For most people, it comes as a suprise to learn that a home's interior exposes us to 2-5 times more pollution than we are exoposed to outdoors.  Given that most of us spend the majority of our time indoors, and that many buildings are tightly sealed for energy efficiency, creating healthy indoor air is an important step toward "greening" our homes.  Simple ways to improve indoor air quality -and rid your home of the Sick Building Syndrome - are:

1) Increase air filtration and ventilation in your home.  It can be as simple as opening up a window to let the air in.

2) Change air filters in your heating and cooling duct systems often.  Make sure the exhast fan over the stove is clean.

3) Grow houseplants.  Plants not only consume carbon dioxide, they also filter out other pollutants.  Here's a list of some super-cleaners: Reed palm, Boston fern, Weeping fig, Rubber plant, Australian sword fern, Janet Craig dracaena, Areca palm, and Dwarf date palm.        

4) Test for radon, the second leading source of lung cancer.  Remediate with radon-filtering/ventilation system if radon is present. 

5) Use only non-toxic cleaning solutions.  Yes, most household "cleaning" solutions actually contain many cancer-causing ingredients, believe it or not.  Most local health or organic food markets carry safe-for-you cleaning suppies (products like Seventh Generation, BioKleen).  Better yet, save money by changing over to healthy household cleaning supplies.  All you need is baking soda, lemon juice, borax, white vinegar, and a bit of elbow grease and you'll be covered. 

6) Remove and/or avoid purchasing home products which contain formaldehyde.  Unless specifically specified, most finishes, fiberboard, plywood, and paneling used as building materials, cabinets, and furniture off-gass formaldehyde.  Carpet is another major "culprit", in addition to paper towels, facial tissues, waxed paper and grocery bags (yet another good reason to use reusable cloth bags!)   

• The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality—a useful brochure available from the EPAs Indoor Air Quality Information Center Phone: 800-438-4318
• Air Pollution in Your Home and Home Indoor Air Quality Checklist- find at your local chapters of the American Lung Association.
• Formaldehyde: Everything You Wanted to Know but Were Afraid to Ask offered by Consumer Federation of America, 1424 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036.