houseplants that remove toxins

I just found this post and wanted to share as well as to remember these for future reference...

Placing a phalaenopsis orchid removes toxic xylene from the air which comes from the electrical equipment around you including TVs and computer monitors. UK based Style Wll Save Us (SWSU) has a great book review out on this topic called Eco-friendly Houseplants - 50 Indoor Plants That Purify the Air in Houses and Offices.

I discovered the peace lily absorbs alcohol, acetone, trichloroethylene, benzene and formaldehyde. The lilies are also known to help reduce allergies. No wonder I’ve seen them as ‘get well soon’ arrangements in hospital gift shops. Indoor gardening brings oxygen, beauty, and joy and removes toxic icky particles from the air.

So where do these problems in the air start? Well, trichloroethylene is released in printers. Formaldehyde is traced back to gas cookers, upholstery, wood stains, curtains, floor coverings, varnishes and ceiling tiles. Acetone is in many cosmetics. Benzene is common in carpets, paints, varnishes, adhesives and wallcoverings and alcohol is present in perfumes and mouth wash. The houseplants reviewed purify the air better than any expensive air purifier by absorbing the bad air and sending out oxygen to heal and invigorate.

I was eager to test this fact so I went to look at Trader Joes and found a Dendrobium Orchid which removes alcohol, acetone and formaldehyde from the environment. SWSU mentioned it is an ideal bedroom plant as it’s one of the few plants that works in reverse by releasing oxygen at night whilst absorbing carbon dioxide. I placed it by our bedside and told my partner of the healing effects it has as we rest, and in the morning we actually did feel more refreshed than usual, and it was six a.m!

No matter where you live you can bring houseplants to clear the space for you and your loved ones. Give it a try, it’s natural!

from http://feelgoodstyle.com/2008/04/16/healing-houseplants/

home sweet home

i got to play with my new circle this week and wanted to do a quick update and do resource list so everyone can take advantage of what happened in group :D

we played with some questions:
*how do you currently use your home? would you like to change this in any way?
*use descriptive words to describe your home? are there any negatives in the list? if so is there a simple action you could take to transform that.
*if your home could tell a story about it's life what would it be?
*do you feel safe in your home? why or why not? is there any action you could take that would make you feel safer?
*imagine your favorite room in your home? feel how the energy is different here? is there anyway to take this energy through your entire home and would you want to?
*have you thought about ways to make your home more sustainable? what is one or more of the blocks keeping you from doing these actions? would a group or resources help?

we did a journey
start in your favorite room of your home. connect with the energy here. slowly imagine this room filling with golden light. when all the space of this room is filled with golden light walk around the rest of your home filling every nook and cranny with golden light. notice if there are any areas that are harder to do. do not judge just notice. when your entire home is filled with light extend this out into the surrounding area, take it only as far as you'd like one home over or several miles. now extend this energy up towards the sky and connect to divine energy allowing this to enter your home and continuously recharge and protect it. finally extend the energy down into the earth. noticing the condition of the earth surrounding your home and filling it with golden light, notice if there are any areas that need extra attention. gently work to connect heaven and earth with your home in the center of this divine golden light.

we did another journey
take 5 minutes to dream the big dream of your perfect home. explore color, texture, sound, plants, furniture, space, features and more. allow yourself to get carried away with all of the impossible and impractical things. get in touch with the small child that lives inside you and allow then to have a say in plotting your dream home.

now take another 5 minutes and write down and or draw all of these ideas.

are there any ways in which you can incorporate your dreams into your physical space? maybe a picture or a plant or a bit of cloth. ideally we want to begin to live each day and be reminded by the things that delight us and this will begin to change our reality so we can create and finance the bigger dreams.

for protection
this is a spell that works to protect your home from negative events and people, you can use this in a free standing house or in a condo/apartment.

in a jar with a screw on lid collect
dirt from the surrounding area, this anchors your home
something shiny, this attracts light
rusty bent nail, this repels negativity
assorted herbs of your choice, depending on the herbs these are for blessing, purifying or other qualities of your desire
new penny or coin, for abundance

bury all the above in the jar on your property. if you live in a condo or apartment bury the jar in a potted plant

resources:
one of the women in our group suggested this website as a tool to help you become more sustainable in your home. you can also register to be a Good Neighbor and let others know you care about the environment.

