Nearly half of Americans live with unhealthy air, which can make breathing difficult, according to The American Lung Association.
Clean air is essential for healthy lungs. It’s important to keep out of your home things that cause pollution, allergens, toxins, and ensure that your house is clean and well-ventilated.
Learn more about how polluted air can affect your health and what you can do to improve the air quality in your home and office. Breathe easy and stay healthy with these guidelines for purifying your indoor air quality.
Don’t smoke and don’t allow smoking indoors. It’s no news that smoking can threathen your life, and secondhand smoke is also dangerous. Do not let anyone smoke inside your house.
Keep pets out of your bedroom and ideally, of your house. Especially if you are sensitive or have allergies, pay attention to coming in close proximity of dogs, cats and other furry animals. Remember that your pets, no matter how clean they are or how many air purifiers you have in your home, will still be a source of bacteria.
Clean your air conditioner. Replace the filters, fix the leaks and drips as soon as they start to help keep the asthma triggers away.
Air purifiers have limitations. These devices that can help clean and purify the air can help reduce indoor air pollution, clear dust and allergens. But they also have their limitations: they aren’t effective against gases or humidity, or larger, heavier particles.
Opt for an air purifier with a True HEPA filter to make sure you eliminate up to 100% of these particles. Especially if you have pets, you need to remove all the dust and pet hair that you can inhale through your lungs and make you sick.
Coway AP-1512HH True HEPA Purifier is probably the best air purifier, as reviewed by Wirecutter. Effective, inexpensive and perfect for bedrooms, living rooms, and offices, this air purifier is one of the best-performing, most durable, and budget friendly purifiers tested and recommended by Wirecutter.
Use indoor plants that improve air quality.
Plants have the ability to clean the air of carbon dioxide, and supply oxygen for breathing. They can also remove toxins and help purify the air. One famous NASA experiment, published in 1989, found that indoor plants can scrub the air of cancer-causing volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde and benzene.
Keep your home surfaces clean. Clean floors and furniture from dust and dirt two or more times a week. Reduce the number of carpets in your house, and make sure you wash them frequently. Ideally, avoid harsh chemicals in cleaning solutions and choose eco-friendly products. If you do have carpets, use a HEPA (high efficiency particle air) vacuum cleaner to ensure better air quality. If you dry-clean your clothes, make sure you ventilate them properly before bringing them indoors.
Keep the humidity in your home below 50%. Some allergies are caused by dust mites – microorganisms that need mositure to survive and live in mattresses, pillows, sheets, carpets and other house items. Make sure you vacuum your furniture and house items regularly, use a humidifier to keep humidity levels below 50%, and wash your bedding in hot water. Also, install and run fans in bathrooms, and fix all kitchen and bathroom leaks.
Ventilate your house to keep the air clean, fresh and control the humidity levels. Ventilation is one of the best ways to improve your home air quality, and reduce humidity.
Essential oils can help purify, deodorize the air and keep it fresh. Some essential oils (peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, peppermint, lemon, thyme) may have antiviral and antimicrobial properties, and when diffused may sanitize and keep the indoor air clean. Currently, the main essential oils studied for their antifungal activity are thyme oil, tea tree oil, and peppermint or clove oil, although many others have also been shown to be effective against fungi.
Experience the benefits of a premium scenting solution
Your total home or business scenting solution – the AromaPro™ essential and aroma oil scent diffuser. Silent but very powerful, this discrete scenting device provides the ideal solution for scenting your entire home or business and diffusing essential oils for their maximum therapeutic or ambient benefits.
This diffuser also has the option to connect to your home HVAC system, allowing you to scent your entire home with ease. The AromaPro™ uses cold-air diffusion technology to release nanoparticles into the air that leave behind no residue.
Avoid toxic products – cosmetic and cleaning products with harsh ingredients that can be toxic to your skin and lungs. If you need to use these products, make sure you ventilate your home, keep the windows wide open to release the smells and chemicals. However, try to look for eco-friendly products that are marked “low VOCs”. These can include cleaning products and detergents – look for low-chemicals and eco-friendly formulas.
How do you keep your home and office clean and fresh? Please let us know in the comments below.
Read also: How Scents Can Transform Your Home Into A Spa-Like Sanctuary