How to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality
The air quality in your home may be the last thing that you think about, but it matters far more than you can imagine. Clean air inside your home is not only great for your wellbeing but your health as well. Sadly, a lot of us spend time indoors not knowing that the quality of air inside is could be affecting us negatively.
When you picture polluted air, images of trash, smog, billowing black smoke from factory chimneys and highways clouded with emissions from cars probably come to mind. The last place you expect to run into polluted air is your own living room. However, according to research, indoor air quality can even be worse and more polluted than outdoor air.
As a homeowner, you want to take every step possible to make sure that everyone inhabiting your home is breathing in clean air, especially the little ones, the elderly or anyone that might be suffering from any respiratory problems.
Poor indoor quality can have severe consequences that range from short term to long term effects. The short term effects include irritation of the eyes and throat. However, the long term effects can be severe, leading to respiratory diseases and even cancer.
Fortunately, it is entirely possible to control the quality of your indoor air with just a few steps. Here are some simple things that you can do to improve your home’s air quality:
Use a Himalayan Salt Lamp
Himalayan salt lamps have been popular for a while now and it is easy to see why. Himalayan salt lamps host a variety of health and environmental advantages, making them one of the best accessories that you can have in your home. As the name suggests, Himalayan salt lamps are made using pieces of actual Himalayan salt crystals.
Not only can these salt crystals double up as great decorations, but they also serve as natural sources of light. But the benefits of these salt lamps extend far beyond the aesthetics. When turned on, these chunks of salt generate negative ions that have a positive impact on air quality.
These Himalayan salt lamps help to make the quality of air better, as well as improve sleep and enhance one’s mood. If possible, Himalayan salt lamps should be placed in every room in the house to make them more effective.
Keep Your House Clean
You may have heard it said before; that a clean house is a healthy house. As such, if you want to improve your quality of indoor air, one of the most straightforward things that you can do is keep your home clean. A clean home environment will help to eliminate any disease-causing allergens in your home, therefore reducing the number of times that you fall ill.
To keep your home clean, try and vacuum your carpets and rugs at least once a week. To get the best results, consider investing in a high-quality vacuum that has been outfitted with a HEPA filter. Your bedding, drapes, couches, and any other items that are likely to attract allergens should also be cleaned regularly, especially if there are pets in the picture.
Change Your Filters Often
If there is a forced-air heating system in your house, you must change your filters as often as possible. Clean electronic filters are designed to make sure that dust and an array of other airborne irritants are trapped instead of circulating all over your home.
Although there are many different air filter brands out there, most manufacturers actually recommend that you change your filters at least once a month and check the condo’s fan coil unit. If there are ducts in your home, you also need to remove any dust that may be trapped within the ducts. If you don’t feel confident in doing this yourself, you can look for HVAC Services in Coachella, CA, or services that are local to you, and have a professional do the work for you.
Introduce Activated Charcoal to Your Space
People have been using activated charcoal safely for air purification for decades. During World War 1, soldiers would often place activated charcoal in their gas masks to filter harmful gas emissions. When placed inside your home, activated charcoal can be a quick, effortless and affordable way to reduce air contaminants.
Activated charcoal is completely safe to use. It is also odorless, increasingly absorptive and works wonders when you are trying to improve the quality of your indoor air.
Try Using Beeswax Candles
Beeswax candles are natural purifiers. Unlike traditional candles, beeswax candles do not produce any smoke when lit. Traditional candles produce smoke that may be harmful because they are made from materials such as petroleum. When lit, these conventional candles produce harmful substances like toluene, benzene, and soot that pollute the air.
In contrast, all-natural beeswax candles help to purify the air by generating negative ions that are responsible for eradicating pollutants and other toxins. Beeswax candles burn slower, meaning that they last longer. Best of all, they come in a variety of scents so that you can create the perfect serene environment for you and your family.
Use Essential Oils
Essential oils are natural products with potent properties. Essential oils such as oregano, thyme, mint, rosemary, lemon, and tea tree can do wonders for the quality of your indoor air. In the presence of such oils, components like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and mold cannot survive.
“According to Kate Huber, chief editor at NJGamblingFun, ‘’a lot of essential oils are antifungal and antimicrobial, which means that they are capable of fighting the growth of pathogens that are debilitating to one’s health. Essential oils also have astringent and antiseptic properties, which explain why they have become so widely used’’.
To use essential oils to improve your indoor air quality, put a few drops of your favorite oils in a vapor diffuser or an air purifier. To get the best results, you can also mix one or two oils to make your home’s air quality healthier.
Final Thoughts
As mentioned earlier, your quality of indoor air can be about 2 to 5 times more polluted compared to the air outside. And since we spend a huge portion of our time indoors, air quality is a pretty huge deal. Poor air quality can affect your health and that of your family so you must keep things that cause pollution out of your living space.
