We assume that we see what’s around us, that the air is clear so it must be clean. In fact there are many Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) in the air we breathe, ones that affect our health, and we can’t see them.There are many things we can’t see because they’re too small for the naked eye. You can only see them under a microscope.

As with other pollutants, the extent to which VOCs in our home hurt us depends on many factors including the level of exposure and length of time we’re exposed to these chemicals. Common reactions to VOCs include eye and respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment. Many VOCs are known to cause cancer in animals; some are suspected of causing, or are known to cause, cancer in humans. READ MORE

Kitchen design has a lot to do with making things efficient for each of the activities that happens in a kitchen, from baking cookies, cooking dinner to washing dishes and putting dishes away. Anyone who has remodeled their kitchen is familiar with the kitchen triangle, a key concept in kitchen design. The concept dates back to the 1950s and was based on a study to find the most practical kitchen design for a 4 person home. The kitchen triangle is a triangle connecting the 3 critical work areas in a kitchen, the sink, stove and refrigerator (diagrams illustrating the kitchen triangles).

Our lives have changed dramatically since the 1950s, and so have kitchen designs. We have more appliances (dishwashers, microwaves, food processors, etc.). Families are spending a lot more time in the kitchen and it’s not just to prepare meals and eat. READ MORE