As a homeowner, you clean your home to the best of your abilities to make sure your space is livable. However, sometimes we need to do a thorough clean and check for air pollutants in our home. Air pollutants are harmful since we breathe them in and they negatively affect our bodies. There are many medical illnesses that people develop because of these pollutants. If you continue to live in a home with poor air quality, the likeliness of you developing allergies, lung cancer, asthma, and other respiratory diseases increases. This is why it is important to use these simple ways to improve the air quality in your home.
1. Check for Leaks
If there are any leaks or places that have free-standing water in your home now is the time to eliminate them. You can do this by sealing any holes that may be present. This will help to reduce mold in your home. You want to eliminate the mold in your house because as stated by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) people that are sensitive to mold can develop nasal stuffiness, throat irritation, coughing, wheezing, eye irritation, or, in some cases, skin irritation.
2. Read the Labels on Your Cleaning Supplies and Other Household Products
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According to the American Lung Association, some of the products that are used every day in households release dangerous chemicals such as VOC (volatile organic compounds). These types of chemicals being released are the cause of chronic respiratory problems, allergic reactions, and headaches. They can be found in items such as detergents, carpet cleaner, plastics, and more. It is important to read the labels of products before you buy. You want to make sure they either don’t contain or have a reduced amount of VOCs, irritants, fragrances, and other flammable ingredients.
3. Take Care of Your HVAC system
A great place to start improving your home’s air quality is your HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system. You can clean and change the filters on your HVAC system about every three months. You can also call a Straightline Heating and Cooling professional to schedule a regular maintenance appointment. They can inspect your HVAC system thoroughly to ensure that it runs efficiently.
4. Let Nature into Your Home
Time to let nature in and one way is by bringing in house plants. At Live Science, it has been reported that the pores on the surface of a plant’s leaves can absorb gases such as VOCs. It is also necessary to improve your home’s ventilation. According to the United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), you can lower the air pollutants in your home by increasing the amount of outdoor air coming inside. Improving your air quality is as simple as opening a window, a door, or turning on a fan.
By controlling the amount of air pollutants in your home you can improve your air quality. You can do this by checking for leaks to get rid of mold, reading labels of household products, buying house plants, and taking care of your HVAC system. These are all simple steps that take a minimal amount of time to complete.