Concerned about the health of your indoor air quality? A little green can help.
It is no secret that plants significantly lower stress levels and enhance worker productivity or that they can lower a building’s carbon dioxide levels while increasing oxygen levels. It is also a well known fact that air pollution negatively impacts our health and indoor air quality can be 2-5 times worse than outdoor air. Combine this with the fact that urban residents typically spend more than 90 percent of their time indoors and we begin to understand the depth of our indoor air quality problem.
Luckily there are some very green solutions!
A tangible and aesthetically pleasing way to aid in the reduction of indoor air contaminate levels can be found in the form of indoor plants. Many plants were found in a NASA Clean Air Study to help filter pollutants from the air. Perhaps the most effective were Florist’s Chrysanthemum and Peace Lily, found to help filter benzene and trichloroethylene (found in synthetic fibers, inks, solvents, and paint), formaldehyde (found in rugs, vinyl, cigarette smoke and grocery bags), ammonia (found in smelling salts, household cleaners, and window cleaning products), and xylene and toluene (found in fingernail polish, glues, and paints). Unfortunately, these are only a portion of the pollutants causing air problems in our buildings.
Introducing greenery into your indoor environment is a good start to creating a happier, healthier indoor space, but don’t stop there! Homes and business should be tested and monitored for high radon levels and HVAC filters should be changed and/or regularly cleaned. When chosing cleaning products, flooring materials and paints, be sure to choose items with low volatile organic compound (VOC) levels and never smoke inside. The best, more permanent, way to ensure good indoor air quality is to hire a qualified energy auditor to complete a building performance assessment for your home or business. Assessements should always include health and safety checks as a top priority and provide solutions to high electricity and gas usage. A qualified energy auditor will find areas where outdoor air is entering the building, identify the cause of stale air being trapped inside and test for proper ventilation in kitchens and bathrooms to reduce humidity levels and the probability of mold growth. You have the power and knowledge to reduce contaminants being intentionally brought inside and a qualified energy auditor has the power and knowledge to reduce contaminants infiltrating into the interior of the building.
Schedule your building performance assessement today then get a head start on cleaner indoor air by bringing leafy greens inside! Then sit back and enjoy the comforts of your home or business while the experts take care of the rest.
If you would like more information on how to improve or assess your building’s indoor air quality, please let us know. ([email protected])
