In a world dominated by hazardous industrial smoke & the unrelenting traffic of highway runners, little attention is paid to how to improve indoor air quality. Yet, this is a critical consideration of day-to-day living.
We spend comparatively little time outside — to the time we spend indoors. Some studies say we spend 87% of our time within the walls of our home.
Indoor air pollution is as toxic as outdoor pollution — if not worse. Have you noticed that smells are less bearable when in a confined space? That’s how pollution works.
Recommendations for Improving Indoor Air Quality
The fortunate part of this is that indoor pollution is rarely as extreme as what we have outdoors. Therefore, the state of airflow in your home can be improved with basic knowledge & better attention to maintenance.
Do not panic.
Replace the Filter of Your Air Conditioning System
For the right temp in your home throughout the year, your air conditioner is what to pay more attention to. As the AC cycles through the air, it is as well filtering our air pollutants.
However, it soon loses the latter ability as the pollutants start to clog the filter. This inescapably affects indoor air quality. Also, the air conditioner becomes less resistant to spoilage & it starts to demand expensive repairs.
The simple solution to this is to replace the air filter regularly. You must not wait until the filters are choked before you even do so. This piece of advice is especially important if you have allergies or live in an area where the level of pollution is high.
Take Care of Other Air Filters too
It’s easy to think the air conditioner is the only machine using a filter to work towards maintaining clean air in the home. But it isn’t.
You need to also check the filters of similar appliances you have at home.
Inspect the kitchen cabinets, kitchen vents, clothes dryer & washing machine, and exercise the required maintenance — which I’m suspecting you haven’t in about a year. The typical duration to wait after cleaning an air filtering appliance is 4-6 months.
The usefulness of your air cleaners depends mostly on how effectively they collect pollutants from the air & the amount of air drawn through the cleaning or filtering of the elements.
Check out the Air Ducts
The air ducts are the distributors of hot & cold air inside your house, thereby fostering a convenient living condition in every room. With properly functioning air ducts, you don’t need to figure out ways to remain warm or refreshed because room temp is always ideal.
However, in their absence, or when they are clogged, it is easy for contaminants to make their way from room to room, like from the attic to the living room. Think about it: it’s only logical that dust, sander & mold will accumulate inside the ducts with time, thereby lowering air quality.
To keep the air fresh, you can employ a pro to clean or change the ducts.
Carpets, Rugs, and Indoor Plants?
Rugs & carpets have more responsibilities than merely providing your feet with lush comfort. They are also air filters, because they trap dust particles naturally within their fibers. They must be cleaned regularly, therefore. Depending on the type you’re using, it can be daily or weekly.
By being clean, they improve air filters.
Besides, you should consider introducing indoor plants. They are natural air filters, which will do wonders for your indoor air quality. This will also improve the outlook of your home. You can make use of little plants like ferns & lilies or larger selections like palm trees. You may even make your personal medicinal herb garden in your living room.
These are the best natural solutions for getting rid of contaminants in the indoor air.
Regulate Humidity Levels in the Home
Humidity breeds mold & mildew, which are funguses that can lead to lung conditions like allergies & asthma.
Typically depending on where you live, the summer months are what brings the humid conditions. You have to be ready to reduce the moisture coming into the house through the air & remove mold growth through dehumidifiers.
There are plenty of humidifier options that will help to maintain healthy levels of humidity, supporting comfortable living temp in the home.
Improve Ventilation
Adequate ventilation helps to regulate indoor air quality. Ventilation affects temperature and will also dilute or remove accumulated airborne pollutants in the home. Letting more air into your home will also reduce the contaminants in the home.
Introducing outdoor air inside is truly a gainful step, but you must consider your environment. Ensure there is no refuse heap or regularly burning heap nearby. Also, are you so close to industries that you can perceive the smell of their industries as you look out your window or walk across your streets?
If you realize that the answers to the above questions tell you that the outdoor air surrounding you is safe to let in, then, by all means, do so!
Various ways to invite the outdoor air inside include:
- Opening the doors & windows more;
- The use of mechanical methods like outdoor air intake related to HVAC, ventilation & hearing systems;
- The use of infiltration, which is a technique that lets air in through cracks & openings in the walls, floors & ceilings, and at the edges of doors & windows. Note that infiltration is often a natural process because air always wants to pass through available openings in your home.
In an environment that’s not exposed to air pollution threats, natural ventilation can be of great help towards improving indoor air quality.
Final Lines on How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
There are plenty of reasons to know how to improve indoor air quality, not so? You don’t want to suffocate the people who live with you, nor should your home have a pungent smell due to poor air quality. True, this is your choice to make, but it’s one I’d advise you to.