We spend more time inside our home than anywhere else. To state the obvious, we’re also continuously breathing. This makes breathing healthy home air vital. Breathing in toxins in the air can lead to a variety of health issues such as respiratory problems, headaches, fatigue, and other conditions.
Indoor air pollution affects many households that may not even realize it is an issue. There are some simple things you can do to improve the quality of the air you breathe inside the home.
Keep Your Home Clean
Good indoor air is low in dust, animal dander, and mold. Vacuuming once or twice a week with a vacuum that includes a HEPA filter can help remove pollutants from the air. Regularly dusting, and cleaning sheets, drapes, and anything else that can collect allergens is important, too. If you’re in the process of looking for a home or considering some remodeling projects, remember that hardwood flooring is easier to clean than carpet.
Change Your Filters
Regularly changing your HVAC filters ensures that they continue to work hard to keep your air cleaner. When the filters are clogged, your HVAC system is working harder than it needs to be, and it’s likely pumping some of those pollutants it would otherwise trap back into the air.
Use an Air Purifier for Air Purification
Air purifiers can improve air quality in your home through air purification. This is especially helpful if you have respiratory issues or asthma, you smoke, have pets, live with kids or roommates, or you live around construction. Quality air purifiers filter out fine particles like dust, smoke, or pet dander. They may even make users feel a little better.
Proper Ventilation Systems Throughout the Whole House
Common air pollutants are more likely to gather in the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, or basement because these areas may be tougher to properly ventilate. We may also be using gas appliances in these areas – another significant health risk for home air. Make sure to use house fans or floor fans in these areas to keep air moving where you can. It’s also always important to keep doors and windows open in the main living areas whenever possible. Haley Mechanical also offers ventilation systems for the areas of your home that may have a higher concentration of air pollutants.
Eliminate or Reduce Your Use of Scented Products
As nice as that smell is, if it is not derived from natural sources, that scent can have a negative impact on your indoor air quality. Sometimes there are thousands of compounds within a particular scent, and some are carcinogenic. Manufacturers are not required to list out the ingredients. These chemicals could also be harmful to your pets and plants. Perfumes, colognes, scented candles, scented air fresheners, and laundry detergents could all potentially be problematic.
Achieving Healthy Home Air
It’s impossible to remove all the contaminants from the air, but we can certainly improve on the quality of our indoor air. Healthy home air is important for maintaining good health, and something we can work towards. If you have any further questions or would like to talk more about our air quality products, contact Haley Mechanical today!
