One advantage of working from home is the ability to make your own decisions about greening your work place. If you are fortunate enough to work from home, be skeptical of carpets.

Carpets may look nice but they trap lots of nasty things like dust, mold and phthalate particles. Furthermore, new carpets often contain formaldehyde and other harmful substances that tend to off gas for quite some time.

Wood, tile or stone floors are easier to keep clean than carpeting and are less likely to trap pollutants or to exacerbate asthma.

If you already have carpeting, consider not allowing shoes on in your home in order to avoid bringing in pesticides and other toxins commonly used in lawn and garden care. A “no shoes rule” will also keep the carpets and whole house cleaner in general.

If you want to add interest or warmth to a room, consider smaller rugs made out of organic cotton or wool as they can easily be removed and cleaned from time to time.