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It's What's Inside That Counts!

Mon 20 Oct 2008 - 15:42

It's What's Inside That Counts!
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Fine]Deborah Fine

It's the time of year when most of us will begin winterizing our house. We change the screens to storm doors, add insulation around every crack that allows cold air to seep in and begin to keep our windows closed tight...all of this in the hope that we can keep our heating bills low this year. These are good habits, but like everything else in life, there is a flip side. When we shut our house up tight, we also lock in every one of the toxic chemicals that are floating around creating indoor air pollution.

The good news is, that we can bring some of Mother Nature inside with common household plants. We may think of these as just decoration, but greenery can be a valuable weapon in the battle against indoor toxins. If you keep a live plant in the nursery and some more around the rest of your home, you'll not only be converting carbon dioxide to oxygen but also, according to a 2 year study by NASA scientists, you'll be absorbing harmful gases. In fact NASA has decided that living plants are so good at absorbing toxins in the air, they'll be sending some to future space stations.

Luckily for most of us who's thumbs are anything but green, it turns out that the best houseplants for cleaning our air are also the easiest to grow. Philodendrons, Spider Plants, and Golden Pothos were found to be the most efficient in the removal of formaldehyde...while Gerbera Daisies and Chrysanthemums were found to be effective in the removal of benzene, a known cancer-causing chemical.

As a rule of thumb, allow one houseplant per 100 square feet of living area, which will equal approximately one or two in the average baby's room. Be aware that many of our most popular indoor plants come from tropical climates where the highest percent of poisonous plants live, so check with your local nursery to see what's safe around children.

By the way, indoor houseplants shouldn't be over-watered. Overly damp soil could promote the growth of microorganisms, which can aggravate allergies.

So, now that the seasons are changing you can bring a little of the outside in, and you and your baby can breath easier and enjoy the coming winter.

Learn The 5 Things You Absolutely Must Know Before Choosing Your Child's Nursery Furniture. Deborah Fine has taken her 34 years of experience designing baby's rooms and her life long concern for the environment and turned it into a new report called, "The Non-Toxic Nursery." In this report, Ms. Fine reveals exactly how to get the chemicals out of your baby's nursery. http://thenontoxicnursery.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deborah_Fine [http://ezinearticles.com/?Its-Whats-Inside-That-Counts!&id=1586209 ]http://EzineArticles.com/?Its-Whats-Inside-That-Counts!&id=1586209


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