Air pollution outdoors may be an obvious threat to health, but did you know that air indoors can sometimes also pose a serious risk? So how often do you think about improving your home’s quality of indoor air?
As necessary as it is, most people tend to overlook the need for indoor air improvement. However, the importance of quality indoor air cannot be overstated.
It is not enough to just clean your house and use the best home scent available at your disposal. It is also crucial that you ensure the air that’s circulating indoors is of great quality.
Below are some of the effective ways you can keep your indoor air quality great:
Ventilate Your House Often
If there are any leaks when it comes to ventilation within your house, then there is a huge chance some risky substances can get sucked into the air circulation and will be circulated throughout your house as well. Ventilation is therefore very important when it comes to improving the quality of indoor air in your home.
Set Up Air Purifier Devices
Air purifiers are good at removing impurities from the air, but there are still other ways you can effectively improve the quality of your indoor air at home. For starters:
- a) Make Use of Natural Air Fresheners
There are some natural ingredients that can be used as air fresheners that have calming effects and can also help reduce stress levels indoors: lemon grass, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, and tuberose can be used as air fresheners.
To give a positive smell, lemon grass can be boiled into water then cooled off into a spray bottle that holds about 10 ounces; add about three drops of your favorite essential oil for scent. You can also put herbs like lavender or rosemary in boiling water, letting it cool off prior to spraying it on any surface with atomizers.
Another way to use essential oils is to drop about five drops of your preferred oil on a cotton ball or pad and put it inside an open container with a lid. Keep the lid closed but allow for air ventilation so that your room can be blessed by the scent!
- b) Use Air Purifiers
How do air purifiers work? Air purifiers help filter out various kinds of impurities from the air such as dust, pollen, bacteria, mold spores and pet dander. Here are some ways in which you can choose out an air cleaner:
You should purchase an SLA Unit (a type of air purifier that uses Stabilized Liquid Activated Carbon Technology). This particular technology is known to remove dust, pollen and mold spores.
Depending on the kind of filter that you prefer to use, there are HEPA filters as well as carbon filters that can be used by your air purifier. Though similar in name, they differ in the way they capture particulate matter lodged in the air. Here is a list about what each filter is best for:
- HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) – Captures dust mites, bacteria, viruses and certain types of pollutants from the air; good for capturing smaller particles but not large ones like pet dander.
- Carbon Filters – Designed to neutralize odor molecules; good for filtering out smells such as cigarette smoke or cooking fumes.
Plants
Aside from air fresheners, you can also make use of plants that will help naturally remove impurities in the air. While there are various kinds of natural purifiers out there, here are some good examples:
- Banana trees – it is known to remove formaldehyde while absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; it also helps purify the air and boosts your home’s aesthetic value!
- Bamboo palm – known to absorb allergen causing mold spores, dust mites and bacteria; this type of plant is best placed in areas where there may be people with allergies for asthmatics.
Healthy Furnishings
Finally, any source of indoor emitter should be well taken care of as this will help reduce the emission of the substances in your home and thus improve its overall air quality. Here are some tips on how you can achieve that:
- a) Use non-emitting paints when painting your house – paints that produce low levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as latex paint or even acrylic paint are good choices.
- b) Insulate Your House to Keep Indoor Emitters at Bay – if there are cracks and leaks in your home insulation then smells from other rooms as well as outdoors may seep through it into other areas; take a look for possible sources of the leak just in case it is occurring in your ceiling, walls or floor.
