Spring Cleaning Series - How to improve indoor air quality

Eau de nothing: Opt for fragrance-free cleaning products

Nothing says spring like inhaling an invigorating whiff of “alpine meadow” after going to town on the kitchen with a surface cleaner. However, those reassuring scents that signal a state of clean are rather dirty in composition: there are more than 3,000 petroleum-based chemicals used to manufacture fragrances found in household cleaners and other consumer products. Overwhelmingly, these chemicals, often responsible for triggering asthma, allergic reactions and a host of respiratory ailments, are not listed on the product packaging.

So how to avoid? When restocking your arsenal of cleaners and laundry products, opt for unscented/fragrance-free varieties. Or, go with an eco-friendly scented cleaner produced by a company that’s transparent about what exactly goes into each bottle. Generally, the scents found in these products are naturally derived and safer. The Environmental Working Group’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning is a good place to start your reconnaissance work to learn more about cleaning products free of artificial fragrances and other dubious chemicals.

5 Spring Cleaning Ideas to Improve Indoor Air Quality (Series)

Ah, springtime! Time to throw open the windows and sponge, sweep, swab, squeegee, scour, scrub and scrape your home into a speckless state of perfection. Or, at the very least, it’s probably a wise idea to stash away the snow boots and give the contents of your fridge the seasonal once-over.

Spring cleaning also provides us with the opportunity to zero in on and ideally improve the indoor air quality of our homes. For many, the aim of spring cleaning is to achieve a state of spic and span nirvana that’s capable of knocking the socks off even the most fastidious mother-in-law or anyone else who relishes nothing more than detecting – and gleefully pointing out – spots that, whoops, you “missed.” 

To reach this state, we often find ourselves employing products to help give our homes a spotless, mother-in-law-proof glow. Yet at the same time, these same products can compromise indoor air quality and, as a result, our health and overall wellbeing. In fact, air pollutants are two to 10 times higher indoors than they are outdoors. The household cleaners that we spritz and spray during zesty spring cleaning sessions – and throughout the year – are among the culprits.

Follow along as next week we provide five suggestions on how to breathe easy and improve the indoor air quality of your home this spring, while also leaving it dirt-free and in apple pie-order.

Cold, Snow Will Fade to Spring Warmth

That harsh blast of cold air that changed rain to snow here in the Northeast Tuesday night will be quick to leave.  Rain changed to wet snowflakes Tuesday night as temperatures quickly plummet into the 30s. But, as quick as the cold blast came in, it will quickly bounce back.  The jet stream will retreat back to the north Wednesday and Thursday, which will allow some of the southern warmth to build back northward.  Highs will rebound into the mid-50s in New York City by Thursday.

Fun Weather Facts!

In light of the random and unusual weather conditions many area across the United States have been experiencing of late, enjoy these Fun Weather Facts!

1. In 1859, the largest known geomagnetic storm struck the Caribbean, causing an aurora and telegraphs could even operate without a power source.

2. Circumhorizontal arcs (loosely known as fire rainbows) are the rarest of all naturally occurring atmospheric phenomena.

3. The winter of 1912 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze over.

4 .Most people notice a distinctive smell in the air after it rains. That smell after rain is caused by bacteria called 'actinomycetes'.

5. There is a persistent storm in Venezuela that produces lightning 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day and up to 280 times per hour and has been going since at least the 16th century.

6. There is enough energy in one bolt of lightning to power a home for two weeks!

7. The Earth sees about 760 thunderstorms every hour, scientists have calculated.

8. Carbon dioxide is a trace gas and by itself will produce little warming. Also, as CO2 increases, the incremental warming is less, as the effect is logarithmic so the more CO2, the less warming it produces.

9. Temperatures have been cooling since 2002, even as carbon dioxide has continued to rise.

10.  The winter of 1932 in the US was so cold that Niagara falls froze completely solid!

11.  The speed of a typical raindrop is 17 miles per hour.

12.  Snowiest city in the U.S. : Blue canyon, California.

13.  Rain contains vitamin B12.

14.  Oak trees are struck by lightning more than any other tree.

15.  Moist air holds heat better than dry air.

16. Men are 6 times more likely to be struck by lightning than women!

17.  It snows more in the Grand Canyon than it does in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

18.  It is possible to see a rainbow at night!

19.  In ten minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined!

20. Dirty snow melts faster than clean.

21.  Contrary to popular belief, lightning travels from the ground upwards not from the sky downwards.

22.  9 out of 10 lightning strike victims survive!

23.  -40 degrees Celsius is equal to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.