20 Indoor Air Quality Solutions For Your Home Part 2
One of the best things about the cold weather months is spending more time snuggled inside your home. However, the air quality in your home may leave you and your family susceptible to less than healthy conditions. The stale air that can become trapped indoors can be filled with allergens and pollutants. How can you improve the air quality inside your home? Here are ten more of the easiest and most effective ways:
11. Clean Furniture Thoroughly
Your furniture can be home to some very unhealthy invaders: pet hair and dander, dust and dirt carried in by everyone who enters your home, mold spores, and all kinds of outdoor elements that can affect those who suffer from allergies, asthma, and other respiratory issues. Keep your furniture clean and pollutant-free by vacuuming it thoroughly at least once a week. Afterward, give it a spray with a disinfectant spray like Lysol. Once a month, wash your furniture with an upholstery-safe detergent and warm water. If you have cushions with removable slipcovers, take them off and wash them in your washing machine using a mild laundry soap and warm water on the gentle cycle.
For your other furnishings, dust at least once a week. Use a good quality duster to trap debris in between weekly cleanings to keep it from becoming airborne.
12. Shampoo Carpets
Along with vacuuming regularly and changing vacuum cleaner bags / emptying and cleaning the vacuum tank and changing filters frequently, shampoo your carpets once a month. This one-two punch combination will keep unhealthy pollutants, including dust mites, out of your home and away from your family. It’s a good idea to try to choose a day each month when the weather is mild so that you can open windows and doors to help your carpets dry after shampooing
13. Keep Window Treatments Clean
Window treatments (curtains, panels, valances, shades and blinds) are some of the biggest culprits when it comes to holding onto dust and airborne pollutants. Curtains, panels, and valances can be washed (check instructions, some may require dry cleaning) and dried at home. You can also clean them with a handheld vacuum and steam cleaner.
Use a good quality duster to clean shades and blinds to trap dust and debris. While you’re cleaning your window treatments, take the opportunity to wipe down windowsills and ledges with disinfectant.
14. Install Air-to-Air Heat Exchangers
If your home has an area that is particularly dusty or just areas where you would like the air to receive extra cleaning, an air-to-air heat exchanger can help. They are an excellent alternative to filter fans. Their closed-loop design eliminates the need for air filters. Air-to-air heat exchangers can be adapted to fit electrical enclosures. Since they are low maintenance, they are perfect for use in areas of your home where they can be
left for extended periods of time, such as basements in attics. This prevents unclean air from finding its way throughout your home.
15. Make Sure There is Adequate Ventilation
An airtight home may be protected against drafts, but while it seals cold air out it also seals dirty pollutant-laden air inside with you and your family. Don’t keep your home closed up constantly. On nice days, open doors and windows and allow fresh air to fill your home and carry away the dust, germs, mold spores and more that are trapped in the air inside your home. On particularly mild days, turn on window fans or A/C units with the vent control set to open.
16. Update Your HVAC System
If your heating and air conditioning system is an older model, consider upgrading to a newer, more energy-efficient model. Today’s HVAC systems are designed to filter air more thoroughly than ever before. They feature up-to-the-minute technology that not only saves your money, it helps to keep only the cleanest and healthiest air circulating throughout your home.
17. Use Humidifiers
The air quality in your home will be improved exponentially by the use of humidifiers. If the warm air in your home is too dry, it will act as a magnet for all kinds of pollutants. This can be sspecially hazardous to any family members with breathing difficulties. Humidifiers add a healthy amount of moisture to the air, making it cleaner and easier to breathe. Humidifers can be especially helpful in bedrooms. Those who use them report getting more restful sleep.
18. Consider Re-painting with Less Toxic Paints
It’s a safe bet that the paints used on the interior of your home are chemical-laden, possibly including extremely toxic materials. These types of paints can continue to give off dangerous gases for many years, polluting the air you and your loved ones breathe every day. Choose safer, environmentally friendly paints and give your home a healthy and beautiful makeover
19. Put an End to Smoking
Smoking fills the air with some of the most toxic chemicals there are. Secondhand smoke has been proven to be as harmful as direct smoking. If anyone in your family smokes, encourage them to get help to stop, or at the very least let them know that smoking will no longer be permitted inside the house. Make sure all visitors are aware of the no smoking rule as well dash no exceptions.
20. Add Plants to Your Home
In the same way that trees naturally purify and filter the air outside, house plants have the same effect on the air inside your home. The more leafy, healthy house plants you have, the cleaner your indoor air will be. Some of the best plant choices include Chinese Evergreen, Spider Plant, Pot Mom, and Bamboo Palm. For more information on the best plants for clean indoor air, check out https://www.hgtv.com/remodel/interior-remodel/10-best-plants-for-cleaning-indoor-air-pictures.
Centerville Heating and Cooling can help you make sure the air in your home is warm, clean, and safe throughout the winter months and all year long period give us a call today at 937-353-1169 or visit us on the web at https://www.centervilleheatandcooling.com/appointments/ to schedule an appointment to have your HVAC system inspected an professionally cleaned just in time for cold weather.
