How Can You Improve Indoor Air Quality at Home?

So, what can we do? Improving air quality inside your home may be simpler than you think. The easiest and most effective way is to invest in an air purifier. The machines run on electricity and are equipped with HEPA filters that pull the smallest of particles out of the air, trap them, and send cleaner, more breathable air back out.

HEPA filtration is the gold standard in air purification and is designed to remove 99.97 percent of the irritants out of the air. It’s incredibly effective in helping everyone—from those with severe respiratory problems to those who have no trouble at all—breathe easier.

What is Biohacking and How Do I Start?

You may have heard the term biohacking. It’s a do-it-yourself biological process to help make improvements in your performance, health, and well-being. It can include anything from losing weight to enhancing brain function. It can also be making changes to help improve the air quality in your home.

One simple biohack is to add flowers or plants that are known to be natural air purifiers:

• Spider Plants remove formaldehyde, which is emitted by sources such as cigarette smoke and fingernail polish. They are easy to grow and maintain inside.
• Chrysanthemums eliminate common toxins, including ammonia, from the air.
• Philodendrons are not only popular indoor plants, they’re great air purifiers. They are easy to grow and maintain and can remove formaldehyde from the air.
• English Ivy is a hardy plant that removes most pollutants.
• Peace Lilies can clean the air of alcohols, acetone, benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene.

How Cleaning Your Carpets Can Affect Air Quality

Aside from purchasing an air purifier, one of the biggest ways you can help improve the air quality inside your home is by cleaning your carpets regularly. Carpet naturally traps dust, pet dander, and other allergens in its fibers. So, it’s important to vacuum your carpet often to rid your home of those pollutants and help maintain the air quality inside. In addition to regular vacuuming, you should also consider having your carpets deep-cleaned every 12 to 18 months by professionals, which will dig out the deep-seated dirt and grime.

How to Address the Chemicals You’re Bringing into Your Home

We don’t often think about all the chemicals we expose ourselves to on a regular basis. But our cleaning products, pest control liquids, aerosol cans, and a host of other products we use every day contain harmful chemicals that we don’t want to breathe in for long periods of time.

In addition to making sure containers are sealed and stored properly, many air purifiers are designed to pull chemicals, gasses, and VOCs out of the air, making your home a safer place overall.

What Are the Health Benefits of Sustainable Products?

The World Health Organization (WHO) says more than 90 percent of the world’s population live in places where pollution levels exceed recommended guidelines. In recent years, emphasis has been put on building and using more sustainable products. Taking this approach can help reduce emissions and improve the air quality of our world, our country, and our home.

When we buy sustainable products or corporations build sustainable buildings, we reduce air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions. Fossil fuels used for transportation and agriculture, and even cooking stoves can be linked directly to air pollution. And while those things help us, looking for more sustainable alternatives in your purchasing decisions can go a long way in helping you breathe easier.

How Do I Start Practicing Mindfulness?

Sometimes the best way to clear the air is to clear your mind. We use the phrase “be mindful” a lot, but it’s important to know what that means. Mindfulness is a basic ability we all have to be fully present or aware of where we are, what we’re doing and what’s going on around us. It can be achieved by using our five senses or through our thoughts and emotions.

Mindfulness can help you reduce anxiety and depression, help you manage stress and cope with serious illness. It can also make you more aware of the choices you make and how they can affect the quality of the air around you. When your mind isn’t on auto-pilot, you’re more likely to make choices that are better for you. Before making any purchasing decision: find a way to clear your mind. It may be a moment of meditation or some deep breathing exercises that can help you focus on researching products that are more sustainable and therefore, better for you and your family over time.

What is The Best Way to Start Decluttering?

Humans collect things and things collect dust. And when dust floats through the air inside our homes, it can lead to coughing, sneezing or breathing problems. Even if it doesn’t cause an immediate reaction for you, it can cause long-term respiratory problems. As much as we would like to, it’s impossible to rid this world of dust completely. But you can get a good start on it inside your home by dusting regularly and decluttering.

