Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality and Protect Your Family’s Health – Wood Furniture

Part three of a four-part series

Select solid wood furniture that is made with sustainable materials and little or no toxic finishes. Bookcases, desks, dressers and other wood furniture may appear to look like solid wood but is often made from particleboard, plywood or medium-density fiber boards (MDF) all of these materials outgas formaldehyde. According to the EPA this colorless strange-smelling gas can cause eye, nose and throat irritations, and coughing, fatigue, skin rashes, and allergic reactions. It also has been revealed to cause cancer in animals and is classified as a human carcinogen by the World Health Organization.

Buy the best and buy sustainable furniture with little or no toxic finishes. Buy furniture that is made to last and doesn’t need to be replaced with in a few years. Solid wood furniture is usually more expensive than pressed wood because it is made of higher-quality materials. When considering purchasing a new piece, check carefully to make sure it is actually solid wood. Wood elements should be FSC certified from well-managed forests. Many manufactures save on production by constructing the front from solid wood and the back, side, shelves and drawer bottoms from particleboard or plywood. Also, consider the finish on solid wood furniture. Look for furniture with low-VOC water-based or waxed finishes. If your furniture has a standard finish, air it out before bringing it inside and be sure to ventilate the room.

Antiques and secondhand furniture are excellent options for healthy and sustainable wood furniture.

In the past, furniture was usually made from solid wood. Purchasing secondhand furniture made with pressed wood products is safer than buying new because formaldehyde offgasing decreases as a furniture piece ages.

Next in our series – Upholstered Furniture

 

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May’s Topic: Eco-Friendly Lighting

Creating Healthy Atmospheres 2012
Like Us On Facebook to- Elevate Your Sustainable Lifestyle

LynnWhy is eco-friendly lighting important to elevate your sustainable lifestyle?
Eco-friendly lighting is extremely important because in the United States we are still using century old incandescent bulbs that have a big impact on the planet. Lighting for both residential and business purposes accounts for 22 per cent of the total energy drawn from the grid every year. It doesn’t sound like much but it is. This is enough energy to keep 100 large coal power plants operational every year just for lighting. These power plants burn their fuel and emit enormous quantities of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants in the atmosphere. Eco-friendly lighting will elevate your sustainable life style by reducing your electric bill and eliminating the need to keep boxes of replacement bulbs around. Compact fluorescent (CFL’s) last 10 years longer and LEDs last 20 years longer than traditional incandescent bulbs.

LuxaloMeet our Social Partner this Month: Luxalo – Alcove Brands, LLC
Luxalo (luhx-ahlo) is Latin for “light” (lux), and “to sustain” (alo).  We’re passionate about lighting, in part because of its place at the intersection of design and function. We also have a passion for sustainability, and minimizing the impact that lighting has on the planet.  Hence, Luxalo was born. Our mission is to provide an exclusively eco-friendly and energy efficient lighting selection for consumers, while also providing information on how our fixtures deliver more than just beauty and light.
Luxalo is part of Alcove Brands, LLC. With a focus on eco-friendly goods, Alcove Brands, LLC is an online retailer developing brands in rapidly-growing, specialty categories.

 

Creating Healthy Atmospheres

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Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality and Protect Your Family’s Health – Walls

Part two of a four-part series

Wall finishes can totally change the appearance of a room or a complete home. Finishes protect walls from the elements, from daily wear and they play an important role in regulating indoor temperatures and humidity.

Interior walls and ceilings are the largest surface areas in a home. This is the area where you can make a design statement using paint, paneling, plaster, stone, tile, or wallpaper. If you don’t use green materials that are healthy for you and the people inhabiting your home then you are creating a potential health hazard.

Paint. Paint is the least expensive product and has the least expensive application process for interior walls. When it comes to considering indoor air quality, paint is a major cause of poor indoor air quality.

If you do not use a no or low-VOC paint, you are subjecting the inhabitants of your home to volatile organic compounds, meaning the offgasing of new paint. VOCs contain carcinogens that can cause headaches, dizziness, loss of muscle control, irregular heartbeats, and even kidney damage.

Today numerous companies offer thousands of colors in formulas that contain no VOCs. Nevertheless, no VOC does not mean the paint is 100% nontoxic. Use water-based acrylics because they are less toxic, very durable and reasonably priced. Check online with Greenseal or Greenguard to determine how green your product is.

Tile. Use recycled tiles in glass, ceramic, and porcelain made from recycled glass and pre-consumer industrial waste. Recycled tiles are now being manufactured in a variety of sizes, colors, and textures. Always make sure the adhesives and backings used are nontoxic.

