Healthy Low-Budget Strategies for Giving Your Home a Cool Vacation Feel

Window mirror photo courtesy of Recycled Crafts.

With few exceptions, no matter where you are in the world, summer heat is still raging on, the air conditioner is still humming along, and the windows are closed making indoor air stale.

It’s worse if you have chemical sensitivities and live in a small apartment. There are though some simple and often low budget things that can be done to give any home a naturally more airy and healthier feel.

One of the first and easiest things that can be done is to just strategically place some mirrors to give a more open feel. “Very often, when you are reflecting the outdoors, the space can appear larger and you get that beautiful greenery, ” said Bernadette Upton, founder and president of EcoDécor, a universal design and decorating company using sustainable principles, products, and practices.

Besides reflecting some green from the outside, another strategy for bringing the outdoors in and naturally purifying that stale air, is to have house plants.

“The rule of thumb is that a plant will probably filter about 100 square feet of air, and that’s about the distance they should be spread apart for optimal effect.

Peace Lily. Stock Photo.

“I think some of the best plants are the peace lily, mums plant, and English ivy. I think they are great filters, but if you don’t take care of them, they can get funguses in the soil, which can get airborne,” and have the opposite effect of what has intended, said Ms. Upton.

Beyond the benefits of well maintained greenery, another simple and relatively inexpensive way to bring down the heat in a home and still keep it healthy is a little minor redecorating by changing things like area rugs and slipcovers.

Ms. Upton suggests that everyone has to look at what their needs are, but suggests “natural fibers because they are comfortable and breathe.” Among her favorite companies for environmentally friendly textile products are:

• Oecotextiles- an organic and natural textile company.
• Indika Organics- an organic and natural textile company, that also provides ready-made bedding, towels, and pet pillows.
• Elizabeth Eakins Inc.- an organic and natural textile company, that also provides ready-made rugs.
• Earth Weave- a provider of renewable resource floors, including natural fiber carpets and area rugs.

Terrazzo Floors. Image courtesy of TCE Flooring Specialists.

Where flooring is concerned, besides natural wood, if you’re going the cool to the touch recycled route, then terrazzo flooring might be an option. It’s flooring consisting of marble chips and/or other fine aggregates on the surface of finished concrete or epoxy-resin.

Ms. Upton, who lives in Florida, also has one and says, “It can withstand anything, water (meaning hurricane water damage), scratching, and then it cleans up so well. It’s an amazing floor, and wonderful for hot climates.”

Besides flooring, when looking to create both a cooler and environmentally friendly living area, wall paint is also always an important consideration. Lighter colors obviously absorb less heat, but besides that, Ms. Upton recommends the use of paint bases and colorants with no or low VOC (volatile organic compounds, such as formaldehyde).

Ms. Upton recommends the following no-to-low VOC paints (Note: There could be differences between the VOC levels in the bases and colorants, so please check with sales people.):

• Harmony by Sherman-Williams (No VOC)
• Freshaire Choice by Mythic Paint (No VOC)
• Eco Spec by Benjamin Moore (Low VOC)
• Aura by Benjamin Moore (Low VOC)

In her discussion with GreenVitals, Ms. Upton also talked about the overall philosophy of eco-friendly decorating, saying that, “Green is not a particular style. It’s a lifestyle. It’s a way of designing that shows a concern for the user and the environment.” The basic meaning is that you don’t have to look like you live in a log cabin to design and decorate ‘green’ and healthy.

For more information about VOCs and other indoor pollutants, please read:

• What’s in Your Home Environment Can Be Making You Sick- Biological Pathogens

Reader commentary and input is always welcomed!