How to Improve Indoor Air Quality and Reduce Air Pollution in Your Home

When you think about pollution and air quality, you likely picture cars stacked up in bumper-to-bumper traffic, creating a thick haze of smog. You likely recognize there are factors that affect air quality outside, but have you ever thought about the air you breathe inside your home?

When it comes to the health of you and your family, indoor air quality is crucial. Luckily, there are steps you can take to reduce air pollution in your home. Here are some ways to improve the quality of the air you breathe inside your space.

Open some windows

One way to improve your indoor air quality is to increase ventilation. There are a few ways to do this, and the easiest is to open multiple windows in your home if the weather permits it. Promoting the exchange of exterior and interior air is a good way to improve your home’s air quality, because it brings in fresh air and lets out indoor air and any accompanying contaminants.

Change your air conditioner’s filter regularly

The filter on your air conditioner catches harmful impurities, in addition to any dust, dander or debris. Not changing it often enough can reduce its effectiveness and cause your air conditioner to run less efficiently. You’ll want to change your AC filter at least every three months to maintain healthy indoor air quality, although you may need to do so more often if you have family members with respiratory issues or allergies, or if you have pets in your home.

Turn on the fans

If you’re taking a shower or using your stove, you should turn on the bathroom or kitchen fan, respectively. A hot shower causes steam and moisture to accumulate, which can lead to mold and other problems. The overhead fan offsets this. When cooking, your stove will be emitting certain harmful chemicals like carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide that you don’t want to be breathing in, but turning on the fan above the stovetop can remove some of those toxins.

Don’t smoke inside

Cigarette smoke is filled with thousands of chemicals, and can cause cancer. Smoking in enclosed areas has been made illegal in many places in the United States and the world over, and for good reason. Airborne particles left behind by cigarette smoke can remain at damaging levels for up to five hours. Keeping your home free of first- and secondhand smoke is key to reducing air pollution and having superior indoor air quality.

Keep your floors clean

Whether it’s rugs or carpets or your vinyl kitchen floor, keeping your floors clean is a key part of reducing airborne pollutants in your home. This is because dust and debris can build up in your home’s carpeting and rugs. Running a vacuum over them once a week can be extremely beneficial. Along that same lines, mopping the solid floors of your kitchen and bathroom can wash away any contaminants that have been tracked in and are affecting the air in your home.

Call about our sustainable homes today

It’s good to know how to reduce air pollution and improve the indoor air quality in your home. Those factors and many more are the bedrock of the principles we have at Healthy Communities. We believe it’s possible to craft a home that not only suits your needs, but is highly sustainable as well. Reach out to learn more about our processes!

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