programmable digits that take me 10 years to figure out)

After reading through Consumer Reports, asking friends and going to several different stores, I decided on the Kenmore HE3T Washer and HE4 Dryer.

What I love about these are the designs (the colours - I got white with a black trim), the fact that they can be stackable (saves room!) and rated really high for energy efficiency (the washer costs about $16/yr to operate). But what sold me was that they have their own water heater, thus allowing for a “sanitary cycle” which gets the water temperature so high, that it kills most bacteria and mites - so you don’t have to use bleach!

This was important to me because I have a pet, I have allergies, I live in an old home and I’m coming from a flat that had dust issues. My stuff was dirty and smelly and I really needed to get stuff clean but I don’t like harsh chemicals. Perfect!

The machine is smart; it can weigh the load and calculate how much time it’ll take. It has several pre-programmed cycles that you can customise yourself but I just press the cycle and start - I’m an easy girl. It has a separate compartment for detergent, bleach and softener and puts them in accordingly. It tells you how much time it’ll take, how much is left and what cycle its on.

And while it’s going? It’s so quiet!! I often questioned if it was on.

It holds a lot; I put in a duvet cover, 2 sets of sheets, 4 pillow cases, four very big couch pillow covers and something else. No problem.

I put in several white slip covered sofa cushions that were not white anymore. I had washed them previously but was unable to get that dark, dingy yellow out. However, after a spin on the sanitary cycle, they came out like brand new - perfectly white and ready for use. That alone sold me as I was thinking I’d have to purchase new slip covers for sure at a cost of about the machine.

The dryer is also quiet, easy to use and huge; holding all the duvets, pillow cases and sheets easily and drying them quickly, too.

For me, it’s a match made in heaven!

One of the goals of owning a home for me is to make it as green and energy efficient as possible; to leave it in better shape than when I bought it. And because it was built in 1941, there’s lots of oppurtunity to make improvements. However, improvements - especially green ones - aren’t always cheap. So with a little bit of googling, I came up with quite a few places that offer rebates, freebies and tax credits for going green.

A few things I’ve found so far:

The U.S. Government also offers several tax breaks including the Home Energy Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit in which “consumers who purchase and install specific products, such as energy-efficient windows, insulation, doors, roofs, and heating and cooling equipment in the home can receive a tax credit of up to $500 beginning in January 2006.”

Energy Star: lots of tips for going green or helping with bills as well as more information (and perhaps easier to read) on tax credits from appliances, to remodelling to cars.

Re-Store: run by Habitat for Humanity, it sells everything from doors to tubs to tile for your home. From left over projects to donations, there’s a mix of brand new and used here at very discounted prices. Recylcing is green! And these stores are nation-wide!

There’s a lot of free things from smoke dectectors to dryers for low to moderate income people in all parts of the US, which is encouraging. It’s showing you don’t have to have lots of money to be green but being green can save you lots of money. And that’s always a great thing.

A great, inexpensive and quick-reading book for this is the self-published 25 EZ Home Improvements to $ave Your Green by B.K. Cross. I have looked at so many books on how to do cheap but necessary home improvements to make my home more energyy efficient and this book has them all in a very easy to read way with ideas that are cheap!

It’s worth $10 and the time to send away for it whether you own your own home or rent.

Brenda K. Cross
107 RR 620 S. #30F
Austin TX 78734
Ph: 512.261.0552
Email: BKC20-20ENT@austin.rr.com