3 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Many people thought that the air outdoors is worse than the air we breathe indoors. However, several studies show that the air inside our home is actually as polluted as the air outside and this comes with health implications. You may not be aware of this, but the air inside your home is actually filled with pollution coming from house dust, fire retardants, formaldehyde, and even those volatile chemicals coming from the cleaning products that we use on a daily basis.

Considering the fact that we tend to spend most of our time indoors, having a poor quality of air inside your home can be a problem. It can also be more debilitating for young children, the elderly, and those who are suffering from allergies, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses.

So before you or any of your loved ones get sick, here’s everything you need to know about improving the quality of air indoors.

How to Keep Indoor Air Clean?

Thankfully, there are many ways on how you can improve the quality of air inside your home. Most of these solutions are simple, quick, and affordable.

Open your windows

Consider opening your windows in order to let the polluted air escape and allow the fresh air to get inside. You don’t need to leave the windows open the entire day. Opening your windows for a few minutes every single day is enough to improve the air quality inside your home. You may turn on a ceiling fan or portable fan while the windows are open in order for the indoor air to recirculate and push the stale air out.

Use non-toxic products for cleaning

The chemicals coming from the household products that we use to clean our home are often the number one reason for the poor air quality indoors. So the next time you shop for household cleaning products, look for those products that don’t have any toxic chemicals in them. Or better yet, use natural cleaning products, such as baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar, hot water, and other ingredients in your kitchen that you can use for cleaning your home.

Grow healthy houseplants indoor

There are certain types of plants that can filter the air in your home by sucking the harmful chemicals that are floating in the air. A study done by NASA has found that a handful of houseplants are capable of eating up some harmful chemicals in the air, such as benzene, formaldehyde, etc. So if you have a green thumb, consider growing one of these plants inside your home to help in cleaning the air.

Choose your paint well

You’re probably familiar with that unpleasant odor that a room produces right after you paint the walls. The odor can sometimes be intense that it could make you feel dizzy. To avoid this, choose your paint well the next time you decide to paint your house.

Avoid conventional paints that emit toxic fumes. Instead, choose safer paints that are labeled “low VOC” or “zero VOC”. If possible, opt for the zero VOC, because these types of paints have no solvents and toxic in them. This means that it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals that could pollute your indoor air.

Invest in a vacuum that has HEPA filter

Floors and carpets are capable of producing chemicals and common allergens that get mixed with the household dust. Vacuuming your home for a few times a week is a great way to keep it clean, however, cheap vacuums may just make matters worse. These vacuums also have the tendency to suck some harmful chemicals in and then spew them back into the air, which adds up to the poor air quality.

Therefore, when buying a vacuum for your home, always opt for something that has a HEPA filter. This unit is capable of suctioning all types of dirt, dust, and even the tiniest irritants.

Maintain a healthy level of humidity

One of the best ways to improve the air quality inside your home is to maintain a good level of humidity with the help of an efficient home humidifier. Humidifiers work by humidifying your home and maintaining a proper level of humidity, which is important in preventing the growth of viruses, mold, and other harmful bacteria.

Aside from getting rid of these harmful substances, humidifiers also help to prevent the symptoms of colds and other infections.

Does Air Humidifier Clean Indoor Air Pollution?

If you don’t own a humidifier yet, first you should click here to read reviews about the best humidifiers for dry skin, then it’s about time to get one because this device can help to improve the quality of air indoors. This is especially important during the winter months when symptoms of skin infections and dry skin are at their peak.

There are many different types of humidifiers, although they all operate in the same manner and that is to add moisture to your indoor air. By releasing moisture into the air, the level of humidity will be increased and can help alleviate common cold weather conditions. Furthermore, the added moisture in the air can also help to reduce static electricity that can also help to prevent cracks in furniture and paint. Thus, the use of a humidifier can greatly improve the quality of air indoors.

Air pollution is said to be the number one health risk all over the world. In 2012, it’s been said that about 7 million people died as a result of air pollution and 4.3 million of these deaths are related to indoor air pollution. By having a humidifier in your indoor living space, you can keep your loved ones safe from illnesses brought about by unhealthy and polluted indoor air.

When using the humidifier, it’s important not to over humidify your home because doing so could trigger the growth of molds, which totally defeats the purpose. Moreover, you should make sure to clean the humidifier on a regular basis to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria in the water tank.

What Do You Deal With Indoor Air Pollution?

Indoor air pollution can range from short-term to long-term effects. The most common short-term effects of indoor air pollution are throat and eye irritation. On the other hand, long-term effects are respiratory illnesses and cancer. Exposure to a high level of pollutants, including carbon monoxide, can also lead to immediate death. In addition, some of the indoor air pollutants could worsen the effects of other pollutants. Based on the cancer risk alone, scientists have considered indoor air pollution as among the most significant environmental problems that the world is dealing with.

So how do you know if your air quality indoor is poor? The symptoms of poor indoor air quality are broad and will usually depend upon the contaminant. These symptoms can also be mistaken as symptoms of other illnesses like colds, stress, allergies, influenza, and stress. Some of the most common symptoms that your air is polluted are sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, dizziness, fatigue, and headaches.

If you have noticed any of these symptoms from your loved ones, then it’s time that you take the necessary steps to improve your indoor air quality. As shown above, you have plenty of options when it comes to improving your air quality, but perhaps the best solution of all is in investing in a high-quality and efficient home humidifier