A Guide to Creating a Healthy Home
This website will guide you through the creation, renovation, or redecoration of a chemical-free, ultra-low-VOC, mold-safe house suitable for the environmentally sensitive.
I look at materials that apply to conventional houses, as well as unconventional homes like earthen houses, cabins, and tiny houses.
This is a living guide – all posts are kept up to date as much as possible. I add new information and update links every day.
Main Authors
Corinne Segura is the main author of the site.
I hold certificates in Building Biology, Healthier Materials and Sustainable Buildings, and I am a Moisture Intrusion Inspector. I also have an education in construction and building science. I’m a guest author at Green Building Advisor and course creator at the Building Biology Institute. For 9 years I have worked as a Healthy Building Materials Specifier for new builds and renovations.
More about me and the full list of all of my education credentials are here.
Full editorial guidelines are here.
Our Resident Toxicologist
Dr. Amine Kerdoun, PharmD, PhD, an associate professor of Toxicology at the Faculty of Medicine, Kasdi Merbah University in Algeria.
A specialist in medical and environmental toxicology, he brings over a decade of academic, clinical, and regulatory experience to his work.
Dr. Kerdoun holds a Doctorate in Medical Sciences with a focus on toxicology.
His research focuses on chemical risk assessment, heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, and cosmetic safety, with numerous peer-reviewed publications in international journals.
A respected educator and scientific communicator, Dr. Kerdoun combines rigorous toxicological expertise with a commitment to public health protection and regulatory excellence across global frameworks.
Our Expert Writers & Contributors
When I don’t possess enough expertise for an article, I bring in expert reviewers or consult with an expert:
Dr. Hansprabha Mudgal is a European Registered Toxicologist (ERT, UKRT). She has a PhD in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management and a Master’s Degree in Toxicology.
She has 5 years of experience working in toxicology consulting.
She writes, reviews, and contributes to articles that make toxicity claims or recommendations.
For example, providing a toxicological assessment on the articles on Microban, Nylon, Toaster Ovens, Air Fryers, Ceramic Cookware, HOCL, Baby Wipes, Nail Polish, Scent Boosters, Microwaves, Cutting Boards, and many more.
Our Resident Engineer – Luke Skaff, holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from Old Dominion University.
His work experience includes electrical hardware design and aviation fuel design/specifying. He has broad technical knowledge in circuit design, controls engineering, industrial controls, automotive systems, HVAC, air filtration, appliances, and lighting technologies.
He helped write the articles on Microwaves, Air Purifiers, Heating Equipment, ERV Air exchangers, and Cleaning Mold from a Car.
Dr. Lakshmi Manjunath, Board Certified Toxicologist, is American board-certified (DABT) and a European Registered Toxicologist with more than 12 years of experience working in the pharma, cosmetic and medical device industries.
He wrote the toxicology sections in the article on Paint Thinners, Paint Strippers, RV Antifreeze, Non-Toxic Toaster Ovens, Glow-in-the-Dark Paint, and Vinyl Plank.
Carl Grimes, HHS CIEC. Carl has a long history working in the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) field.
He has been involved in changing regulations for healthy buildings and mold standards. He serves on the board of many indoor air quality institutions, teaches courses, and is currently the Managing Director at Hayward Healthy Home.
Carl contributed to the post on Mitigating Off-gassing and the post on Insulating Vans and Cargo trailers.
Dr. Lyle Burgoon a trained Regulatory Toxicologist (PhD) is the President and CEO of Raptor Pharm and Tox where he provides scientific and litigation support services to clients on the topics of drug and chemical toxicology, biostatistics, and scientific integrity investigations.
He previously worked for the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center.
He contributed to the articles on Depression Glass and Uranium Glass.
Tim David, HVAC professional with 30+ years of experience.
He has held various jobs in the HVAC industry over his 30-year career. Now retired, he does home and commercial work on the side while teaching the next generation the craft.
He reviewed the article on Ozone.
Andrew Miles, Master Plumber, 30+ years licensed plumber currently working for HUB Plumbing and Mechanical, one of NYC’s largest plumbing companies. Andrew has been registered as a licensed plumber since 1987. He has specialties in installing whole house and under-the-counter water filtration systems.
He reviewed the article on Pipes.
Dr. Bryan Quoc Le, PhD, food scientist, food industry consultant and author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he studied the flavor chemistry of onions.
He contributed to the post on Onions Neutralizing VOCs.
Nimisha Suraj, Food Safety & Hygiene Consultant/Auditor, with 7+ years of experience in the food industry. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Biotechnology Engineering and a Master’s degree in Food Bioscience from Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland.
She reviewed and fact-checked the information for the articles on Food Grade Paint and Food Grade Coatings.
Dr. Sabrina Kong, is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, from the Royal Veterinary College in England. She has been working at a small animal clinic in Northern California since.
She contributed to and reviewed the article on Safe Paints for a Rabbit Hutch.
Dr. Samuel G. Mwaura, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, and surgeon for small animals (pets including non-traditional pets). He is practicing veterinary medicine and surgery at an animal hospital as well as house calls. He is also a consultant on animal health, nutrition, and welfare.
He contributed to and reviewed the articles on Safe Paints for a Chicken Coop, Safe Paints for Reptile Enclosures, and Non-Toxic Cat Litter.
Editor
Quinlin Johnson has been my amazing editor for several years. He’s a master at finding my errors.
What Information is Deemed Credible and Used to Inform the Research:
- Building Biology Institute’s official educational materials
- Material Safety Data and Technical Data Sheets
- Information from the manufacturers (I will note if it was in writing, or given on the phone)
- Environmental organizations eg. EWG, Pharos, David Suzuki, Habitable
- Patents related to the product
- Respected green building/or building science sites like Green Building Adviser, Fine Home Building, Building Science Corp, and 475
- Experience: Reactions and tolerance of specific brands gathered from thousands of chemically sensitive folks
- My own testing to compare offgassing levels of different brands, or to compare functionality of different brands
- Educational material from Cheryl Ciecko, architect, who specializes in mold prevention, Steve Bazcek, architect, Christine Williamson, architect, Mat Risinger, builder/educator.
- Books on healthy home building, materials composition, and chemistry (not self-published)
How Affiliate Links Are Used
Over the years, more companies that I have talked about in the blog have created affiliate programs to link to them, so over time, the blog has more links.
More and more products are now available on Amazon as well, which is the preferred supplier for many people in the US.
The blog is research-heavy and compared to other blogs and competitors, I make it a priority to provide information first.
This means all of the best [thing I’m reviewing] will be included, whether they have an affiliate program or not.
None of the posts are sponsored and I have not allowed paid guest posts nor paid links on the site.
For more information, see the Privacy Policy, Disclaimer, Disclosure.
Geographical Area
The blog focuses primarily on products available in the US and Canada.
Full Editorial Policy is here.
Site Owner
Corinne Segura of My Chemical-Free House Consulting, is the site owner and business owner.
The Business
The business that runs the website and consulting is “My Chemical-Free House Consulting” which is registered in BC, Canada.
- Business address: 1138 View Street, Unit 415, Victoria BC, V8V 3M1, Canada
- Business phone numbers: 1 437 602 3206 and 1 825 579 0899
- Email address for business purposes only: corinne@mychemicalfreehouse.net or mychemicalfreehouse@gmail.com
Do not send product samples to this business address. My mailing address is different from the business address.
The phone number and email addresses are for business purposes only. They are not for consulting or advice related to healthy housing.
If you need customer support for a product email me.
If you have any questions for me please leave a comment on the most related blog post or book a consultation.