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Indoor air quality
Buy low- or no-VOC latex paint
AFM Safecoat paints and primers
All Safecoat paints have very low VOC content. The VOCs that are present are considered to be neither toxic nor hazardous.Benjamin Moore Aura paint
Aura paint is low-VOC (although EcoSpec paint offgases fewer VOCs than Aura). EcoSpec paints have limited colors, whereas Aura offers the full spectrum of Benjamin Moore colors. Aura paint is thicker than standard latex paint, but costs nearly twice as much.Benjamin Moore Eco-Spec
Benjamin Moore, a well-known and favorite paint manufacturer, now provides paint that meets the most stringent national standards. Eco-spec paint is odorless and does not harm the environment.HealthyHomes Baby HealthyHues
Ideal for baby rooms. Low odor when wet and odorless when dry. It also does not contain any toxic chemicals or harmful solvents that are usually found in regular household paints.Olympic paint and stain
Olympic carries a range of zero-VOC formula paints that are odor-free. With the Green Seal stamp of approval, you're sure to be getting a thoroughly tested product.Sherwin-Williams Harmony Interior Latex
This low odor, no-VOC formula can be applied in occupied rooms without causing a disruption. It comes in Eg-Shel, Flat, and Semi-Gloss finishes and can even be used in baby's room.YOLO Colorhouse
With both interior and exterior Green Seal Certified paint and locations in both Canada and the US, this environmentally friendly paint company supports local communities and promotes environmental and social values.
Choose an eco-friendly air freshener
Lavender Green
Enjoy the delicate scent of lavender in many different forms, including organic essential oil, lavender, and citrus potpourri, with this aromatherapy kit. Place the lamp ring diffuser over a light bulb and add a few drops of lavender essential oil to fill the room with a subtle lavender fragrance.Mia Rose Natural Household Products
Founded in 1981, this company's focus is "real citrus natural air purification." Mia Rose uses 100 percent pesticide-free essential oils. The orange and lime fragrances contain fresh zest and essential oils. Spruce is made from essential oils, fresh needles, and small twigs. Vanilla uses vanilla pods and essential oil.The Scented Room
Specializing in products made with 100 percent organic French lavendar, you'll find sachet, spritzer and potpourri made from a blend of 18 organic flowers scented with lavender and tangerine essential oils.
Choose eco-friendly candles
Archipelago Botanicals Sugar Soy Candles
These sugary and sensual candles from Archipelago Botanicals contain more than 50 percent natural soy wax and use lead-free wicks. They have a 60-hour burn time and are available in White Sugar & Mango and Brown Sugar & Vanilla.Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle
Aveda's Shampure Soy Wax Candle contains 25 pure plant and flower essences (many of them certified organic) packed into a 95 percent recycled glass container. The candle offers 50 hours of clean burn time.Beanpod Candles
Beanpod produces 100 percent soy wax candles in various shapes—votives, jars, tealights, etc.—and scents—everything from Red Current to Green Tea to White Poinsettia.Big Dipper Wax Works Beeswax Birthday Candles
This 12-pack contains tiny, hand-crafted tapers made of 100 percent natural beeswax. Perfect for birthday cakes, these petite burners are available in natural or multi-color packs with three each of Red, Pumpkin, Moss, and Eggplant.Candle Solutions Soy Birthday Candle
This novelty numbered soy candle will help you mark the passage of time. It tracks your child’s birthday milestones (up to 21 years), burning clean every time. Available in blue, pink, yellow, and white.EcoLight Candles
Super-fragrant EcoLight Candles are crafted from 100 percent natural soy wax and feature unbleached cotton wicks and recyclable containers. Choose from a wide array of scents both soothing and stimulating like Gardenia, Mandarian Lime, and Vanilla Velvet.Keona Candles GreenLites Pillar Candle
