 How concerned should you be about the air quality inside your home? Consider this: a healthy adult, not doing anything physically strenuous, takes about 15 breaths every minute. That works out to 900 breaths every hour! Every time you breathe in, you're not just taking in life-sustaining oxygen; you're also taking in all the invisible contaminants hidden in the air, which your body then needs to deal with. If the air you're breathing in every day is stale and stuffy, you're going to feel the effects. Poor indoor air quality can leave you feeling tired, fatigued, and mentally foggy. It can lead to sinus congestion, throat irritation, and chronic coughing. It can even lead to headaches and exacerbate allergies. Better air quality eases the toxic load on your body. From the chemical ingredients in most cosmetics, to off-gassing from carpets and furniture, your body has to cope with a steady barrage of harmful substances every day. Over time, your system can struggle under the load, making you more susceptible to health issues. By improving the air quality in your home, you'll be reducing some of those contaminants and easing the toxic load your body needs to contend with on a daily basis. Ready to start breathing cleaner, fresher air? Here are five ways you can improve the air quality inside your home. 1. Keep your indoor space clean. Clean air starts with maintaining a clean environment. Cleaning, sweeping, and vacuuming regularly will improve your home's air quality, by reducing dust and dirt accumulation. That means less minute debris being churned up and floating in the air for you to breath in. 2. Turn on the overhead exhaust fan when cooking. Turning on the overhead exhaust fan when cooking will reduce the presence of cooking fumes in the air. This is especially important when you're frying food in oil at a high temperature, as this leads to the release of toxic fumes like aldehyde emissions.  3. Don't go overboard with your humidifier. If the air in your home is dry and you run a humidifier, don't go overboard; maintain a moderate moisture level. Excess moisture in the air, combined with reduced air flow when windows are kept shut, can quickly lead to mould growth. You might not see the mould spores being released into the air, but you'll be breathing them in. If you start to see condensation on the windows, it's definitely time to bring down the moisture level. 4. Skip the air fresheners. It's fairly routine for people rely on air fresheners either to cover-up household odours, or to add a nice fragrance to the environment. But with each breath, you're assaulting your lungs with an assortment of chemical compounds. These compounds get picked up by your blood and circulate throughout your entire body. Clear out odours naturally by opening windows regularly to increase the air flow-through. Essential oils are another way to deodorize, freshen, and cleanse the air naturally. 5. Reduce or eliminate the use of toxic cleaning products. Heavily fragranced, chemical-laden, toxic cleaners aren't just tough on dirt and grime; they're tough on your lungs as well. The impact is exacerbated when these products are used in a small space with limited airflow, as the air takes longer to clear—which means you'll be spending more time inhaling those concentrated fumes. Shifting to fragrance-free, non-toxic cleaning products will help reduce indoor pollution levels. Alternatively, you can protect your health and save money by creating your own all-natural household cleaners. Baking soda and vinegar are extremely versatile and can be used to tackle cleaning chores around the home, from cleaning bathtubs to clearing clogged drains. Lastly, a quality air purifier is an excellent investment for improving the air quality in your home, especially if you suffer from allergies or breathing issues of any kind. The filter in the purifier traps in-flowing germs, dust, pet dander, and other air pollutants; the out-flow is cleaner, fresher, healthier air. Comments are closed.
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