Even though you can’t see what you breathe in, the air you breathe in is ubiquitous and can affect your well-being. Polluted air is the main factor for breathing difficulties and asthma allergies; long-term exposure to polluted air can lead to other life-threatening heart diseases.
Contrary to the myth that polluted air can only be found outdoors, polluted air can be found everywhere, including classrooms, bedrooms, and offices. So, it is our collective responsibility to make provisions to improve indoor air quality.
Improving Indoor Air Quality
Keep Your Home Clean
A clean home is a healthy home because when you maintain good indoor hygiene, it reduces the amount of dust and pet dander in the house. When you clean your home, your focus should be on reducing dust, foul odor, and pet dander to achieve this;
- Vacuum Clean Your Home Regularly
Your carpet and rugs are great hideouts for dust and pet dander, so endeavor to vacuum clean the surface at least thrice a week to prevent the accumulation of dirt. Also, the vacuum cleaner should be equipped with a HEPA filter for stress-free cleaning.
To reduce the frequent cleaning of your home, you can opt for a hard surface flooring to reduce the accumulation of allergens.
- Clean Your Pets Regularly
Most homes have a pet that contributes to bad indoor air quality; a regular wash of your pet, application of pets perfume and trimming of their fur can improve air quality in your home.
The pet beddings should also be washed and replaced daily to reduce germs and foul odor in the house.
Improve Ventilation In Your Home
What more could be pleasing than fresh air whispering gently across the home? Air conditioners and fans are great, but the natural air has no replacement. When building your home, attention should be paid to the windows, vent system, and doors.
Make it a schedule to open your windows in the morning and evening for fresh air and close it when it’s getting dark to keep off pests. If opening your doors and windows is not sufficient, then consider humidifiers and HVAC supplies to trap impurities in the air.
HVAC supplies are used to filter the air in the home to reduce air pollutants, including airborne viruses.
Use Indoor Plants
Plants are natural air filters because of their nature and how they utilize carbon dioxide. Naturally, plants use carbon dioxide and water with sunlight to manufacture their food and produce oxygen as a by-product for humans to breathe in. This is by far the most reliable means to improve air quality; plants take in what we breathe out and give us what we breathe in.
I mentioned plants need sunlight to grow and produce food; how do they grow indoors without sunlight? There are multiple types of grow lights that serve the function of the sun and can be used for decorative purposes.
Monitor Humidity Level
Foul odor, dust, and allergens are not the only agents that contribute to bad indoor air; high humidity levels do too. Mold growth contributes a lot to bad indoor air; humidity above 50 percent will increase mold growth in the house and can trigger reactions in asthmatic patients since most fungi produce toxins.
To maintain a low mold growth, a humidity level of 30 to 50 percent should be considered and placed in a strategic position with poor air circulation in the house. Dehumidifiers also prevent wall damage; when you notice your wall peeling off, then you need a dehumidifier to avoid that.
Additionally, your dehumidifier will help you lower your energy cost as it helps your air-conditioning system to work efficiently.
Conclusion
Poor indoor air quality is detrimental to health; aside from the inconveniences it causes, it can lead to life-threatening diseases, as we’ve seen with heart diseases, lung disease, and even cancer.
Many of us think we only encounter poor air quality of
outdoors but poor air can also be present in the home if we fail to perform our roles in keeping the home sparkling clean.
There is a saying that, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but I feel it should be “a clean home keeps the doctor away forever.”