Plaster. Earth-based plasters are the healthiest wall finish. Natural clay plaster allows a wall to absorb and release moisture as needed. This amazing self-adjustment in humidity levels of a room helps to ensure that the space is comfortable for its inhabitants and unlikely to develop mold. Plaster walls can be applied in a wide variety of colors, textures, and finishes. Earth-based plasters are easily repaired when damaged.

Wallcovering. Even though the marketplace still has chemical-laden vinyl available, more companies today are offering environmentally responsible options. You can now find patterns printed with water-based inks, recycled or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper, natural wall coverings made of rapidly renewable materials such as grasscloth and bamboo, and vintage papers produced before vinyl became so popular. Stay away from PVC coated products as they contain chemical additives that have been linked to a numerous health problems.

Next in our series – Wood Furniture

 

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Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality and Protect Your Family’s Health – Flooring

Part one of a four-part series

One of the best ways to improve your home’s indoor air quality is to remove all toxic sources. Toxic chemicals are in everything from bedding, furniture, floor coverings, window treatments and more.

The Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) warns that numerous building materials, household products and furnishings emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air at room temperature. Breathing these pollutants is known to be linked to many health problems from burning eyes, noses, and throats to headaches, fatigue, reproductive disorders, respiratory illnesses, heart disease, cancer and other serious conditions. To improve your indoor air quality and protect your family’s health select products that release the least amount chemicals.

Conventional wall-to-wall carpets are made from synthetic petroleum based fibers that emits countless hazardous chemicals including pesticides, neurotoxic solvents and carcinogens. These toxic chemicals are also found in the padding, adhesives and outgas for many years. Carpets trap dust, mold and environmental toxins tracked-in from outside. Carpet cleaners contain harmful substances such as antibacterial agents and brighteners.

Remove all existing wall-to-wall carpets and replace with FSC-certified wood or reclaimed hardwood, recycled-content ceramic tile, natural linoleum, sustainably harvested cork or stained concrete flooring. During carpet removal process, isolate the area from the rest of your home and be sure to wear protecting gear.

Replace existing flooring with Greenguard-certified products. Select low or no-VOC factory finished flooring, which will eliminate the need to finish the flooring inside your home. If using unfinished flooring, use water-based stains and sealants and ventilate the work area. Use exterior grade plywood instead of interior grade because it is aired out and sealed. Exterior-grade plywood contains formaldehyde but emits less than interior-grade.

Use organic cotton or wool area rugs to add softness to select areas. Carpet tiles are another option for area rugs. They can be easily cleaned and replaced tile by tile. Should you prefer wall-to-wall carpet, use low-emitting carpet and padding certified by the Carpet and Rug institute (CRI) Green Label Program. Organic wool carpet is another option. It is not treated with mothproofing pesticides, and is naturally flame, mold and stain resistant. Organic wool carpet is pricey but can last up to 50 years. Install new wall-to-carpet using the perimeter tacking system only.

Next in our series – Walls

 

 

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How To Know If A Fabric is Organic

Since the demand for organic and eco-friendly textiles has doubled in the last several years, the textile trade is rapidly expanding its earth-friendly options.

In order to meet consumer demands popular retailers such as Bed, Bath and Beyond, Ralph Lauren Home, and Target have added organic textiles to their lines. These sources of power have in turn helped increase attention, awareness and distribution of these products to the marketplace.

Clever marketing and greenwashing can often confuse the consumer. So how are you to know what to look for?

Try these steps – Do your own research to learn about the different fibers available. Next, be able to recognize that there are many degrees of eco-friendly fabrics. Be familiar with labels and organizations like GOTS, Greenguard, and OEKO-TEX. Lastly, you will need to know the right questions to ask so you can make the best choice.

Questions to ask:

  1. Is the fabric and manufacturing process free of harmful chemicals? Many chemicals can be used during the manufacturing process, leaving residual amounts in the fabrics that can seep into the water supply, pollute the air, and even be absorbed by our skin. For example, formaldehyde is often used in conventional manufacturing to prevent shrinking. The fabric may be certified organic but was it finished with chemical dyes, stain-repellents or flame-retardant coatings? A treatment such as Nano-Tex is an environmentally friendly permanent stain repellent finish which makes fabrics easy to clean and endure years of use.
  2. Is the fabric from a renewable resource?
  3. If it’s a synthetic fiber, is it 100 % recyclable and made from recycled content materials?
  4. How long will the fabric be useable before is needs to be replaced? Long-lasting fabrics are more environmentally friendly.
  5. Is the fabric biodegradable or will it become part of the waste stream one day?
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Ceramic Tiles That Create Healthy Atmospheres

 

These beautiful ceramic tiles incorporate HYDROTECT technology which is designed to purify the air. HYDROTECT technology has been refined over the past 10 years by DSA a German ceramic tile manufacture and is now rated 100% efficient and guaranteed for life. German environmental protection laws and regulations rank among the strictest in the world and are stringently enforced.

