Out There Blog

1. Open a window
The problem: the modern, double-glazed, wall-to-wall carpeted and centrally-heated house can act like a toxic fume chamber.

The solution: ensure good ventilaton throughout your home. It is a free and easy way to reduce indoor pollution levels. Also, according to Feng Shui principles, opening your bedroom windows at least once 20 minutes a day allows fresh chi to come in to bring good fortune into your life. Worth a try!

2. Get an eco cleaner
The problem: chlorine-based, super strength cleaning products 'volatilise' when added to water and are highly toxic.

The solution: use an eco-friendly brand, such as Ecover or Method - and use a bit more elow grease.

3. Paint it green
The problem: paints, stains and other architectural coatings are the largest producers of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the environment after cars.

The solution: use non-petrochemical, low-VOC options to reduce your carbon footprint by up to 30kg (when redecorating an average-sized home). Check the label for low VOCs, and choose non-petrochemical options from suppliers such as Ecopaints, Construction Resources and Arco.

4. Unfit your carpet
The problem: more than 90% of UK homes have fitted carpets compared to 16% in France. An older carpet can hold up to eight times its original weight in other matter and most are treated with a variety of chemicals to make them stain and flame resistant.

The solution: replace your carpet with hardwood or bamboo. If you can't resist carpet, choose one made from natural and tightly woven material for natural flame retardancy, and ensure that the backing is formaldehyde free.

5. Tackle formaldehyde
The problem: associated with 'sick building syndrome', formaldahyde is found in lots of things, from carpet backing to toothpaste.

The solution: get MDF cut at a wood merchants and sealed with a low-VOC sealant. Or use HDF (high-density firbreboard) or birch plywood, which have a lower formaldahyde content, or Maplex, made from sustainably sourced softwood fibres and water.

6. Avoid dry cleaning
The problem: dry cleaning solvent, perchloroethylene (perc), is such a hazardous air pollutant that in 2003 southern Californian air quality officials voted to impose the US's first ban on it.

The solution: remove the plastic wrap and hang clothing outdoors to air before putting back in your wardrobe. Preferably, seek out a service that uses Greenearth dry-cleaning method, which uses a less polluting silicon-based solvent, or one of the new computeriseed 'wet' cleaning machines.

7. Be PVC-free
The problem: polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a major global pollutant as well as a domestic one since dioxin, one of the most toxic chemicals ever synthesized, is a by-product of both its manufacture and disposal. PVC also needs phthalates to make it functional. They are known to leach out of PVC flooring and other plastic products into the air and dust.

The solution: use naturally sourced flooring, such as cork or rubber.

8. Ditch air freshener
The problem: most air fresheners work either by coating the inner nose with an oily film to block the olfactory nerve, or overpowering the bad smell with a synthetic musk.

The solution: open a window, sprinkle some essential oil around or place some baking powder on a dish to neutralise the smell.

9. Tame technology
The problem: most homes are packed with TVs, hi-fis, computers etc, which in turn are packed with toxic synthetic chemicals. These release more gaseous pollutants into the air the longer the appliances are on and the hotter they get.

The solution: turn off when not in use, and buy from manufacturers committed to reducing toxic chemical content. For example, DELL is phasing out brominated flame retardants and PVC by 2009, and Nokia, Samsung and Sony are following suit.

10. Be a good DIYer
The problem: major DIY jobs create piles of waste and bring unsustainable and toxic materials into the home.

The solution: use renewable products. Opt for zero-ozone-depleting and low-VOC materials and avoid PVC, MDF and chemical treatments. Contact the Association for Environment Conscious Building or read Edward Harland's Eco-Renovation: the Ecological Home Improvement Guide.

Chemical Jargon buster