How to Get Rid of VOCs

VOC is an acronym for Volatile Organic Compounds. While most people think that their homes and offices contain fresh air, most interior spaces are filled with hundreds of VOCs. VOCs cause skin, ear and eye irritation. Some common VOCs come from office equipment, cleaning materials and pesticides. Although there are precautions, such as using organic cleaning products or buying furniture made of real wood, they only reduce the amount of VOCs.

Things You'll Need

• Purple waffle plant
• English Ivy plants
• Variegated wax plants
• Asparagus ferns
• Purple heart plants
• Dehumidifier
• HEPA air purifier

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Instructions

• 1

  Keep your interior space well-ventilated. At least 15 percent of your windows are doors should be opened at all times.

• 2

  Fill the office with purple waffle plants, English ivy plants, variegated wax plants, asparagus ferns and purple heart plants. Those plants are known to remove VOCs.

• 3

  Remove chemical air fresheners and aerosol products.

• 4

  Keep copy machines and printers in well-ventilated rooms.

• 5

  Remove dry-cleaned clothing from their plastic bags. Let them air out for three hours before replacing the bag.

• 6

  Throw away opened or unnecessary chemicals containers. Only keep them if you will use them in the future. Gas and vapors leak through the caps of the containers.

• 7

  Keep humidity under 60 percent indoors. The moisture causes the growth of mold. Use a dehumidifier if necessary

• 8

  Use a HEPA air purifier that does not use a filter. Filters trap VOCs in them. The HEPA filter kills bacteria and airborne viruses.