Last Updated on September 19, 2022 by Kravelv
Many homes, especially in the city, have less than pristine air quality. This can be caused by a number of factors, including outdoor pollution, poor ventilation, and even contaminants from smoking, pets, or household chemicals.
Indoor air quality is critical in the post-covid age. As we spend more time indoors thanks to remote work and possible lockdowns, the air we breathe at home must be up to standard to ensure good health and wellness. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on improving indoor air quality though. In fact, here are five things you could do to improve the air quality in your home.
1. Change the HVAC and Other Air Filters
Every two months at least, you need to change the air filter in your central HVAC system. Some systems need to be cleaned or swapped every 45 days. Your window AC units require the same type of care. Many of them feature washable filters, and these may require monthly cleaning.
Also, address your vacuum filter. It can spread pollutants or help weed them out. When you don’t change them often enough, the filters actually help spread pollutants instead of helping stop them.
2. Grow Indoor Plants
Buy a bunch of indoor plants. These natural air purifiers will clean the house’s air for you. When plants undergo their process of partaking in food, photosynthesis, they take carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to oxygen. Their activity adds clean oxygen to the home. Put plants in an area with stale, stagnant air and they will remove toxins via the process of transpiration. The microorganisms in the plant’s soil also work to help you purify your indoor air.
3. Avoid Synthetic Air Fresheners
Air fresheners smell good, but they contain dangerous synthetic fragrances that pollute the air. Their synthetic smell might seem terrific, but those air fresheners may actually pollute your indoor air. You can still have the same great smell from natural means. Use an essential oil diffuser in the bathroom instead. Switching creates an instant improvement. Also, avoid burning scented candles daily, which can add to the pollution problem.
4. Use Stove Ventilation Every Time You Cook
The smoke and fumes from cooking can pollute your home even though you cook healthy food. To rid yourself of this pollution, simply run the fan above the stove every time you cook.
It’s worse if you burn something you’re cooking because the burning process creates carcinogens. If you forget to turn it on every once in a while, you’ll be alright, but strive to practice safer cooking. Turn on the vent as soon as you enter the kitchen to cook. The exhaust fan solves the issue and makes cooking safe again. Also, crack a window.
Set the exhaust fan to high and go about your cooking. Even though Gordon Ramsay and Bobby Flay don’t make a show of using theirs, you can bet that they do. The fan becomes even more vital if you cook with propane or natural gas. Those fuels, when burning, add tiny bits of carbon monoxide and formaldehyde to your home’s air. Ventilating them helps ensure that you don’t add those chemicals to your home.
You also need to use the kitchen vent and open a window when using a self-cleaning oven in cleaning mode. The high heat to burn off material used in self-cleaning can add carcinogenic particulate matter to your home’s air. Ensuring proper ventilation mitigates this so you remain safer.
Put up a note for yourself if you need to, so you remember to switch on the vent and exhaust fan when you enter the kitchen to cook. Opening a window helps, too, so do that as soon as you enter the room.
5. Install An Air Purification Device
Purchase and install a portable or whole-house air purification system. These air purification machines use HEPA filters to trap microscopic particles harmful to your health. They typically catch about 99.7 percent of the bad airborne particles. Some provide 99.9 percent functionality.
Humidifiers also help regulate humidity to healthy levels. Overly dry air, especially during the cold winter season, can impact respiratory and skin health. Use a humidifier to restore moisture. Some furnaces and HVAC systems also come with a built-in humidifier function. Just make sure that you don’t let the humidity rise over 60 percent. If you notice condensation on the windows, reduce the humidity setting.
Those five simple things can transform the air in your home. You can breathe better air by the end of this week by implementing these five tips.
