Day to day, as people travel, work, play, and go about their lives, they face numerous environmental risks. Many of these risks cannot be avoided. However, there are risks that we can overcome. Indoor air quality is one such risk. Indeed, a lot of data shows that indoor air can be more polluted than outdoor air, even in the biggest, most industrialized, cities in the country. Considering that we spend about 90% of our time indoors, this is a very serious risk. Yet, there are a number of things that we can do to clean our indoor air to give you a healthy home.
Turn Your Home Into a Garden
Decades ago, NASA conducted “A Study of Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement”, which found that having common indoor plants could remove organic chemicals such as benzene, trichloroethylene, and formaldehyde. The study looked at various plants including those from the philodendron family, including the heart leaf philodendron, the elephant ear philodendron, the golden pothos, and the green spider plant.
Source: by Brittany Goldwyn
Since then, our knowledge of how indoor plants can be used to clean the air, has only grown. Of course, you will need to have lots of indoor plants around the home, in order for you to experience the benefits of the filtering effects of indoor plants. Not only will you have better quality air, you will beautify your home.
Embrace Organic Cleaning Products
Research shows that people are suffering the ill effects of the widespread adoption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are harmful to the environment, and can lead to a range of side effects such as eye or nose irritation, headaches and fatigue. In many cities, VOCs contribute as much organic air pollution as transport emissions. Cleaning products are one of the main ways in which people are exposed to VOCs, and for which people can find solutions. If you want to avoid VOCs, one way to do this is to use natural cleaning products.
Get an Air Purifier
Air purifiers are important tools for keeping your air quality high. You should make sure that you get an air purifier with a High Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters will remove pet dander, mold, indoor dust, and other airborne particles that cause respiratory allergies or make asthmatic attacks worse. HEPA filters can get rid of 99.97% of airborne particles that are as small as 0.3 microns. It’s important to regularly check that your HEPA filter is working, and send it for repairs as soon as you detect any problems. If your HEPA filter is within an HVAC unit, then you should check your HVAC unit and send it for air conditioning repair if there is anything wrong.
Ventilate Your Home
Poor ventilation can lead to a decline in air quality, and a build-up in mold, and condensation. You should try and keep your windows open so natural air fills your home, and so that any build-up of pollutants from fireplaces, cooking, and other things, are let out.
