3 Ways To Improve Your Indoor Air Quality Naturally

Providing the best for loved ones comes naturally to any head of the family. Homeowners go through great lengths to ensure the comfort and safety of their household. Did you know the quality of indoor air is often worse than the air outside?

Many factors make the air inside your home unhealthy. In fact, there is a chance microscopic pollutants such as mold, carbon monoxide or radon have already invaded your home and you might not be aware of it.

Be mindful of the different precautions to safeguard your home. Doing so will keep all the various pollutants at bay and will also help keep the indoor air cleaner.  Continued exposure to these pollutants will prove detrimental to the health of your loved ones.

1. Good Ventilation

Without proper ventilation indoor air gets stale. The pollutants that are present end up being breathed in. Residents who have respiratory conditions end up breathing in these harmful contaminants which cause them to suffer even more.

Open a window

The easiest solution to flush out old or stale air is to open the windows for adequate airflow and let new air into the house. Generally, the quality of outside air is significantly better than static indoor air.

Getting fresh air to circulate into and around the house is vital to ensure indoor air stays clean. Open all the windows when cleaning rooms to let dust and microscopic pollutants be carried away by the wind. The airflow from all the open windows will breathe new life into your home.

Make it a point to open the windows as often as you can throughout the week to let the good air in and bad air out. Doing so will provide the household with an ample supply of good, clean oxygen. Increased ventilation is the key.

Ventilation Fans

Install ventilation fans in the bathrooms, kitchen and even in the garage. These vent fans in bathrooms will remove excess moisture which could seep into the ceiling and end up causing mold. In case the kitchen does not have a range hood, get one installed. If that is not an option, then install a vent fan on the wall closest to the stove. Proper ventilation in the kitchen is necessary to expel nauseating fumes and other airborne pollutants caused by cooking.

Indoor Plants

It’s a scientific fact plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air and convert it into oxygen. This fact applies to all plants. Harness the power of nature and decorate your home with beautiful indoor plants.

Plants such as Aloe, Bamboo Palm and Areca Palm are some of the most popular air purifying plants for indoors. The more plants there are inside the house then, the more fresh air is generated just for you.

2. Proper Maintenance

Homeowners need to take care of all the different equipment that helps keep indoor air safe and clean. Some choose not to perform proper maintenance tasks which end up costing them more. Take the time to maintain the necessary equipment in your home.

Change or Clean HVAC Filter

Most homes today have HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems installed. This technology enables homeowners to control the temperature inside their homes effortlessly. HVAC systems are also built to clean the air indoors.

The system has a set of dedicated vents that suck the air from a room. These are usually found near baseboards. The vents then push the air through air filters and process the air to be released at the desired temperature back into the room.

HVAC systems also usually have replaceable or washable filters. Those need to be cleaned or changed approximately every 3 months.

Clean air vents

Vacuum clean air vents around the house. Air ducts can become a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. Making sure the ventilation system of the house is clean will prevent the spread of pollutants.

Air ducts provide the infrastructure for the flow of air in the whole house. Making sure the air vents are clean will help prevent clean air from getting contaminated.

Vacuum carpets regularly

The entire household goes about their daily routine and ends up back at home at the end of the day. Their shoes take them through many different terrains in and out of the city.

Those same shoes walk through the house and the carpeting leaving all sorts of pollutants in their wake. Bacteria, dust, grime and dirt get trapped in the carpet. These elements will also be kicked up into the air making it even more polluted.

Take the time to thoroughly clean the carpet to prevent the build-up of pollutants. Use a HEPA filter vacuum to ensure all contaminants are captured and removed from the premises.

3. Be Mindful

Air pollutants don’t just randomly appear in the house. They are let in and released into the indoor air by uninformed homeowners. Take precautions to prevent contaminants from invading your home.

Don’t bring dirt in

Merely walking into the house wearing the same shoes you used outside will bring in an obscene amount of pollutants. There are many different types of soil you can carry with you inside the house by wearing your outside shoes indoors.

Consider making a rule that would prevent anyone from wearing their dirty shoes inside the house. Put the shoes in a closet by the door or put a shoe rack near the door. Family members and visitors can use flip-flops or any clean footwear for indoor use only.

Proper storage

As consumers, there are many different cleaning and cooking products for use at home. What the commercials don’t say is these chemical products are VOCs s(Volatile Organic Compound). Alternatively, we recommend using  eco friendly products that do not contain any VOCs.

Even when stored, cleaning and cooking products (as well as paint) can emit VOCs into the air. The best way to store these items would be by using an airtight container to be stored in the garage. Taking this precaution can prevent the unnecessary emission of VOCs into the air indoors.

Conclusion:

Breathing at home should not cause anyone discomfort. The thought of spending quality time at home with loved ones should always be a pleasant experience. Do not make the mistake of leaving the windows closed all the time and make everyone breathe old, contaminated air.

Open a window for some fresh air and clean all air filtration systems. Add indoor plants to help naturally clean the air in your home on a regular basis.