Made with natural palm wax, this pillar comes in a variety of colors and scents, including Autumn Orange, Evergreen, and Mulberry. It measures 3 inches wide, providing a warm green glow for any occasion.Nature's Finest Candles Palm Creations
Looking for paraffin-free candles in a wide variety of heady scents? Turn to Palm Creations by Nature's Finest Candles where long-burning, environmentally responsible candles made from palm oil are in ready supply.Nohm Candles
Nohm Candles are lovingly handmade from GMO- and pesticide-free soy and use lead-free wicks. Available in five intriguing scents, the candles come in tins without extraneous packaging.Pacifica soy candles
Give your home an exotic eco-edge with Pacifica's line of handmade soy candles. All—there are many scents to pick and choose from ranging from Tuscan Blood Orange to Indian Chai—are made a clean burning soy wax blend and essential oils and essences.Paddywax Eco Collection
Paddywax produces a line of soy wax candles packaged in biodegradable paper pulp boxes complete with hemp twine and recycled, FSC-certified wrapping paper. Choose from a variety of scents including Cucumber & Mint, Fresh Grass, and many more.Pharmacopia Organic Soy Candles
Natural body care line Pharmacopia offers candles made from 100 percent organic soy wax and essential oils that are up to standard for use in aromatherapy. Packaged in reusable glass containers, the candles are available in Citrus, Rosemary, Lavender, or Ginger.Soulshine Beeswax Candles
Soulshine makes a wide array of all-natural hand dipped and poured beeswax candles free of synthetic colors and fragrances. Pick and choose from long-lasting pillars, votives, tapers, tealights, and a range of novelty candles.Way Out Wax Vermont Soy Candles
These agents of aromatherapy are made with 100 percent soy wax and essential oils and use hemp or unbleached cotton wicks. Choose from seven different scents including Forest, Indian Summer, and Lavender Sky. Available in two sizes, the candles are encased in tins convenient for both home and travel.
Use nontoxic, natural bug sprays
Badger Balm Anti-Bug Balm
Bearing both the USDA Organic Seal and Leaping Bunny certification, Badger Balm is a GY top pick. Made from citronella, cedar, lemongrass, rosemary, geranium, and extra virgin olive oil, Anti-Bug Balm is not only effective, but smells good and moisturizes dry skin.Bite Blocker Insect Repellent Herbal Wipes
Bite Blocker, makers of a variety of natural insect repellents for adults, children, and pets, offer these unique insect repellent wipes, designed especially for applying insect repellent to children without getting product in their eyes or mouths. The towelettes are made of soybean and coconut oil, glycerin, geranium oil, sodium bicarbonate, and vanillin.Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent
This Leaping Bunny-certified, DEET-free insect repellent uses rosemary, lemongrass, and citronella oils to repel bugs.California Baby Natural Bug Blend Bug Repellent Spray
This DEET-free formula repels fleas, mosquitoes, ticks and biting flies with a blend of citronella, lemongrass, and cedar. California Baby's essential oils are guaranteed pesticide free and sustainably grown.Jason Quit Bugging Me Insect Repellent
Jason's natural insect repellent uses geranium, soybean, and coconut oils to keep biting bugs away while moisturizing and softening the skin.Kiss My Face Swy Flotter
Swy Flotter is Leaping Bunny-certified, DEET-free, and made of natural oils, such as soybean, citronella, bay) leaf, cedar bark Oil, lavender, juniper, and tea tree.Nature's Herbal Mosquito & Insect Shield with Catnip Oil
This unique DEET-free formula uses catnip oil to repel mosquitoes, black flies, horse flies, and other pests. The formula is long-lasting, water repellent, and comes in a non-aerosol spray.Skeeter Skatter
This citrus scented spray uses citronella, eucalyptus, lavender, catnip, and pennyroyal oils to safely repel insects.
