1) Use cleaning products made from safe natural and not-toxic ingredients to prevent exposure to the hazardous synthetic chemicals conventional cleaners contain. 2) Dust with a damp cloth to ensure that household dust, which collects toxins, is removed from surfaces and not stirred back into the air. 3) Open windows and doors occasionally (even in winter!) to rinse out any air pollutants that have accumulated inside.

A central feature of any home is its furnishings, those decorative touches that let the true personality of a dwelling and its owners shine through. But some furniture choices are better than others when it comes to safeguarding our families from common environmental pitfalls. Here are our suggestions for decorating your home in sustainable style: Choose furniture that contains as much solid wood as possible. Composite woods like plywood and particleboard are made from glues that contain formaldehyde, which is slowly emitted in vapor form as its host materials age.

With their growing bodies, active lifestyles, and still-evolving defense systems, kids can be highly susceptible to chemicals found in consumer products. Here are some simple steps you can take to keep them safe and healthy: 1) Use cleaners made from natural and non-toxic materials. Unlike conventional cleaners, these won’t leave toxic chemical residues around the house or pollute indoor air with unhealthy fumes. In particular, avoid synthetic waxes, polishes, toilet cleaners, and spray products, which typically contain more unsafe ingredients than other types of cleaners.

According to the Native Forest Network, the average mail recipient receives some 560 pieces of junk mail a year, and simply tosses almost half of it. That’s adds up to 4.5 million tons of unrequested bulk mail sent each year, or the destruction of 100 million trees. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to dramatically reduce the mayhem in your mailbox: To stop the flow of credit-related offers, request that credit reporting agencies, the chief source of names for mailing lists, stop sharing your information.

It's difficult to imagine life without plastics, and the benefits they provide are far too numerous to count. Even so, precaution is warranted when using plastics, especially in the kitchen, where some of the toxic chemicals they're made from can leach into the foods we eat and drink. Here are ways to keep your family safe without sacrifice:

Meet the Seventh Generation Dirty Dozen, our list of top hazardous chemicals. Though it's nearly impossible to completely avoid all toxins in today's world, watching out for the key troublemakers will go a long way toward protecting your family's health. Alkyl phenoxy ethanols (APEs) & nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs) Bisphenol-A Chlorine Formaldehyde Glycol ethers PBDE flame retardants P-dichlorobenzene Pesticides Phthalates PVC VOCs (as a class) Triclosan Alkyl Phenoxy Ethanols and Nonylphenol Ethoxylates WHAT