As consumers, we’ve become accustomed to looking for labels that certify a product as organic, environmentally sound, or grown without pesticides or hormones. Yet rarely do we think about the safety of a product labeled “green” or “environmentally friendly” because those terms promise safety. This is false, and in fact, home safety risks are rising. Taking a few simple steps can help ensure that our homes look good and are genuinely safe and environmentally friendly.

Indoor air quality: Americans spend up to 90 percent of our time inside, and indoor air can often be 10 times more polluted than outside air, according to the Greenguard Environmental Institute ( greenguard.org), dedicated to improving indoor air quality and reducing chemical exposure. From the gases given off by carpeting and fabric to cleaning chemicals circulating indoors, the air in our homes can be hazardous to our health.

Homeowners looking for products they can safely use in the home around children, or that won’t harm indoor air quality, can check the Greenguard site, which features a directory of products that meet the institute’s indoor air quality standards. This is especially helpful if you’re buying new furniture, renovating after a storm, remodeling, or building a new home because you’ll be able to select products you can count on.

Fire hazards: Today’s consumers have another serious concern: fire.

“Since the 1970s, fires have been cut in half, but the number of fire deaths hasn’t gone down,” said Chris Hasbrook, vice president of building materials, fire and life safety for Underwriters Laboratories ( UL.com). According to Hasbrook, today’s homeowners have an increased risk of dying in a fire despite widespread use of smoke alarms. He attributes this to the increased number of synthetic- and petroleum-based building and furnishing products – the same products implicated in reduced indoor air quality.

“A generation ago, it took 29 minutes for a living room to become fully engulfed in flames,” Hasbrook said. “Today it only takes three to four minutes.”

This is why checking on the safety of the products used in the home is so important.

Improving home safety: A fast way to improve home fire safety?

“A basement with engineered wooden I-beams that catches fire can cause a house to collapse in six minutes, as opposed to 16 minutes with traditional lumber,” Hasbrook said. For that reason, he recommends putting sheetrock around any exposed beams.

Overall, Hasbrook says the best way to improve your odds of surviving a home fire is to have a monitored fire alarm.