Choose low-toxin furniture
A Happy Planet
The fine folks at Happy Planet carry organic cotton sheets, pillows, mattresses, and bedframes, as well as total bookcases, dressers, and cribs. They're made from sustainably-harvested wood and nontoxic finishes.Eco-Terric Betula Sofa
Made with pure latex and premium organic wool, this couch would be a great addition to any living room. Made by Cisco Brothers as part of its Inside Green line of furniture.Furnature Wentworth organic chair
This company specializes in organic textiles in its furniture and mattresses. This chair comes either upholstered or slip-covered and is finished using no-VOC wood finishes.Lifekind Low-VOC couch
This futon couch comes in three low-VOC colors: cinnamon, clear, or dark oak. It’s made in the US from sustainable grown ash, certified organic cotton, natural rubber foam, and all finishes are formaldehyde-free.Vivavi Furniture
New York-based retailer that offers a wide range of eco-friendly, high-design products for the home and workspace. Their pieces are generally made with FSC-certified woods and nontoxic finishes.
Buy certified carpets and rugs
Carpet and Rug Institute
A search engine to find Green Label and Green Label Plus carpets and pads that meet standards for low indoor air pollutants.Green California Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
A list of carpets certified to the California Platinum and Gold Standards that meet California’s Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) requirements.Rugmark Foundation Certification
Rugmark is concerned with child-labor abuses in the imported rug industry and randomly inspects the looms of companies that agree to employ only adults. The Rugmark label is sewn into each certified rug.SCS Sustainable Choice Certified Carpet Products
A list of “SCS Sustainable Choice,” “California Gold” and "California Platinum" certified products that meet six certification criteria.
Choose plants that purify the indoor air
Accents For Home and Garden
Mail order division of Pepper's GreenhouseGurney's Seed & Nursery Co.
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. provides a number of house and patio plants.How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office by B.C. Wolverton (Penguin Paperbacks)
A book that gives more options for purifying houseplants and other ideas.
Install carpet with low-VOC adhesives
Roberts Consolidated Industries Fast Grab Premium Carpet Adhesive
A solvent-free, low-VOC latex adhesive that cures quickly. Use this product to install carpets that are latex foam-backed, needle-punched, jute, urethane foam-backed, latex unitary, woven, hot-melt and polypropylene secondary backed carpets. Suitable for for residential or heavy traffic commercial areas. Green Label Plus certified.Taylor Adhesives Pressure Sensitive Adhesive 2027
This acrylic co-polymer adhesive is made to install vinyl-back carpet tiles, solid vinyl tiles and cushion-to-substrate in double stick installations. This product can be used for releasable or permanent installations. GREENGUARD certified.
Buy an air filter
Bionaire Galileo® True HEPA Air Purifier for Very Large Rooms
With a wireless particle sensor that operates and measures air quality, this filter for rooms up to 418 square feet is great for most larger spaces. It’s got a programmable built-in timer with clock and alarm functions, and is certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.EnviroCheck Indoor Air Quality Test Kit
Use this simple air quality test to check for abnormal levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, mold, bacteria, yeast, and fungus using a combination of petri dishes and tube tests. You’ll feel like a real lab tech!Hunter Fan Company QuietFlo Air Filter
An ENERGY STAR filter, this one comes with digital controls and a super quiet three-speed fan that can change the air in a 14-foot by 16-foot room six times per hour.Viledon Industrial/HVAC filters
Check out Viledon's large selection of filters suitable for commercial HVAC systems and more. And because they’re certified by GreenGuard, you can be sure they’re also environmentally friendly.
Comments
10:49am
Anyone know whether there are kits you can buy to test indoor air quality ?
9:15pm
om, I found a few indoor air quality test kits online: some are for homes, some for offices, some you send to a lab, some you evaluate yourself. Check out http://www.greennest.com/index.php?cPath=70, http://www.pureaircontrols.com/ieqform.html, and http://www.wolfsense.com/ to get started. There are also companies, like http://www.rx4cleanairllc.com/mainpage.html, that you can hire to monitor the air for you. I've not tried any of these yet. Any users have any first hand recommendations?