Healthy indoor air quality

We explore the oft-touted notion that air-purifying house plants remove toxins & improve air in homes. As much as we like a little interior greenery, we're forced to conclude it's a whole pile of compost in the making. Do house plants clean indoor air? The idea that house plants filter and clean indoor air is at…

Finding the right high-efficiency home air filter for furnaces & ventilation systems is essential for keeping indoor air clean, healthy & protecting us from allergens, animal dander, pollen, mold spores & maybe worse. What are home air filters used for?   Air filters on air handling units such as furnaces, HRV and…

Formaldehyde-free & Eco-friendly MDF alternative interior finishing wood products such as Rice Stalk MDF panels are coming to the USA & Canada. Zero VOC to improve the indoor air quality of homes and protect our health. Formaldehyde-free MDF made from rice - available at distributors in USA & Canada There is a…

The practice of putting polyethylene vapor barriers in houses was intended to keep them dry, but it ends up keeping them wet. It's time to explore alternatives and to reconsider how to keep homes cool in summer. Vapor Barrier + Air-Con = Damp Moldy Walls So here's a little known fact that most HVAC installers won't…

Basement mold and mildew can easily be avoided with better designed walls. Common building practices trap moisture in wall assemblies preventing them from drying. That musty, moldy basement smell that we have come to accept as unavoidable, is actually quite avoidable. The solution is really quite simple - stop…

Normally Homes & Indoor Spaces Should be Ventilated with Outdoor Air - But What Should we do when It's Smoky Outside? How to protect our Health when our high efficiency Homes have HRV, ERV or Central Aircon Systems. How to protect indoor air quality from smoke during wildfires in homes with HVAC? As we move towards…

Natural paint is non-toxic, cheap and easy to make & provides a beautiful texture to walls. Ditch the VOC's & improve interior air quality for your family with these tips on making Eco-friendly natural paint at home. Making Eco-friendly paint at home is easy when you know how If you want to decorate your home with…

Adding insult to injury - trying to mask the smell of airborne contaminants with more airborne contaminants. Given that we spend about three quarters of our time indoors (counting both home and work), it is essential that we work to ensure clear indoor air quality. Contrary to what many people believe, indoor air is…

Bring nature into your home with a living green wall, but don't count on it for air purification. It is well-documented that indoor air is filled with contaminants, mostly due to cooking (specifically burning) and improperly vented combustion appliances (woodstoves, gas water heaters, gas ranges, etc.). Following…

Removing moisture and contaminants directly from sources improves air quality and home durability. Removing source contaminants and moisture from homes helps keep air healthy for occupants, and helps keep home humidity down. Excess humidity in houses can cause moisture damage, but what is not often considered is…

Why are basements moldy? Because we build walls so they can't dry. Simple changes in wall design will result in mould-free durable basements. Basements don't have to be moldy, that is the first thing to realize. It's easy to build a basement better, or to finish an existing basement correctly, we just need to…