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Organic home care and maintenance

While the quantity and quality of organic foods is on the increase, you will be hard pressed to find a similarly wide range of organic household products. Just as we can injest chemicals from the foods we eat we can also absorb harmful substances from the air around us and the surfaces in our homes.

As the choice is limited and there has to be an element of practicality to even the most ardent organic lifestyle. The best advice is to go as far as you can in making your home a safer place for you and your family.

Organic paints - need solvents just in the same way that standard paints do. The difference is that organic paints use plant oils rather than petrochemical products. You probably disaprove of 'gas sniffing', think about what you and your family are doing every time you paint a room?

Carpet issues - are ones that you may not like to read about. Even when you put to one side the noxious brew of chemicals used to produce the modern carpet you are still left with dust mites, mould spores, bacteria and pet hair. If you are looking to replace your carpet and nothing else will do then go for wool or natural fibre and make sure that you have a very powerful vacuum cleaner.

Wood - for around the home is a natural product that can be ruined by the perceived need for chemical treatment. Untreated timber used properly has little need of these chemicals and a warm dry home is far more effective than anti-fungal treatments.
Have a care when using MDF as the wood fibres are held together by adhesives that contain formaldehyde and other nasties. Some boards use phenol-formaldehyde which is less toxic than urea-formaldehyde.

Beyond all else, check the environmental credentials of the wood you buy. Maintaining an orgainic home at the expense of a fast disappearing rainforrest is not a good idea! Look for the Forest Stewardship Council's (FSC) mark of approval.

Featured organic home care product suppliers

Organic products to maintain our homes without the use of noxious chemicals...

Auro Organic Paints Unit 2 Pamphillions Farm, Purton End Debden, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3JT Tel: 01799 543077 Fax: 01799 542 187 Website: www.auroorganic.co.uk Email: sales@auroorganic.co.uk Importers of natural organic paints that are 100% free from petrochemicals.
Forbo-Nairn Ltd PO Box 1, Den Road, Kirkaldy, Fife KY1 2SB Tel: 01592 643777 Tel: 01592 643999 Website: www.forbo-nairn.co.uk Email: headoffice@forbo-nairn.co.uk Manufacturers of flooring made from natural and harvestable raw materials offering a product suited for the environmentally conscious consumer.
Energy Saving Trust 21 Dartmouth Street, London SW1H 9BP Tel: 0207 222 0101 Fax: 0207 654 2444/5 Website: www.est.org.uk Email: not available Energy efficiency schemes in the UK, including information on cashback schemes and incentives to promote energy efficiency.