Creating a Green Home from the Foundation Up

Eco-Friendly Products

Creating a Green Home from the Foundation Up

Article by: Krista Peterson

Although finding safe, eco-friendly cleaning products can be challenging, especially with the wide array of dangerous cleaners on the market, other related risks also threaten the health of homeowners. While choosing an environmentally safe and friendly product remains essential, especially with today’s rise in indoor air pollution, all materials inside a home deserve attention to ensure they are safe.

Frighteningly, in many homes, indoor air quality is actually worse than outdoor. As a result of all the unnatural chemicals and deodorizers irresponsibly allowed into the market, many families literally contribute to their deteriorating health every day. For most of these environmental threats, simply choosing safer alternatives and removing these impurities can correct the problem. Sometimes, though, indoor air purification is initially needed to rid a home’s air of impurities. However, sometimes environmental threats cannot be solved through the introduction of safe products or filtration.

One of the most dangerous of these dangers, which can silently impact homeowners for years, might hide in countless locations throughout a home. Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, was once valued for its ability to insulate and saw heavy usage in homes and buildings throughout the United States. The construction industry, in particular, used asbestos extensively, with the product appearing in vinyl tiles, sheet insulation and several construction cements, in addition to countless other places. Not until the 1970s did the EPA begin to recognize the threat of this material and begin the process of regulating its use. By that time, countless homeowners already were exposed to the material.

Unfortunately, mesothelioma symptoms remain largely hidden, generally appearing 20 to 50 years after exposure. While this material remains safe when undamaged, improper handling of the material allows it to fragment into small particles that can spread throughout a home. Because of its wide use in many home areas and materials, especially in older construction, inadvertent contact with asbestos remains high. Without proper training, spotting this material is nearly impossible.

Furthermore, home owners should never try removing this toxin themselves. Undisturbed pockets of asbestos should always be left in their whole, undamaged state. However, homeowners unaware of the presence of asbestos risk disturbing the material through normal cleaning, such as scrubbing floors or cleaning walls with harsh products. Popcorn ceilings, popular from the 1950s through the 1980s, are among the most well-known sources of asbestos exposure because their location and fragile structure. Mesothelioma symptoms in individuals that lived in homes with these ceilings are seen far more often, as the material requires more frequent cleaning, disturbing the asbestos inside and allowing it to rain down into the home’s air.

While the risks of introducing unsafe chemicals into a home are great, some of the most dangerous toxins are those that can sit in homes for decades. For individuals in older homes, especially if they plan on doing any kind of renovation that might expose these toxins, it remains vital to ensure they understand the chemicals that might be exposed. Professional substance abatement often remains the best option for homeowners that suspect the presence of any toxins. In order to live in a safe, eco-friendly home in comfort, individuals must avoid overly-harsh and toxic cleaning products in combination with ensuring the very walls and floors they clean are not a threat. In addition to using nonabrasive cleaning products, completely safe homes require the replacement of every environmental danger, from the foundation to the furniture.

About the author:

Krista Peterson. Is a recent graduate from the University of Central Florida. I am an aspiring writer with a passion for the health and wellness of our community and our environment. I am doing all I can to live a greener and healthier life and love to help spread awareness of this lifestyle through my writings. In my free time, I enjoy doing yoga and playing with my 3 dogs. I hope to one day building a sustainable home of my dreams!

Brightly Green thanks Krista  for sharing her passion for a healthy lifestyle and writing this incredible article for our benefit!  

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