8 Tips to Find Indoor Air Quality

Knowing how to improve the indoor air quality of the home can protect your family’s health and help you spend less time cleaning. However, most of us take indoor air quality for granted as we believe that the walls and windows will keep the dust and smog out of our homes. But that’s seldom enough, and we need more for improving the indoor air quality of the house as your family’s health depends on it.

Sources of indoor air pollution

Over and above the obvious things such as tobacco and smoke or the unventilated chimneys, there are other less obvious sources of indoor air pollution such as:

• Radon
• Mold and mildew
• Organic gasses
• Volatile organic compounds in paints, chemicals, pesticides, permanent markers, and glues
• Formaldehyde release from permanent-press fabrics, particleboard, plywood, and laminates
• Butane, carbon dioxide, and nitrous oxide used as propellants in aerosol sprays.

Some pollutants, in fact, come from things which we use for cleaning our homes such as chlorine bleach in laundry or cleaning products, or other chemicals in air fresheners. Over time, they accumulate in the home’s air and even interact with other substances for creating indoor air pollution.

Indoor air pollution health risks

Most of the time, people even fail to realize that their homes are filled with indoor air pollution which is causing health problems. If you have a cold that just doesn’t go away or sniffs that refuse to stop. Sometimes we get itchy eyes, a scratchy throat, or an unexplained rash.

Often the cause of prolonged issues such as respiratory problems, headaches, frequent colds and coughs, and fatigue is indoor air pollution.

Tips to improve the indoor air quality of your home

Air it out

Keeping the windows closed for a long time traps the irritants inside the house. When the temperatures are mild; not extremely hot or cold, open the windows on the opposite sides of the house to create a cross-draft which will quickly freshen up the indoor air. If a family member suffers from outdoor allergies, open the windows during a time when pollen is lowest or immediately after a good rain, late at night or 2 hours after the sunrise.

Grow air-filtering houseplants

Some plants are excellent at removing the pollutants from your home. It is advised to plant Boston ferns, palm trees, and rubber plants as they all improve the air quality.

Don’t just move the dust around

Feather dusters are not helpful in getting rid of the fine particles. Though they are popular, the Swiffer duster is a little better than feather dusters unless you spritz them with water so that they don’t shed matters as and when you walk cleaning through the room. Microfiber cloths with ultrafine fibers are considered the best for cleaning if you use them damp and rinse often.

Get your home tested for radon

Radon is a naturally occurring gas that travels to your home through the soil. It is determined as one of the leading causes of cancer in non-smokers. Radon is invisible and odorless which makes it essential to get your home tested for the same.

Choose the fabrics wisely

The silk fabrics and dry-clean-only fabrics may look lovely, but they can’t be easily laundered and hold onto contaminants in our home’s air. Go with washable fabrics and clean your curtains once in a few months. If you have non-washable material, try to vacuum clean them regularly.

Use the right vacuum properly

Vacuums with bags are the best for trapping dust as they are sealed. Go for a vacuum cleaner with a high-efficiency particulate air filter for getting over 99% of the ultrafine particles which lead to health issues. When you use the vacuum cleaner, vacuum slowly and overlap passes each time.

Get a natural clean

Home-made cleaning products are not only economical, but they are also better for your indoor air quality. Give the ammonia-based glass cleaners a ditch and make your own window spray that hardly costs anything.

Clean your air

If someone in your home has respiratory issues or allergy, invest in an air purifier or air scrubber for removing dust, pollen, and other particulate matters from the air.

Keeping the tips mentioned above in mind, you can make sure your indoor air quality is good so that you can breathe peacefully and remain diseases free.