HYDROTECT tiles need only light and air to function. They improve indoor air quality. They do not emit any VOC’s or harmful substances even in the case of fire. They clean the air and neutralize odors such as smoke and vegetable oil. They are anti-microbial which means that can destroy mold, fungus and bacteria. HYDROTECT tiles are harmless to humans and animals.

HYDROTECT tiles are low maintenance and are easily cleaned with only water and PH cleaners (no harsh chemicals). The tiles are durable because the  HYDROTECT technolgy is permanently bonded to the tile making it self-sustaining with no loss of performance or need to reapply.

Recycling and Closed Cycle Systems play an important role in the manufacturing process. Pre-Consumer Recycling consists of clay and other raw materials that are systematically collected and recycled into the production of the finished tile product. 100% of the manufacture’s industrial water is recycled with 90% of the total production quantity recycled in house. The remaining 10% comes from a treatment plant entirely owned and maintained by the manufacture.  

HYDROTECT tiles can be used outdoors as well as indoor for commercial, hospitality, medical, residential and a variety of projects.  They can be used  towards accumulating  points for LEED building projects.  http://www.sophisticatedtileny.com

 

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Vote Lynn Hoffman Design for JDR Industry Award!

As you may already know, our blog has been nominated for the 2012 JDR Industry Blogger Awards in the “green” category! There are only 1.5 weeks of voting left.  It has been a very challenging race for us and we haven’t given up yet. We invite you to vote for us. If we win, the funds will go towards providing better content through web resource development and equipment. Voting will close on April 13th, so vote for Lynn Hoffman Design in the Best Blogger: Green category today. www.http://www.jacksondesignandremodeling.com/blogger-awards

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Half Bath, Powder Room Or Water Closet?

Whatever you want to call this room with a toilet and sink it dates back thousands of years. In the past, toilets and tubs were often kept separate with bathing and excretion being separated for hygienic and aesthetic reasons. Toilets were often kept in small rooms known as closets to provide people with privacy. Architects eventually began combining all the devices which required plumbing in a single room.

By nature powder rooms are small. This is one of the rooms where people have learned to be inventive, different, edgy, punchy, and quirky. A powder room is a place to use materials that may be too active a pattern to be used in open and often used spaces. A powder room can be the perfect place to use a touch of luxury by experimenting with materials that are too pricey to use on a larger area. This can be the part of the house in which to place a fixture whose entertaining design and interesting shape would be just perfect. Don’t forget – think green in the design process and installation!

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3 Beautiful Green Luxury Homes Products

Last Thursday I attended the Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York City which exhibited about 400 high-end and luxury products from a variety of categories, including appliances, architectural lighting, flooring, plumbing, and many other home products. The show was geared towards architects, interior designs, contractors, and consumers. The following three products really impressed me for their beauty, clean design and quality.

Haiku Ceiling Fan.  It was designed for its minimalist beauty, efficiency, and performance. Because of its new Sensorless Drive it delivers an 80% improvement in energy efficiency over conventional fans. It is confirmed as the most efficient among ENERGY STAR ceiling fans. It has won the international LiveEDGE award for excellences in electronic design for the global environment.  http://www.haikufan.com/

 InduaParquet. Wall Exotics is a new product manufactured by InduaParquet a Brazilian hardwood floor company. The wood wall tiles are made from 100% recycled exotic hardwood end pieces such as Brazilian Oak, Brazilian Pecan, Ebony Angelim, and Tauri. http://www.indusparquet-usa.com/  

 

SeaOtter WoodWorks. This wonderful Alaskan-based company fabricates traditional Japanese Ofuros bathtubs from cedar. They are world renowned for their simple clean lines, extra deep design, and aromatic Hinoki wood construction. http://woodentubs.com/

 

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Vote Lynn Hoffman Design for JDR Industry Awards!

“As you may know we have been nominated as Best Green Blogger in the 2012 JDR Industry Blogger Awards! Voting is presently open and will close April 13, 2012. It’s a very challenging race for us.  Vote for us here today!” http://www.jacksondesignandremodeling.com/blogger-awards today!”

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