When fires rage in California, we begin to wonder about air quality...

When fires rage in California, the air is FULL of smoke and ash. Turn on the news today and hear the reports. Look in a paper and see the stories. There are pictures and videos available online - you will be surprised at how vast and damaging these fires are. And not just for the people in close proximity to the flames - these fires are affecting millions...

Why? Because officials warn people to not breathe in the air. It's dangerous. It's bad to breathe. One of the reasons is, because the fires have consumed so many homes, the air now carries in it toxins and chemicals from the houses: the pesticides, the construction elements, the plastics... the list goes on and on. So, people are staying indoors, using masks outdoors, driving with car windows up, and keeping animals inside, just waiting for the fires to stop, and the air to clear.

But this brings up a SUPER interesting point. Air can actually be bad for you - it can be harmful, in and of itself - for anyone who is breathing it. And even without fires, how much of our air is polluted to the point of being harmful for us? Outside of the realm of California fires, where else does this threat lie? Yeah... pretty much everywhere.

I would wager those who live in places like Los Angeles, Mexico City, and New York City value clean air more than people who always have it, in wide-open places elsewhere. They can feel, and oftentimes So the question is, where can we get it? How can we protect ourselves? We NEED air. We can't just stop breathing for awhile and wait for cleaner air. Not exactly an option.

The simplest answer (besides pick up your whole life and move to an area with cleaner, less polluted air) is to invest in an air purifier. It might seem simplistic and not good enough, but consider it. They can be found at many big stores, like Sam's or Costco, or probably even at Wal-Mart. They will purify the air in your homes, so that you have a refuge to return to, and a safer place to sleep. Do some research to find out which air purifiers would be the best for your home environment. They do essentially the same thing, but use different technologies. Some are better for dust mites or mold or smoke or small/large areas... The ones that I've done some research on are the Shaklee air purifiers, and I know they are effective. They have much science behind them, and work amazingly well. They will even go a long way to cleaning up from cleaning products, paints, furniture... all sorts of smells and chemicals, etc.

So, while some people are no where near concerned about their air quality, there are plenty of people who wish there was something they could do about it. And while we can't purify the whole earth (at least not yet!) we can start at home, and do what we can there...