It\u2019s November, which means one of our most important national holidays is nearly upon us: The Crown season three binge-watching. The beauty of properly hunkering inside and watching a show in one sitting is that you only need a few things: Netflix subscription, snacks, and a cozy spot inside. <\/p>\n
But if you had to guess what percentage of your life you spend in the comfort of your home Netflixing, sleeping, cooking, and altogether enjoying life, what would you say? 30 percent? Maybe even 50? Would you believe the amount of time we spend at home is estimated to be closer to 65 percent, according to a recent Harvard study<\/a>? And furthermore, 90 percent of our lives are actually spent indoors in general, in between the office, restaurants, and shops. We\u2019re practically hermit crabs hiding out, but with more elaborately-decorated shells and streaming subscriptions.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s all fine and cozy, except when you stop to consider the air you\u2019re breathing inside your homes. Just because you can\u2019t see it, doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s innocuous\u2014it\u2019s potentially quite the opposite. The World Health Organization (or WHO if you\u2019re feeling collegiate) estimates<\/a> that the air we breathe in our homes can not only be harmful, but downright dangerous. That same Harvard study noted that not only is the concentrations of air pollutants inside our homes often higher than outside air, but it can often be two to five times higher than the air in the great outdoors. The reason these pollutants are particularly high is because of the one-two punch: particles and gases that make their way inside from the outdoors (like carbon emissions from cars) but also from many everyday household items that produce air pollutants. Everyday tasks and items, like cooking, cleaning products, carpeting, paint, and beauty products (hello, hairspray and nail polish) can emit particle matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). <\/p>\n
A handful of companies have spent years upon decades and dollars upon fortunes to develop very complex and effective air purifiers that can thoroughly clean up your air. If you have a bit more of a budget to invest in cleaning up the air quality inside your home, Dyson has just released their brand new air purifier that not only traps air pollutants, but the Dyson Pure Cryptomic<\/a> (starting at $649) takes things one step further and literally destroys formaldehyde, a frighteningly common pollutant in many paints, varnishes, furniture, and cleaning products. \u201cIt not only captures 99.9 percent of ultra-fine particles, and all VOCs, it goes one step further and breaks down formaldehyde, breaking them down into smaller, safer, and harmless molecules,\u201d says Jake Read, Advanced Design Engineer at Dyson. A worthy advancement when you look at the harms formaldehyde can cause: according<\/a> to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the toxin can cause irritation of the eyes, nose, skin, and throat, and in high levels of exposure may even cause some forms of cancers. <\/p>\n
Looking for an effective purifier on a budget? The well-priced Coway Mighty<\/a> was the clear winner in The New York Times\u2019 Wirecutter very thorough tests<\/a>. <\/p>\n
Don\u2019t Light Up: <\/strong><\/p>\n
As in green thumbs, because some plants have been proven to effectively convert harmful chemicals, like formaldehyde and benzene, into oxygen. Way back in 1989, NASA released an extensive plant study<\/a> on air purity in space stations, identifying a handful of plants that reduce indoor air pollutants. One of the hardest working plants is also coincidentally one of the easiest to take care of–the snake plant. The scientists noted that many of the other plants they studied were able to remove one to two toxins in the air, but the humble snake plant successfully purified an impressive four major toxins from the air. Now you\u2019ll have a worthy excuse to spend nearly an entire paycheck at The Sill on some new plant friends. <\/p>\n
In theory, cleaning your home should eliminate toxins, but if you\u2019re using chemically-laced products, you could be doing more harm than good. The EPA says<\/a> that traditional cleaning products can not only contribute to indoor air pollution, but also cause health issues for those using them. They note that choosing a less hazardous product can directly improve not only indoor air quality but also have a positive environmental effect (aka better for Mother Earth in general thanks to biodegradable packaging and less (or none) air and water toxicity). <\/p>\n
Thankfully in 2019, there are a plethora of inventive companies creating non-toxic cleaning products that\u2014get this\u2014actually work as well as their chemical-reliant counterpoints. One worth looking into is Supernatural<\/a>, a brand harnessing the powers of essential oils and their natural antibacterial, antifungal, and antimicrobial properties (including lemon, eucalyptus, and peppermint) to effectively clean every corner of your home. The $75 price tag for a five-bottle kit is pricey, but the glass bottles are meant to last a literal lifetime, and the refills are at a more attainable $40 (or $10 for each single refill). <\/p>\n
I have endlessly searched to find a non-toxic cleaning product that works as well as the chemical options, and I\u2019ve found the Supernatural glass cleaner in particular works almost identically to Windex–and is a heck of a lot prettier packaging when sitting out on the countertop. Blueland<\/a> also works beautifully and comes at a great $12 for a forever-bottle (although I\u2019ve found the bottle frequently leaks for some reason, so I store it sitting atop a dishrag under my kitchen sink). <\/p>\n
A few furniture companies, like Whom<\/a> and Floyd<\/a>, and paint brands, like Clare<\/a> and Backdrop<\/a>, were conceived with transparency, both ethical ingredients and practices, and low-VOCs in mind–reimagining the age-old processes of paint and furniture materials. <\/p>\n
Safety First:<\/strong><\/p>\n
There are also carbon monoxide\/radon monitors you can easily install right beside your fire alarms. I\u2019ve been using the Airthings Wave Plus<\/a> ($199 and up) in my tiny one-bedroom Chinatown apartment for over six months and have found it one of the most effective, user-friendly, and not-hideous options on the market. The app associated with it allows you to not only monitor your radon levels, but it also looks out for a handful of other things, including carbon dioxide, humidity, temperature, and general VOCs. The Dyson purifier monitors a handful of these already, albeit not the vital radon, but I think, \u2018Heck, the more the merrier when it comes to indoor air pollution monitoring.\u2019<\/p>\n