"If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath."

― Amit Ray, Om Chanting and Meditation

As humans, we take our air and breathing for granted. Each time we breathe, we give our lungs and heart the air they need for circulating our blood to keep us alive. The quote above assumes we are grounded in the moment, but are we really giving our bodies (and minds) the high quality air they need? With so much talk about protecting the environment and eco-friendly products, consider the following tips to improve the air quality of your home and create a cleaner, greener home.

Good Indoor Air Quality Starts at Home

A healthy indoor environment is typically characterized by the quality of air inside your home. Poor indoor air quality can adversely affect your healthy by introducing toxins such as carbon monoxide, radon, allergens and VOCs to name a few. But the good news is there are things (some free) you can do to protect yourself and family.

Use Clean Air House Plants

There are many home and cleaning products that emit chemicals found in paints and lacquers. Clean-air plants do more than just purify. Houseplants are the eco-friendly alternatives to air purifiers! They rid homes of pollutants to any potentially negative home environment. Some of the plants found here filter the air from the toxins found in lacquers, varnishes and sealers. Studies show some of these plants can filter the chemicals found in exhaust fumes while others can absorb chemicals from pressed wood products including furniture.

Increase Air Exchange

I live on the corner of a highly congested neighborhood surrounded by constant air pollution of neighboring trucks, busses and cars. I used to think that the air outside is more polluted than the air of my home.

Introduce chemical pollutants. Many household cleaners that are used to sanitize, degrease, whiten and wash clothing, surfaces, dishes and bedding also harm water and air. One free way to improve the quality of air is to increase air exchange which can reduce the concentration of pollutants in the home. Opening windows provides easy cross ventilation and introduces cleaner air. "While it is ideal to facilitate cross-ventilation in your home to allow fresh air from nature to circulate indoors, if circumstances do not allow this, a mechanical means of air circulation or filtration could be an alternative," says Dr. Hubert Ho, a consultant with Rabbit Air. This is why it's so important to keep one's options open...literally.

Eco-Friendly Air Purifiers

There are a variety of eco-friendly highly efficient air-purifiers on the market today that operate on little energy, devoid of lead and work by filtering the toxic particles in the air that causes diseases like the common cold, cough and allergies.

Some of these are noted for help clean the environment through green plants and operated by a solar panel that operates a fan which pushes air outwards while the plant continues to absorb a large amount of pollutants in the air.

Maintain Your Air-Conditioner and Heating System

Here's another cost-effective tip -- Your home is constantly exposed to dust particles and when your cooling or heating systems are turned on, and this causes instant dust flow. Furnace filters need to be cleaned regularly as well as those from AC units. There are certified technicians who do this all year round.

So there you have it -- 5 life-sustaining and eco-friendly alternatives to improving air quality while maintaining a greener home.

Now go get green!