Improving indoor air quality is one of the most important things you can do for your and your family’s health. It’s also surprisingly simple. By following these five tips, you can make sure that you have a place to live that isn’t slowly harming you.
Tip #1: Don’t Smoke In The House
If you have any smokers in your home, make sure that they smoke as far away from the house as possible.
Smoking is dangerous enough as it is, but secondhand smoke can seriously harm the air quality of the home.
What’s worse is that cigarette smoke gets into the very material of the house and leaves a persistent ashtray smell.
Whether you smoke or not, make sure that smoking happens far, far away from the house!
Tip #2: Reduce The Use of Air Freshener Sprays & Plug Ins
Air freshener sprays promise to improve the smell of the air, especially if you own pets.
However, keeping your house clean and free of dust is much more impactful than relying on air freshener sprays to keep the house smelling good.
There was a study done that found that one popular brand of plug in air freshener emitted 20 compounds that could be harmful to human health. These compounds were part of the fragrance formula, which is kept off the label as a trade secret.
Tip#3: Test for radon. Seriously.
Radon is often dubbed the ‘silent killer’, and for good reason. Radon is naturally occurring in the earth, seeping from the earth into homes and leading to radon poisoning, which could lead to lung cancer.
Radon is odorless and colorless, but there are tests that can tell you if your home has a radon problem.
Tip #4: Keep humidity at a moderate level.
Too low humidity causes discomfort, whereas too high humidity can cause mold to grow faster.
Illinois is quite famous for having some of the most variable weather around, even within a season. Humidity can be super high one day and then low the next. It’s important to keep your home controlled for humidity.
Keep humidity at between 35-50%. Your dehumidifier will help considerably with this, but there are other ways to reduce humidity such as to make sure your clothes dryer is properly vented to the outside, and to open the window when boiling food.
Tip #5: Vacuum your floors regularly, especially your carpets.
Carpets are the perfect home for dust mites, mold spores, and pet dander. But even hardwood floors keep these things in large amounts.
By keeping your floors well vacuumed (and using a vacuum with a HEPA filter), you keep a lot of the air irritants in check.
