Cheryl Tiegs has been raising awareness about environmental issues since the beginning of her modeling days; most recently she is the sustainability spokesperson for Cambria. This has allowed her to have a platform to discuss an issue about which she is passionate: the importance of clean indoor air. Last week she shared some of her insight and knowledge on the subject; today she answers questions posed by our very own BD readers after that post.
Cheryl, what have you found to have the most impact in maintaining a healthy appearance? Eating? Lifestyle? Atmosphere/Environment?
I think it all goes hand in hand. I don’t think you can live in an environment that’s not healthy and maintain your own physical health. How you live your life is representative of you, from your home, to what you eat – any aspect of you as a person really. I don’t think you can separate them. You can’t sit on the sofa all day eating potato chips and go work out. It just won’t work.
Do you have a favorite “go to” healthy recipe?
I try to make sure all of my recipes are healthy and I really like to broil or roast most of the time. People do rave about my roasted chicken, which is one of my favorite recipes and so easy to do, simply wash a roasting chicken, and put rosemary and sage inside the cavity. Then toss a lemon in the cavity too. Make sure you have pierced it with the tip of a knife several times, so the juices will run out. I put my chicken in the oven at 425 degrees for an hour and a half. Also, put it in the bottom of the pan, not on a rack. That’s it!
What sort of things would you use for air freshening? Are the reed diffusers a better choice? Are essential oils one of the ones to avoid?
I’m lucky that I live in California so I can get lilies all year round, and I love the smell. But to keep indoor air cleaner, I would not use “perfume-y” air fresheners or diffusers. If I really want to get rid of a smell, I’ll use incense. It gets rid of any odor and the scent is gone in about 20 minutes.
I love to open windows to allow fresh air into our home! Ideally, I'd leave them open all the time, but our climate doesn't allow for that; do you have any general recommendations? For example, would you crack several windows for a long time, or open a few wider for a short amount of time?
You might want to just bite the bullet once a week. Open the front and back doors, and make sure you’ve got a draft going for ten minutes or so. That should do it! It’s so important to get that fresh air moving around your home even if it’s freezing outside.
If you were buying a new home, is there something you would look for with regards to carpeting and indoor air quality? Is there a way to make existing carpeting less of a health issue?
This is a great question, as we all know new carpet can emit chemicals from the glue they use, and also the padding. There are some excellent guidelines to follow when buying carpet on the EPA website. Basically, you can ask for carpet brands that have lower emissions and be sure to have the company roll out the carpet outside or in your garage to air it out, if at all possible.
What do you think about the use of "air purifiers" – do they really work? We have one for our bedroom and I *think* it works but I don't know how to really be sure!
To be honest, I had the same question. My friend and environmental guru Ed Begley Jr. gave me two air purifiers for my home. If he gave them to me, I believe they work. Besides, what’s the worst that could happen if they don’t work? I think they do.
Do you know of some ways I can improve the dust situation in our house for my husband's allergies? I can't seem to keep on top of the dust, it's everywhere!
First of all, make sure your vacuum cleaner uses a HEPA filter, which helps prevent the dust from getting spread around. If you have carpets, vacuum them as often as possible. I actually have rugs that I can wash regularly rather than carpeting which tends to collect a lot of dust. And again, change your air filters regularly. Health magazine had a great article on the best ways to get rid of dust, you can find it here.
I saw on the Cambria FAQ website that VOC's or "Volatile Organic Compounds." Have you personally done anything to reduce them in your home? I'd love some practical, easy ways to make my family safer from VOC's.
This summer scientists found that some granite counter tops emit harmful levels of radon gas, resulting in a New York Times article. Cambria, for whom I am a spokesperson, felt that it was important to raise awareness that indoor air can be just as polluted as outdoor air, making it an important consideration when building, remodeling, decorating or simply cleaning a home.
I used to have beautiful Italian tile in my kitchen that needed to be cleaned with harsh chemicals to remove the grime. Granite tops are the same way; they need to be sealed frequently with harsh chemicals to prevent staining and to maintain shine. Some of these chemical sealers contain very bad VOC’s.
Now that I have Cambria quartz counter tops I don’t have to worry about a thing. I can clean easily with no chemicals because I only need soap and water. Obviously we all can’t remodel our homes so follow the tips on the Cambria site and I think you’ll find them easy and practical. Again, visit the EPA site as well. There are a lot of suggestions and information there.
Is there a way I can check for radon in my home myself?
If you have granite, many of the manufacturers are offering to come to your home and test for radon for free, so check with your builder or contractor first. You can also purchase do-it-yourself kits that you should use in your basement and kitchen. But having a radon inspector come to check your home is probably the best idea.
In the course of learning about and teaching others ways to protect our planet, what has been your biggest surprise?
My biggest surprise is that people still think it’s such a hassle to do things for the planet. It’s easy to recycle these days; it’s easy to pick up a couple extra plants or choose soy candles instead of paraffin. We just have to focus on making a few small changes.
With that said, I have been much more positively surprised recently by how much interest there is in saving the planet, and how hungry people are for information. I guess the lesson is that this is definitely a train pulling out of the station – people are on board now but it’s still going to take time.
Is that your kitchen in the photos (more than one reader commented on the gorgeous lighting fixture)? If so, which Cambria color is the one in the photo?
That (photo above) is not my kitchen in the photos, but the color there is Sussex™ from Cambria’s Desert Collection™. In my own kitchen, I have Cambria’s Dover™ on my countertops and Dover™ and Hazelford™ on my floors. I also have Fieldstone™ in my guesthouse on the floors and shower surround. I’ve included a couple photos of my actual home (below) for you here!
Cheryl Tiegs enjoying her beautiful Cambria kitchen countertops!
Another view of Cheryl's gorgeous kitchen!
Thank you, Cheryl, for sharing with us information about your important environmental campaign for clean indoor air, and for taking the time to answer questions from our Blissfully Domestic readers! It's been fun and informative… always our primary goal here at Blissfully Domestic!
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