Indoor Air Pollution... Beat it with Botanicals!

Simple Steps to Combat Air Pollution: Beat it with Botanicals!

A pledge to the environment lies at the heart of all that we do at TINCTURE. From the our 100% natural, planet-friendly ingredients to a dedication to encouraging the switch from single-use plastic to sustainable and reusable alternatives. We know that taking care of the planet should be at the top of everyone’s priorities. A global effort to make the world a better place! If we all do our bit behind the scenes every day, we can set foot on a path to a safer, cleaner place for ourselves and future generations to live.

With the pressure mounting more than ever to get Earth back on the right track, we want to make it part of our job to shed light on vital information and actions we can all take to literally save the planet.

So, with an aim to spread awareness and help you make the right choices for our plant, we would like to lay our focus on Air Pollution for a series of blogs – what it is, and how to beat it.

What is Air Pollution?

Air pollution is something that is generally associated with the outside world, caused by car fumes, pesticides from non-organic farming and the burning of waste to name but a few primary causes. And these are all big contributors to what is making the global atmosphere more and more toxic each year. But it is an unfortunate fact that indoor air pollution is just as prevalent and just as dangerous, as a recent report published by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has indicated. Considering that more than 72,000 synthetic chemicals have been produced and introduced into most households since WWII, it’s no wonder that the air we breathe in our homes is a little less than fresh!

Different areas of the world, and even the country, have different levels of air pollution with the highest concentrations unsurprisingly being can being found in densely populated towns and cities where sources of pollution, such as road traffic, are more concentrated. But indoor air pollution can be a problem wherever you live. The onus is on you to make non-toxic lifestyle choices, such as choosing natural household cleaning products like TINCTURE over chemical counterparts.

There are many pollutants in the air and some are more harmful than others. Particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone are particularly damaging types of air pollution.

Thankfully, there are ways to reduce these.

Beat it with Botanicals!

One of the easiest (and most pleasant) ways to combat air pollution is to switch up chemicals in your home for natural. TINCTURE natural cleaning products are a great first step, but you can also extend your chemical clean up to your bathing rituals, makeup bag, indoor scents and even interior décor as paint, carpets and insulation. Up to half of the chemicals known as VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which start off as solids or liquids before evaporating into the air, have been traced back to everyday household items like these, and there is no doubt in the scientific world that this is incredibly harmful to our health and the planet.

But it’s not just using botanical-based products like ours that makes all the difference – you can actually harness the raw power of plants to clear the air, simply by having them in your home.

The NASA Clean Air Study was a project designed to research ways to clean the air in space stations. Its results suggested that, in addition to absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, certain common indoor plants may also provide a natural way of removing toxic agents such as benzeneformaldehyde, and trichloroethylene from the air. Beyond that, having plants in the home has also shown to raise energy levels, reduce headaches and stress, speed up recovery time from illness and even be more productive.

Many plants were shown to have toxin removing properties, but here are a few to get you started:

Green Spider Plant

The NASA tests showed that this plant removed an impressive 90% of Formaldehyde from the air – a potentially cancer-caused chemical released by chemical cleaning products, plastic, air fresheners, synthetic mattresses and much more besides.

Aloe Vera

This plant really breathes for us – emitting oxygen at night while drawing in carbon dioxide. A great choice for the bedroom!

Weeping Fig

Ideal for filtering pollutants and easy to look after as well. Absorbs formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene, all of which can be found in practically all homes.