Eco Friendly House And Garden

Choosing the right plants could help rid your home of toxic fumes!

We all know that our furniture, carpeting, toiletries and paints all leak out potentially harmful chemicals – but sometimes we can’t buy chemical-free eco friendly everything – so what can we do about it?

Well, there have been a great many studies conducted about our homes, trends in furnishings, chemical usage and lifestyle questionnaires by all sorts of agencies – including NASA – that we have a great deal of knowledge about reducing our exposure.

photo credit: marcusrg

Obviously not bringing it into our home in the first place is the perfect answer – but we know that this isn’t a viable answer for most people – and can be very expensive in some cases.

Going Green:
Well, luckily, many of the surveys have worked out that plants can create a more healthy environment in the home or office to counter the effects of these gases and chemicals in the air.

Certain plants have even been found to actually ‘suck’ such toxins out of the air as part of their natural actions as a plant!

Plants ‘breathe’ in a different way to humans and so their actions whilst sitting their seemingly doing nothing in a pot could be freeing your home of bad air and making your home more healthy!

Plants in certain rooms or close to where you spend the most time can be most effective as they are clearing the worst areas first and fastest – so beside your desk, your bed and in newly furnished or freshly painted rooms.

Problem Areas:
There are some places and times where there will be more chemicals released than usual, and these include the obvious ones like: new carpet, decorated room, varnished floor etc.

But there are also some places or things you might not think of:

Ceiling Tiles – give off formaldehyde and benzene
Cleaning Products – give off ammonia when used
Cosmetics & Nail Polish – can emit alcohols and acetone upon application
Photocopiers – regularly emit trichloroethylene, xylene, benzene and ammonia
Your New Curtains – give off formaldehyde
Grocery Bags – also give off formaldehyde when new
Paper Towels – give off formaldehyde as well!
Even Pre-Printed Paper – contains acetone

And don’t forget that we as humans give off chemicals when we breathe, sweat, wear make-up, deodorant and hair products – so in a stuffy office – you are inhaling your own and other staffs bio effluents!

The Results:
Now, I’m not saying that you should fill your homes and offices with plants – but a few here and there in the right places could make the world of difference to you in terms of reducing headaches, rashes, allergies and general tiredness.

photo credit: bfishadow

And in the right pots and sizes – they can help to relax you as well!

Now, the lists below are their common names, but look an image of them up before you buy as some are very common plants that you might already know about – and others might be totally the wrong shape of size for your home.  And check out the care instructions too as some need direct sunlight, and some only like shade!

Plants that remove formaldehyde best:
Boston Fern, Florists Mum, Gerbera, Bamboo Palm, Dwarf Date Palm.

Plants that remove xylene and toulene best:
Areca Palm, Dwarf Date Palm, Moth Orchid.

Plants that remove ammonia best:
Lady Palm, King of Hearts, Lily Turf, Lady Jane, Florists Mum.

And best plant for bioeffluents:
Peace Lily.

photo credit: Tahmid Munaz™

So get yourself to the garden centre!

Thanks for coming back – and I hope the first few tips have been of help to you.

Now lets look at the final 2 tips which include; Choosing the right variety of fruit or vegetable for your needs, and thinking about growing food organically.

4) Variety Is The Spice Of Life:
There are now so many varieties of each fruit or vegetable to account for your tastes and for the locations they thrive in – so pick yours wisely.

Don’t just buy the one that has the cheapest seeds in the store – pick the one you are going to enjoy the taste of and that will grow in the place and in the time you want it to.

If you are busy at work during the summer or going away for a few week in spring, then make sure your variety don’t need too much attention at that point. If you have an alkali soil – then make sure you don’t buy a variety that loves acidic ground. I know it all sounds a bit technical – but just ask the experts where you live.

Take time to visit a local fruit grower near to where you live (same soil and same weather) and find out what they grow – then buy their seeds and take their advice.

Tell them your requirements too, for example there is no need to buy a product that gives off tonnes of fruit or veg at the same time if you are living alone as you will never be able to eat it all yourself (unless you want to learn about preserving it as well).

At the other end of the scale, you don’t want a rarer vegetable that only produces one or 2 edible parts if you have a family of 4 to feed! Plan your seasonal needs way ahead, and then link these up with the types and cycles of the plants that are available.

5) Growing Organic?
Don’t forget that the seeds you buy, or the plants you purchase might not have been grown organically – it’s a very complex chain. Decide how far back you want to be ‘organic’ for or how strict you are going to be.

And, unless you test it – how do you know that your yard isn’t full or chemical residues from previous land-use? You can’t, so you need to start from scratch and apply no more chemicals at all to it.

And, most importantly; how do you even know that the soil you wish to use is even full of nutrients? It is possible that the type of soil is not suitable for retaining nutrients or has been completely drained or natural resources over the years.

If you are on a purpose built housing estate (even if it is 100 years old), it is possible that just below your topsoil is a layer of industrial waste like broken bricks, wooden poles, or previous garden waste from past owners? I found and entire flat tarpaulin sheet and a concrete pillar buried in my back yard!

So, if you want to grow healthy and organic crops yourself, it may be wise to install raised beds for your plants so you can control the soil yourself.

Once the sides are up (obviously using chemical free and naturally strong materials) I would dig over the existing soil (not too deep) and remove any large stones or other objects. Then mix in a few cms of well rotted horse manure (or organic alternative) – then completely cover with alfalfa, clover or mustard.

These fast growing plants are great for pulling nutrients back into the soil ready to grow something worth eating! When they are fully grown and covering the inside of your raised bed, then dig them back in to the existing soil and add more organically sourced soil or horse manure to raise the beds to the top.

Then you can get started knowing that from now on you are growing your fruit and vegetables organically!