4 Tips for Improving Indoor Air Quality

With the average person spending 90% of their time indoors, you and your loved ones are more susceptible to indoor air contaminants such as radon and formaldehyde. When inhaled, indoor pollutants compromise your health and cause illnesses like allergic reactions, bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, heart diseases, and lung cancer.

According to a recent study, poor indoor quality accounts for 9000 of the 40000 annual deaths resulting from air pollution. For this reason, you should familiarize yourself with ways to improve air quality inside your home to protect your family. Below are four tips to follow.

1. Get rid of obvious air pollutants

An effective way to ensure better indoor air quality is by eliminating anything that could be causing air decay in the first place. This includes cleaning products like air fresheners, bleach, cleaning sprays, and glass cleaners. Instead of investing in composite wood furniture, opt for solid wood to minimize formaldehyde. Smoking outside can also reduce exposure to secondhand smoke.

2. Invest in an air purifier

The best way to improve air quality inside your home is to remove sources of air pollution, especially when allergic. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to control the problem’s source. For instance, you may have trouble with cigarette cessation or are unwilling to give up your canine. In such cases, bringing in an air purifier is your best shot at improving your home’s indoor quality.

Purifiers such as the Alen air purifier capture irritants that could compromise indoor air quality. An air purifier traps contaminated air from the atmosphere and eliminates carbon dioxide, VOCs, smoke, pet dander, and mold spores from the air, before releasing it back into the house. Be sure to purchase an air purifier with a fan. This way, the fan circulates the fresh air throughout the house.

3. Replace air filters

Your heating and cooling system is fitted with air filters that trap carbon monoxide, pet dander, bacteria, dust, debris, and dirt, among other contaminants, from the atmosphere. Unfortunately, these contaminants build up over time, clogging the HVAC air filters. This means the filters can no longer perform their function, causing the air conditioning system to work harder than it should to maintain optimal home temperatures, increasing electricity bills.

Filthy filters also compromise the quality of air inside your home. For this reason, you should clean your filters regularly and replace them every three months to boost your home’s indoor air quality. If you are allergic or have furry friends, change the filters more frequently to manage allergic symptoms.

4. Keep doors and windows open

Improving your home’s indoor air quality does not have to be complicated and costly. Even simple and pocket-friendly measures such as opening doors and windows can boost air quality inside your home. Opening windows and doors eliminates air pollutants from your home while letting in cleaner, fresher air.

Keeping windows and doors open can result in a spike in your energy bills, especially in winter. This is because warm air escapes the house from the open doors, making the AC put more effort into cooling the home. Be sure to turn off your air conditioning system before opening windows and doors to keep energy bills at a minimum.

Endnote

Poor indoor air quality compromises your loved one’s health and home’s comfort. Get rid of apparent contaminants, purchase an air purifier, change AC filters, and keep doors and windows open to improve indoor air quality and reduce associated health complications.