Did you know that the air inside your home is actually 2 to 5 times more polluted and toxic than the ones you breathe outdoors?
We keep seeing news reports about the rise of pollution in every Indian city on a daily basis and we have quite gotten used to the idea of a polluted environment. But did you know that the air inside your home is actually 2 to 5 times more polluted and toxic than the ones you breathe outdoors? Yes, we know it’s surprising but that’s the truth. While everyone is talking about the appalling environmental conditions outdoors, let’s take a moment and talk about the condition of the indoor air we breathe every day.
Dust, mold, pet dander, and other particles from smoke and cooking stoves and gasses like VOC(volatile organic compounds) and chemical fumes from heating and cooking appliances constitute the majority of the home air pollution. From the mattresses, we sleep on to the pajamas we wear, everything can contain harmful chemicals and toxins. So, we at
HomeTriangle came up with 5 ways through which you can control the harmful pollutants and improve the air quality in your homes.
1. Clean Your Home Thoroughly
The first and most important step you should take that can have an instrumental impact on improving the indoor air quality is to clean your homes thoroughly and frequently. Our doors, windows, and any cracks will let airborne dust particles including mineral, metallic, organic dust, and biohazards like molds and spores to sweep into our homes. These particles will settle into the fibers of carpets or furniture and create breathing issues and allergies.
Even after cleaning your homes yourselves thoroughly, the minuscule particles might still be present in our homes. We suggest getting a professional carpet and upholstery cleaning service from a reputed service provider like HomeTriangle at least once every month to deep clean your rugs and sofas. Micro-fiber mops and brushes can help you to brush out tiny particles in hard-to-reach corners of your homes like kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms
2. Use Low-VOC Products
Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs are harmful chemical compounds that are found in cement, paint primer, paints, adhesives, PVC components, and furnishings. These compounds can evaporate into the surrounding environment and cause health issues such as headaches, respiratory issues, fatigue, allergic reactions, and poor concentration.
So, when you’re planning to buy a new carpet or paint your home, choose products that are low in VOCs. You can find paints that have no VOCs at all in the market nowadays with the awareness that has come to light.
3. Smoke And Moisture
We know that smoke is extremely harmful to our lungs and getting rid of it plays an important role in improving the overall quality of the air indoors. But what most people don’t realize is that moisture has ill effects too. Dust mites and mold love moisture. Exhaust fans can flush out moisture and smoke in our homes.
So we suggest making it a habit to switch on the exhaust fans after a shower or after cooking to flush out as much smoke and moisture as possible. A dehumidifier also can help reduce and regulate the moisture indoors and can be a step further for people who really care about the quality of their indoor air. For those looking to efficiently circulate and improve indoor air quality on a larger scale, especially in commercial spaces or industrial settings, Industrial Fans Direct offers a range of inline duct fans and tube axial duct fans that can effectively remove heat, smoke, and other pollutants.
4. Air Purifiers
The increase in the airborne pollutants in our homes can bring about an abundance of physical ailments. Air purifiers, especially those with activated carbon can help remove a good amount of pollution from the air. They are not very different from a water purifier as they suck the air from a room, pass it through a filter, and push clean air out.
Even though air purifiers do reduce the amount of pollution in the air, not all of them are effective against microorganisms. Also, keep in mind that having an air purifier can be expensive because they need regular cleaning and the filters need to be replaced every 6 months to one year depending on the model. So, go online and do a little bit of research before choosing the best one for you.
5. Natural Air Purifiers - Plants!
NASA conducted a study on the effect of houseplants cleaning the air inside space shuttles and came to the conclusion that some plants helped remove significant amounts of air pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene. So plants can considerably improve the indoor air quality apart from their natural appeal and their ability to make an interior look and feel fresh. The study also revealed that for efficient air cleaning, There should be at least one plat per 100 square feet of office and homes.
Some of the plants that can remove harmful compounds in the air according to the same study are aloe vera (Aloe Barbadensis Miller), peace lily (Spathiphyllum), variegated snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Laurentii’), florist’s chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium), bamboo palm (Chamaedorea), and English ivy (Hedera helix).
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