According to the DailyGreen.com, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that indoor air pollution can be 2 – 5 times more polluted than the air outside. Mind numbing, isn’t it?! Our homes are supposed to be a safe haven and yet they can cause allergies, asthma attacks and other respiratory conditions. At Way Basics, we would like to help you cleanse your home so it truly can be a place of solitude and health! Here are some of the most common causes of indoor pollution and what you can do to combat the dangers!
1. Smoking - Sort of a “duh” moment there but think about how dangerous second hand smoke is in the outside world, and then trap all those carcinogens into an enclosed space. Even after cleaning, cigarette smoke sinks into everything. Suggestion:Make a designated outside smoking area. I know, I know, it isyourhome but think of your guests and family members, children, pets etc.
2. Paint – It sure is pretty but also extremely toxic. Of course lead isn’t an ingredient in paint anymore, but there are still other toxins that are released many days or months after an area has been painted. Suggestion:Ventilate, Ventilate, Ventilate! Also look for low VOC or no-VOC paints (VOC is the organic compound that is toxic). If you are getting a professional to paint for you, specify what you want because the toxic compound stays in your house long after they are gone!
3. Dirt – Another no brainer, but dirt on the floor and furniture is the perfect breeding ground for allergens. Suggestion: This is a no fun one, but necessary, get your vacuum out and use it! Put on some music, pretend it is a mic, whatever it takes to suck those dust bunnies up!
4. Household Cleaners – As they wage battle against the dirt in your home, they also attack your lungs and brain (metaphorically of course… sorta). Chemical cleaners are extremely dangerous especially for children and women who may be pregnant. You know that tip about processed food? Look at the label and if you don’t understand the ingredients, don’t eat it. Same sorta thing, if you don’t know what is in the cleaners, chances are there are toxins that are killing the dirt and your brain cells.Suggestion: Buy or make non-toxic cleaners. Check out our Facebook tomorrow for our top suggestions (or Google “Home Made Non-Toxic Cleaners”!
5. Formaldehyde – This is the one that we especially wage war on! Formaldehyde is just as dangerous as asbestos and mold and yet it is found in most of your furniture! Formaldehyde is used widely in the manufacturing of chipboard/ particle board (the stuff that all IKEA furniture is made out of). This stuff is extremely hazardous as it continues to release toxic gas into your household for as long as you own it. Scary, huh?! Suggestion: Buy furniture products that do not contain PCB or formaldehyde. Example, all of our zBoard products (ie. Storage Cubes) are completely non-toxic. Pretty cool, huh? zBoard storage shelves look and are in the same price range as IKEA bookshelves and yet are not releasing toxins into your home!
Phew, that was a long one. I think I should go open a window and let in some fresh air while I let all this learning sink in (ps. opening windows in your home- KEY to decreasing pollution). This is just the start of our Healthy Home Campaign. Check our Facebook/ Google + tomorrow for some non-toxic cleaning product suggestions!
PS. I, Deborah, am the Marketing Manager for Way Basics and coordinating this month of Healthy activities! See me here —->
and contact me through Facebook or by commenting below for any questions and suggestions!
Way Basics is proud to be a mini star in the Today Show’s “Hottest, colorful, green products for the home” show, which aired on April 18th. Elizabeth Mayhew, the correspondent, is Editor-in-Chief of Woman’s Day Magazine and the author of FLIP! For Decorating, and we are so honored to be recognized by her expertise!
Special thanks to our authorized retailer www.buygreen.com for the media coverage.
As most of you know, at Way Basics we love to give back to the community in as many ways as possible. On March 29th, the Nature Conservatory held its annual Cocktails Under the Stars event and silent auction to benefit their Leaders in Environmental Action for the Future program (LEAF). This amazing event supports programs for high school students and their educators to learn more about helping sustain our world. We were so pleased to be included among the sponsors and one lucky attendee went home with a gift certificate for Way Basics!
This beautiful event was captured by event photographer Steven Smith and all the chic pictures can be checked out here! We are so pleased to be apart of such a wonderful event with an incredible message and hope for the future!
We’ve always thought of our zBoards as building blocks that can be utilized by immensely creative individuals, and check out what Rachel Schechtman has done with our zBoards!
A Startup Store is an innovative and highly creative six-week shopping exhibition featuring five very trendy start-up businesses. We think the idea of a store that “reinvents” itself every 4-6 weeks is both amazingly ambitious and artistically brilliant!
Several hundred of our white cubes served as the display units for all the merchandise sold during their Beta. We love the way our zBoards blend right in to the chic, yet simple interior design. Sadly, the Beta closed a few days ago on January 12th, but the store will be opening up in their new exhibition theme, LOVE, on February 2nd! If you’re in the New York area, definitely check them out; if not, take a look at their website to see what they’ll cook up next!
A Startup Store, displaying Joor's products on our cubes
Here are some more fabulous displays!
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, a video’s worth at least a thousand pictures. Take a look at this brief time-lapse setup of the store!
Customizable Art in which the "user" rotates cubes to individualize their own graphic design! Available at Module-R
Here at Way Basics, we encourage individualization and customization through our modular zBoards, allowing our customers to not only select, but design their own furniture to satisfy both organizational needs, and creative ones. With that said, we’d like to introduce one of our awesome retailers! Module R is a fantastic gallery that takes the idea of the “Age of Personalization” and brings it into design and art, blurring the line between items that are mass-produced facsimiles and unique, personalized artifacts. Check out their website to learn more about Donald Rattner, their founder, and their fresh and much-needed role as a “central marketplace where customizable and transformable design (and art) from around the globe could be presented as a coherent body of work.” Be sure to stop by and check them out if you’re ever in the Brooklyn area!
Check out these colorful, customizable photo frames available at Module-R!
Cool Hunting recently wrote an article about A Startup Store. They mentioned that the current exhibition uses Way Basics storage cubes to display their collections.
Who would have thought that the storage cubes would match the classy and elegant exhibit displays they have?
Rachel Shechtman, retail consultant and founder of Cube Ventures, described the exhibit, “A Startup Store has the point of view of a magazine, but it changes like a gallery and it sells things like a store.”
“It’s no Ethan Allen, but I think that might be a good thing. These products are made of 99% post consumer recycled paper that are just as strong as conventional furniture. I don’t plan on sitting on my cube, but it seems to be holding up just fine against my pounds of papers.”
Watch as Julie assembles the Way Basics Storage Cube in less than 3 minutes! Just peel, stick done.
Julie Morgenstern is an organization and time management expert, business productivity consultant, and speaker. She is also a New York Times bestselling author. Her company Julie Morgenstern Enterprises helps individuals and companies transform the way we function through a wide range of practical solutions.
