Breathe easier inside your home by taking a few simple steps to reduce common pollutants.
We’d all love to live in a contaminant-free space, but that’s not really possible. You can, however, reduce the amount of pollutants you breathe in your home by making improvements to the space around you.
None of our recommendations on this list require significant money, effort, or time. However, these low-cost — or even free — ideas will greatly improve your home’s air quality.
Why You Need To Improve Your Air Quality
Most of us are well aware of the dangers of air pollution outside, but did you know the air pollutants inside your home could be up to 100 times higher than outdoor pollutants? Since many of us spend a significant amount of time indoors, the pollutants inside our homes could be more detrimental to our health.
Depending on the type of pollutants you’re exposed to, you could be at higher risk for cancers, pneumonia, asthma, and even heart disease. That’s why it’s crucial to do all you can to improve your home’s air quality.
1. Open a Window
If you want to instantly improve your home’s air quality, all you need to do is open a window or door. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), improving ventilation decreases the concentration of pollutants inside your home.
In other words, simply cracking a window can lower the total number of harmful pollutants you’re breathing in. On a hot day, running a window air conditioner also helps as it pulls fresh air from outside.
2. Run Fans
Whether you’re taking a shower, cooking, or working in the attic, running a localized fan that pulls air outside can help lower the number of pollutants in your space. Typically, homes have these fans over stoves, in bathrooms, and attic areas.
These fans will only pull pollutants out of the room they’re located in, but that can still make a significant difference. For example, your gas stove or oven can release formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. Using the fan above it helps you avoid breathing in those harmful chemicals.
3. Take Your Hobbies Outdoors
When possible, the EPA suggests taking your smelly hobbies outdoors. Whether you’re refinishing furniture, painting cabinetry, or want to do some high-heat cooking, it’s better to be outside.
Chemical smells from paints, furniture strippers, and other common hobby tools are often harmful to your health. Bringing the hobby outdoors means you’ll breathe in fewer toxic particles.
4. Stop Smoking
At this point, most Americans are well aware that smoking is bad for one’s health. If you’ve yet to quit, at least try not to smoke inside your house.
Cigarette smoke permeates fabrics, carpets, and clothing, adding to the pollutants in your space and putting those around you at higher risk for health problems. So, if you must smoke, keep it outdoors.
5. Buy Used Furniture
One of the most common pollutants inside homes is formaldehyde. It’s used in composite woods and many types of furniture.
You can easily avoid it (and save a little cash) by buying used furniture or sticking to solid wood pieces. As composite wood ages, it leaks out less formaldehyde into the air. So, the older the furniture, the fewer pollutants it has.
6. Use Nontoxic Cleaners
When cleaning your home, the last thing you want to do is add more harmful chemicals to the air. Unfortunately, many common household cleaners, including glass cleaners and air fresheners, contain pollutants.
Switching to non-toxic cleaning products can reduce the amount of pollutants in your home. You also might want to stop using air fresheners and other scented items altogether, as most scented items are littered with toxic air pollutants.
7. Wash Bedding in Hot Water
Dust, pet dander, and dust mites can ruin your home’s air quality, worsen your allergies, and cause allergic reactions. You can significantly reduce these pollutants by washing all the bedding in your house regularly.
Aim to use a hot water wash on all bedding at least twice per month. Doing so will help you keep dust under control.
8. Bleach Your Bathroom
Bleach isn’t the best for human lungs, but mold is far worse. So, if your bathroom is prone to high humidity and mold buildup around the grout and tiles, using a solution of bleach and water is ideal for cleaning it up.
While bleach effectively destroys mold, it’s also corrosive and irritating to human tissue. Always dilute it properly and wear protection, like gloves, when using it.
9. Vacuum and Dust Regularly
Keeping dust particles from building up in your home can greatly improve your air quality. Regular dusting with a damp cloth helps remove harmful pollutants from your space.
Vacuuming carpets and other soft surfaces, like drapes, can also help improve your home’s air quality. If you’re really serious about creating a healthier home, consider purchasing a vacuum with a HEPA filter built-in.
10. Invest in an Air Purifier
You can get a high-quality air purifier for under $50, and from an air quality perspective, it’s probably the best inexpensive investment you can make. Studies show that using air purifiers indoors improves health.
Air purifiers typically have a small range of effectiveness and don’t work if obstructed by furniture. So place them in open spaces within rooms you frequent, like your bedroom and living area, for the best results.
11. Change Your Furnace Filter
Your furnace or A/C filter’s primary purpose is to trap contaminants that could harm your heating or cooling system. However, ultimately, it removes pollutants, which is good for you as well.
That said, you should always stick to the filter type your system recommends. While purchasing a HEPA filter for your furnace is tempting, as it’s the gold standard for trapping harmful contaminants, it could cause problems for your furnace. HEPA filters are thick and may decrease airflow, causing your system to work harder than it’s meant to.