If you’ve lived in the same place for a number of years, decluttering can seem like a monumental task. It’s also difficult to figure out what to get rid of, since we develop an attachment to things. But if you’re looking to clean out, don’t try to do everything at once. Start small, like with the junk drawer in the kitchen. It won’t seem as overwhelming, will be easier to manage and quicker to finish.

You’ll also want to separate everything into one of three piles—keep, donate or throw away. When you decide to keep something, find a specific home for it. If you’re holding onto things you want to pass down to children or grandchildren, ask first if they want the items. They may tell you no, and while that may be upsetting, it will help you decide whether to keep something or get rid of it.

And lastly, when you buy something new, make a promise to get rid of something else to limit what is inside your home and keep from getting cluttered up again. Getting rid of the clutter will help cut down on the amount of dust inside your home, and improve the quality of the air you are breathing.

Conclusion

Most of us spend the majority of our time in our homes. It is where we eat, sleep, spend time with family, and—for many of us in a post-pandemic world—where we work. We want to feel safe in our homes, but invisible contaminants may be polluting our space and negatively affecting our health. An air purifier can be the first line of defense against poor home air quality, but there are numerous factors that can affect air purifier performance, as well as impact which air purifier you should choose. We can also choose sustainable cleaning products that help us eliminate dirt and disease in our living spaces without bringing harmful chemicals into contact, practice mindfulness and intentional living habits, and keep our spaces clear and free of clutter. With a little bit of effort, we can give ourselves (and our loved ones) the gift of clean home air.

FAQs

1. How does indoor air quality affect my health? Poor indoor air quality can lead to a range of health issues, from respiratory problems and allergies to headaches, fatigue, and even long-term diseases. Improving your indoor air quality can help reduce these risks and promote overall well-being.

2. What are the most common indoor air pollutants? Common indoor air pollutants include dust, pet dander, mold, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cleaning products or paints, and tobacco smoke. These pollutants can significantly impact your respiratory health and general comfort.

3. Can air purifiers really make a difference in air quality? Yes, air purifiers, particularly those with HEPA filters, are highly effective at removing harmful particles, allergens, and chemicals from the air, providing cleaner, breathable air. The impact can be significant, especially for people with respiratory issues.

4. How often should I clean my carpets to maintain air quality? It’s recommended to vacuum carpets at least once a week and have them professionally deep-cleaned every 12 to 18 months to remove trapped dust, allergens, and other pollutants that can negatively affect indoor air quality.

5. What are the best natural ways to purify indoor air? Adding air-purifying plants like spider plants, peace lilies, and philodendrons can naturally remove toxins from the air. Regularly ventilating your home and using air purifiers can also help keep your air clean.

6. How do sustainable products contribute to better indoor air quality? Sustainable products, such as eco-friendly cleaning supplies and low-VOC paints, help reduce harmful chemicals in your home, improving air quality. These products are often free from pollutants that contribute to indoor air contamination.

7. Can mindfulness improve my home’s air quality? While mindfulness itself doesn’t directly impact air quality, it can help you make more intentional choices about your home environment, such as opting for cleaner products, practicing regular decluttering, or ensuring proper ventilation.

8. How can decluttering help with air quality? Clutter can trap dust, which affects air quality. By regularly decluttering your home, you can reduce the accumulation of dust and allergens, making it easier to maintain clean and healthy air indoors.

9. What is the best way to start biohacking my home environment? Begin by focusing on key areas such as improving ventilation, using air purifiers, adding plants that purify the air, and choosing sustainable, non-toxic products. Small lifestyle changes like practicing mindfulness and reducing clutter can also make a significant difference.

10. Are there other methods to improve indoor air quality that I haven’t considered? In addition to air purifiers and plants, regular cleaning, especially of surfaces that gather dust, controlling humidity to prevent mold growth, and using natural cleaning products can all contribute to maintaining good indoor air quality.