Bathroom
Beauty products aren't regulated, so it's up to you to figure out what's safe. Search the Environmental Working Groupšs Skin Deep database Skin Deep database to see how your favorite brands rank, and check out SaffronRouge.com for the purest versions possible.
Chuck your polyvinyl chloride (PVC) shower curtain—carcinogenic dioxins are released during its manufacture, and toxic additives like phthalates can leach from it as it hangs in your bathroom. Replace it with an earth-friendly version in canvas or hemp. A safer plastic option made from polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA) is available at IKEA and Vita Futura.
Install a low-flow showerhead and you'll use up to 70 percent less water: Find one at Real Goods.
Kitchen
Replace nonstick and Teflon pans with cast iron, enamel, or stainless steel, which won't leach toxic chemicals into your food. Replace plastic food containers with glass.
Avoid canned food like beans, soup, or soda. Most can linings contain traces of Bisphenol A (BPA), a hormone disrupter.
Get rid of conventional cleaning products, which usually don't list their hormone-disrupting and carcinogenic ingredients. Replace them with nontoxic versions available at Ecover, Seventh Generation, and Biokleen Home.
Test your water and filter it if necessary. Carbon carafe filters by Brita or Pur will eliminate most contaminants. Stop buying bottled water; the chemicals from the plastic can leach into the water, and shipping it to you is a drain on the environment. For portable water, use something stainless steel and lightweight: Try Klean Kanteen or My Sigg.
Bedroom
Stick to wood floors covered with throw carpets made of natural fiber that can be steam-cleaned or washed.
Avoid Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) which are flame-retardant chemicals that have been found in human breast milk, fish, and aquatic birds, and are being studied by EPA by investing in an organic mattress, especially organic crib mattresses: Find them at Dax Stores.
Replace your foam pillow (which may also contain PBDEs) with an all-natural, nonallergenic, organic buckwheat or mullet-hull pillow: They're available at Serenity Pillows and Makura.
Test for lead paint, and then paint over any cracked lead paint with a no-VOC version, which can be cheaper and safer than having the harmful kind removed: Try AFM Safecoat.
Laundry Room
Avoid conventional detergents, whose ingredients and packaging can be damaging to humans, animals and the environment, according to the EPA. Instead, opt for green versions that list their ingredients, which are available at Ecover or Ecos.
Chlorine bleach can cause skin, lung, nose, and eye irritation, and when it's released into waterways, it combines with carbon to create the carcinogen dioxin. There are nonchlorine versions available, and they really work. Try BioKleen, Ecover, or Ecos.
Basement
Install a carbon monoxide alarm and test for radon.
If you have moisture that has resulted in mold or mildew, treat the area with a green mildewcide to inhibit regrowth: Find one at Green Depot.
If you have a vermin or bug problem (and this applies to the entire house), try the Integrated Pest Management approach instead of spraying with toxic chemicals. Information is available at the Environmental Protection Agency.
Home Office
Leave a window open for good ventilation, and vacuum with a HEPA filter (which can pick up even the smallest particulates), because computers contain flame-retardants, which can lurk in dust.
Minimize the use of toners (for printers, faxes, home copiers), which can emit lung irritants. Use recycled paper: Find green office supplies at The Green Office.
If you're shopping for a new desk, head to an antique store or only buy from a store that carries hardwood. Pressed-wood board and particleboard are widely used for office furniture because they're cheap and light, but the glues that bind these boards together contain formaldehyde, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals: Try Vivavi and Ecohaus.
