Air quality is an important component to health. We know high doses of pollution is back, cigarettes are cancerous, but did you know that there are other toxins that degrade the air quality INSIDE your home? In general, we don’t open our windows to air out the house daily. This stale air is actually worse for you than the air outside! But there are 3 easy steps you can take to improve the air quality and reduce toxins.
- Air filtering Plants
- Air purifier with HIBA filter
- Salt Therapy
1. PLANTS
NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) studies air quality all the time to maintain optimum health for the astronauts in sealed spaces. They have shared peer reviewed studies on which plants are better at filtering the air and removing VOCs volatile organic compounds. According to the Centers for Disease control and Prevention, VOCs cause eye, nose and throat irritation, frequent headaches, nausea, and can also damage the liver, kidney and central nervous system. Essentially, you don’t want these inside your home. NASA recommends 10-15 plants in an 1800 sq foot home. The following are the best plants to cleanse the air. They are also easy to maintain and require little attention. Plus, they are gorgeous.
1. Snake Plant or “Mother in Laws Tongue. This plant doesn’t require much sun and only needs water twice a week. They are excellent in removing toxins
2. Rubber Plants. This plant is so powerful that they can filter out formaldehyde particles in a small space. They absorb to many toxins that eating the leaves can be harmful. This plant also requires little sunlight.
3. English Ivy. This ivy is pretty to look at but its stronger than most plants. It can reduce 60% of airborne mold in less than a day!
4. Peace Lily. Peace lily released lots of our oxygen and reduces harmful airborne chemicals like benzene and trichloroethylene. People who tested with moderate amounts of trichloroethylene had frequent migraines and nerve damage.
5. Aloe. Aloe plants also absorb the big dangerous toxins for humans like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde that is released from flame retardants. 1 pot of Aloe is the same as 9 air filters.
2. AIR PURIFIER
Purchasing an air purifier is a powerful way to clean your air. It is especially helpful if you or your kids have allergies. It can filter out almost all allergens from the air as well as smoke, pollen, dust, pet dander, mold spores, odors and VOCs. A truly adequate purifier should have a HEPA filter. It’s almost worthless to purchase one without this powerful filter! There are SO MANY different brands, sizes and colors. I use the Honeywell brand in an upright model. The one below is similar to the one I use. The best practice is to use it weekly for an hour in each room. It also helps to simply open your windows and doors everyday.
3. Salt
Salt lamps are another natural way to clean indoor air. Salt lamps release negative ions and decrease positive ions. Ions are invisible charged particles in the air that have an electric charge. Positive ions from electromagnetic fields generated by all our electronics (computers, mobile phones, etc.) can impair brain function and suppress the immune system. Too many positive ions cause symptoms like anxiety, breathing difficulty, fatigue, headaches, irritability, lack of energy, and migraines. So you want more negative ions surrounding you! This is why a Salt Lamp or “halo therapy” improves air quality. They can neutralize an overdose of your phone addiction. One way to get a big dose of positive ions is to visit a Salt Cave! Google one near you. Check out my recent visit to a Salt Cave.
Practice Purity
xo