Tips for a Healthier Home

Since it's Breast Cancer awareness month I thought I'd share some healthful tips to reduce your exposure to toxins. These tips are modified from ones that printed in Body and Soul magazine.

1) Inspect all products you put on your skin. Shampoo, lotion, cleaners, dish soap, bath, cosmetics, etc. Your skin is your most absorbent organ, everything you put on it goes through it. Check labels and reduce your exposure to petrochemicals, talc, and other harmful poisons. Here's a list of companies that have gone toxin free.

2)Assess your clothing. Where does it come from? What is it made of? What is it dyed with? Choose to educate yourself on where clothing is made and the fabric that are best for the earth. Yes you may spend a bit more for organic clothes, however you will save a ton on the impact of the earth. Reduce your carbon foot print even further by buying used clothing at thrift stores, vintage shops and consignment spaces. Better yet host a party with all your friends and trade.

3)Food. READ INGREDIENTS. I know it's a chore but sneaky marketing laws allow nasty stuff to get through the organic label. Buy things with ingredients you can pronounce and save a bundle by visiting local farmer's markets for fresh produce, herbs, cheese, breads, and flowers.

4) Assess you home. The big surfaces in your home affect air quality the most. Consider using hardwood, ceramic or stone flooring instead of chemically derived carpet. If painting consider paints low in VOCs (volatile organic compounds) better yet try a natural plaster finish tinted with earth based dye.

5) Sleep. Since you spend roughly a third of your life here "green" this area first. Invest in a mattress of latex foam, cotton, or wool batting. Replace synthetic pillows with wool or cotton, and look for unbleached untreated linens. I can attest since we bought out organic bed a year ago I sleep much better. We bought ours at Soaring Heart and the best thing the latex mattress will last minimum 20 years and we can replace the cotton futon (get it re stuffed every 3-5 years) for cheap!

6) Car. make sure you aren't leaching car fumes into your home. Obviously if you need a car it'd be best to have an electric on, if you can't afford that buy one that's less hard on the environment. If you own a car, participate in bike to work, riding the bus or walking anytime it's possible. If you work from home consider why you need a car and play with the idea of finding a flex car. There are 298 flex cars in Seattle, 11 in west Seattle, 4 within walking distance to my house. My goal by the end of 2008 is to get rid of one or both of our cars. It's a waste of money, time and frustration. Always keep a window cracked in the car as the inside of a car is the most toxic place you come in contact with on a daily basis.

7) Keep informed. My favorite sites are Tree Hugger, GreenOptions
and this amazing woman has committed to 365 days of finding solutions to live a greener life...

8) Evaluate how you cook and store food. Plastic is handy but evil... limit your usage. Non-stick pans kill birds and small dogs with their toxic fumes, should you be eating out of that? (I still use mine too) When you buy new things take these thins into consideration, store foods in glass and cook in stainless steel.

9)Dump the "magic" cleaning products. If you have to call the poison control center after ingesting it you shouldn't expose it to your skin or lungs or eyes. I used Method products, my friend uses Seventh Generation. both you could ingest and only end up with a tummy ache, yet they kill germs, clean well, and smell amazing.

10)Look to your pets, garden and outdoor spaces. Do you use pesticides, herbicides, weed block, super lawn enhancers, etc. Do you then let your pet and/or child and/or self go out in that? Once again skin is the most absorbent organ and you/your pet/your child is taking it all in. Not to mention it's running off in the rain and creating havoc in local water systems and killing fish/birds/good bugs. Try natural alternatives, companion planting and build a bird house for day bugs and a bat house for night bugs. Look at what you feed your pets. With all the scars earlier in the year people are switching to natural pet foods. again read the ingredients. Also look to pet products and search out natural alternates to poisoning them. (and then let me know cause i still use that nasty flea meds on them)