The Healthy House: How to Buy One, How to Build One, How to Cure a Sick One

Have you ever opened and hung a new vinyl shower curtain? Remember the odor, you can hardly breathe! Lots of things in our homes out-gas and make us sick, but not everything is as obvious as new vinyl. This author speaks from experience and shares what he's learned.

John Bower is one of the original pioneers in writing books about how to make your home healthy. This is the classic text that describes what might be unhealthy in a home and provides specific suggestions for alternatives. Lots of product information, i.e, where to order alternative building materials, less toxic-paint, safe insulation, etc. Dan Stih is the author of Healthy Living Spaces: Top 10 Hazards Affecting Your Health

If you are concerned about indoor air quality, this is a good read. However, it left me a little paranoid. There are so many air contaminates listed in the book, it's hard to know how to improve your home. In the book itself it states that people have often replaced items in their home contributing to poor indoor air quality, only to find the replacement item was more toxic than the former item. If you are building a home, read this first. If you already have a home.... this book will leave you wondering how to improve your life without spending your retirement fund. Lots of good information in this book.

When this book came out, it was the best primer on Healthy Homes/Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. It is easy to read and covers most of the important stuff. John Bower has learned by doing. He is one of the better authors covering home ventilation. On the down side, there are some vague referances not backed up with objective data. All in all, well worth the money.