What you can do at home
The small choices we make at home affect the air. We can reduce emissions by the way we maintain and use vehicles, the transportation choices we make, how efficiently we use energy and by purchasing household, lawn and garden products with clean air in mind.
Choose one of the icons below to learn more about how you can help clear Utah’s air.
- Shop Smart
Make Air-Friendly Purchases >>
Be Air Aware With Purchases
While it might not seem like hair spray, carpet cleaner or air fresheners could contribute to Utah’s PM2.5 problem, they do. Solvents contained in common products such as paints, varnishes, preservatives, waxes, dry cleaning products, polishes, degreasers and automotive products emit VOCs, which contribute to the formation of fine particulates. New carpeting, backing and adhesives; wood products manufactured using certain glues; finishes and vinyl type flooring and wall coverings can also release VOCs into the air.
- Consider upgrading an old gas can for a new one. Upgrading gas containers will reduce VOC emissions as much as 4 pounds per year.
- Gas powered lawn mowers and trimmers also contribute to air pollution. A gas powered lawn mower creates as much emission as a car driving 169 miles.
For consumers looking for a way to make more air-friendly purchases, the EPA’s Design for the Environment (DfE) program screens and identifies products through a stringent scientific review process. Chemical-based products carrying the DfE logo meet strict EPA standards. The DfE Standard for Safer Products incorporates the California Air Resource Board’s VOC regulations, which limit the amount of VOCs that can be used in various cleaning product categories. The EPA has a list of DfE labeled products on its website.
