_- The best method is to use materials that do not give off VOC's. There are a number of paints and building products now being made that do not emit high levels of VOC's. If you cannot afford the new VOC-free paints, such as Freshaire's Choice, water-based paints are less of a problem than acrylic paints. The VOC's in paints are removed from the body by urination, so drink more water when you paint around the house. Always open windows or use ventilation fans when painting indoors.
- Allow gases from new furnishings and building materials to be given off in storage for a few weeks before being brought into your home.
- Avoid landfills, which emit many VOC's, more as the trash inside the landfill ages.
- Fix leaks. Even when there is no mold, dampness increases the irritation caused by VOC's.
- Do not allow smoking in or near the house.
- If your place of worship uses incense, minimize indoor exposure to incense at home. Outdoor use of incense minimizes exposure to you (although it increases exposure by your neighbors).
- Always add the cleaner to water, not water to the cleaner.
- Wear gloves, and if you are applying a chemical at nose-level, consider wearing a protective mask so you do not inhale VOC's.
- Do not bring dry cleaned clothing into the home if it has a strong smell. Allow it to air outside of its plastic bag, outside of the home first. Hanging dry-cleaned clothes on outdoor clothesline for about 2 hours is enough.
- Ventilate the house by opening windows and doors.
- If you live an area with many farms that use pesticides or a lot of chemical industry, do not drink well water.
- Use natural wood instead of pressed cardboard fireboard logs in your fireplace.
- Have the chimney to your fireplace cleaned at least once a year.
- Don't use kerosene space heaters, since they dump all their toxic VOC's directly into the rooms they heat.
- Make sure your home has a carbon monoxide detector in addition to a fire detector.
- Use face protection when removing old pipes and wiring.
- Don't idle the car in the garage.
- Don't use gas or charcoal grills inside, ever, even during disaster situations.
- Radon gas is not a VOC, but it is the second leading contributor to lung cancer after cigarette smoke. Especially if your home has a basement, get a radon gas detector.
- Make an effort to regularly get fresh, clean air into your home.
- Make sure your woodstove is vented to the outside, or do not use it at all.
- Be careful when exposing foam insulation or particleboard. These construction materials are made with formaldehyde.
- Make sure your gas stove is well vented to the outside. Although the primary pollutant from gas cooking is nitrogen dioxide, which is not a VOC, this chemical can trigger asthma attacks and make the lungs more sensitive to VOC's from other sources.
- Whenever possible, don't install carpets. Carpets and carpet pads trap and emit VOCs, and make odor control very difficult if you have pets.
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