You may think that the air inside your home is cleaner and safer than outdoor air, but it is not. Indoor air can be worse than the air outside your home. If your home has limited ventilation, it is susceptible to moisture, bacteria, viruses, and other indoor air pollutants. Without good quality outdoor air getting inside, the pollution can easily go up to dangerous levels.
If you have been spending most of your time indoors (like everyone else around the world) since the pandemic started, you owe it to yourself to ensure that the air quality inside your home is clean and safe. Polluted indoor air can damage your home and cause various health issues. These effects include respiratory problems; headaches; eye, ear, nose, and throat irritation; fatigue; and dizziness.
If air quality inside your home is poor, you owe it to yourself and your loved ones to correct this problem. The ideal way of doing this is by improving indoor air quality in your home. Here are things that you can easily do on your own.
1. Keep your home clean.
Organizing and cleaning your house regularly is an effective and efficient way of inviting good quality indoor air. A clean house means less dust, mold, and pet dander.
Start by vacuuming your area rugs and carpets using a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner. Do this once a week to ensure that allergens are reduced (or removed).
Avoid clutter as it is a favorite dwelling place of dirt and dust. Disorganized spaces in the home can trigger allergies and asthma attacks.
Your drapes and beddings must be regularly cleaned and changed as well. Leaving them on your bed or windows for weeks will make them attractive to dust mites and other allergens, specifically if you have pets.
2. Throw away all the pollutants in your home.
Cleaning products, paint, tobacco smoke, mold, coal, gas, your furniture’s chemical coatings, and ammonia are just a few examples of pollutants that you might have in your home. Throw away those that aren’t essential or find safer alternatives. For those that you still need, such as paint, you can remove them from the main indoor areas and keep them in the garage.
Pay attention to older items because they are usually more hazardous than newer ones. You have to focus on the pollutant content of some products, such as pesticides. The ones with higher pollutant concentrations must be immediately removed from your home.
3. Second-hand furniture is safer than new ones.
The fabrics used in furniture, along with paints and glues, release VOCs or volatile organic compounds. When exposed to atmosphere chemicals and sunlight, VOCs produce particulates that can irritate and damage your lungs.
Since furniture typically stops releasing VOCs after a couple of years, buying second-hand furniture from your favorite thrift shop is ideal.
4. Don’t be too dependent on scented candles.
Scented candles are quite popular nowadays. People add them to their homes for relaxation purposes. However, scented candles are like air fresheners because they contribute to the poor quality of your indoor air. Some of these candles contain hazardous ingredients like toluene, benzene, and formaldehyde, which can cause eye, nose, and throat irritation and headaches.
Choose the scented candles – or any scented item for that matter, that you place inside your home. Several stores and online retailers sell fully organic scented candles, specifically those made of natural ingredients.
5. Purchase an air filter or air purifier (if you do not have one yet).
An air filter or air purifier can trap minute particles such as pollen and dust. This incredible machine draws in all the dirty air it can find and filters it before blowing it out again into your home or room. The air it releases is now fresher, cleaner, and safer.
Air filters and purifiers also help people suffering from allergies, especially during the pollen-infested months of May, June, and July.
However, be sure to clean and change the filter regularly so that it doesn’t clog up and reduce cleaning and purifying efficiency.
6. Ventilate
Allow outdoor air to get inside your home. Open your windows so air can easily flow in and out. Keep the windows open (or at least some of them) during the winter months. This allows oxygen to keep flowing in and out. This can also help lessen humidity throughout the house. You can use a humidifier to keep the air healthy despite the extremely cold weather.
Following the tips mentioned above and ensuring that your home is in good condition are the best ways to improve your household's indoor air quality.
