Blog Archives

Air pollution from household products

2/25/2018

The BBC published two articles this month on the effects of the chemicals in the “everyday” household products we use. One article focuses on the negative health effects of chemicals and sprays used for cleaning. The other article discusses a new study that indicates that household consumer products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a more significant contributor to air pollution in cities than previously estimated. VOCs are found in cleaning chemicals, nail polish remover, solvents, pesticides, hairspray, adhesives, paint and many types of fragrance. Before I read the article, I hadn’t thought about how use of household products inside my home could affect the air quality outside my home. Links to the two articles are included below.

In industrial settings, employee exposure to VOCs is restricted because of the negative health effects. I would hope none of us are exceeding these limits in our own homes, but we have no monitoring in place to tell us the concentrations in our homes. As I learn more about the chemicals in some of the products I have used in the past, I am looking for alternative products that use less toxic chemicals. In addition to reducing the effects of the harsher chemicals in our homes, reducing our use of these chemicals means that smaller quantities will be manufactured. A few ideas on reducing VOCs in your home to get you started:

As one of the articles suggested, use water and a microfiber cloth to clean as many surfaces as possible. Save the chemical cleaning products for those areas that need more than water and scrubbing.
Buy fragrance-free products unless you specifically want that fragrance in your life. Then you can enjoy the fragrances you do use.
When you are using a product that contains VOCs, such as paint or nail polish remover, look for low-VOC alternatives and keep the lid on the container as much as possible while you are using the product.

www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43084642

www.bbc.com/news/health-43085674

0 Comments

Manage your lighting

2/18/2018

0 Comments

Most of us are creatures of habit when it comes to lighting our homes or offices. We tend to flip on the same lights no matter what we are doing. In some cases, you have no control over what kind of lighting options are available. However, a little bit of awareness when you do have control could lead to less electricity used on lighting. Sometimes you need lots of bright light for the task you are doing, and you need to light the room appropriately. Other times, less light is needed for the task, and you might be able to choose lighting that fits that task. For example, at night when you are preparing to go to bed, perhaps you can turn on a small lamp (perhaps with an LED lightbulb) in the bedroom instead of turning on the brighter overhead light that may have two or even three lightbulbs. Other ideas:

If you have a small light turned on in a room and then later turn on brighter lights, remember to turn off the small light. It’s probably no longer contributing to the overall light intensity but is still using electricity.
Remember to adjust the lights that are turned on based on your activity. It’s easy to turn on a lot of lights and leave them on after some of them are no longer needed.
When you enter a room that has multiple options for lighting, think about which light is the most appropriate for what you will be doing in the room.
Using natural light from windows is always good unless the energy use to heat or cool the house because of weather or sun position is higher than the energy used by the lightbulb. Of course, sometimes you just want to see the outdoors, and then you will want to choose which curtains are open to maximize your view of the outdoors while minimizing the energy impacts on the heating or cooling system for your house.

0 Comments

"Puffer" automobiles

2/11/2018

0 Comments

I have noticed a lot of “puffer” automobiles this winter. A puffer is a car that is left with the engine running to warm the car and defrost the windows while the owner goes back into the house. From a sustainability point of view, this practice uses extra gasoline and contributes to air pollution. It is also illegal in many areas and leaves your car vulnerable to car theft. If the frost is light, use your window scraper before you start your car. On those days when your windshield is covered with hard-to-remove frost, go ahead and start the car so the defroster can help you, but then stay outside and use your window scraper to speed up the process. Using your window scraper reduces the time your car is running, gives your arms a little exercise, and keeps your car safe from car thieves. You could also try putting an old blanket or towels on the windshield at night when ice or heavy frost is forecast.

0 Comments

Clothes dryers

2/4/2018

0 Comments

A typical electric clothes dryer often consumes as much energy annually as a new refrigerator, clothes washer and dishwasher combined, so decreasing the energy used for drying clothes is a good place to make a big difference. Of course, using an outdoor clothesline is the best way to reduce clothes drying energy consumption to zero. However, weather and local laws can take away this option. So, when you do use your dryer, consider these tips for reducing the energy used to dry your clothes. I have included two links at the bottom for those who want more ideas or to see testing information that backs up some of the statements.

The single most important factor affecting energy consumption and efficiency is the amount of moisture to be removed, which depends on both the size of the load and its moisture content.

Remove more water from the clothes before drying by using a higher speed spin cycle
Dry full loads rather than a larger number of partial loads (but make sure there is space for the clothes to tumble)
Use a lower heat setting (drying time may be longer)
Some dryers have a moisture sensor. The sensor automatically turns off the dryer once moisture is no longer detected on your clothing. The “less dry” setting usually gets clothes fully dry (although this varies with individual machines so you’ll have to experiment), while “normal” and “more dry” use more time and energy. This feature may not operate during some during modes such as timed drying, so check your owner’s manual.

Keep the lint filter clean. A clogged lint filter slows down airflow, reducing the effectiveness of the dryer.

Try partially drying the clothes and then hanging them indoors to finish drying. This removes the wrinkles in clothes that are designed to be dried using heat, but significantly reduces the total time your dryer operates. Some clothes can just be tumbled a few minutes to remove wrinkles using air dry, which requires no heat, and then hung to dry.

Periodically check the exhaust tubing of your dryer, and the outdoor vent, for any lint that may have built up in elbows or at the vent point. The lint buildup can prevent the moisture from the clothes from venting out of the dryer so it takes more energy to dry your clothes.

http://www.green-energy-efficient-homes.com/energy-efficient-dryers.html

https://aceee.org/files/proceedings/2010/data/papers/2206.pdf

0 Comments