There are plenty of things that can contribute to air pollution in your home. Your goal should be to have pure, clean air inside your home, both for the sake of planet health and the health of your family. Allergies, asthma, and even cold-like illnesses can all be affected by the quality of air inside your home.
Following are some ways to make sure your home air quality stays clean and healthy:
No smoking allowed: If you smoke, go outside, away from other people. Smoking in your home, especially if you have kids is dangerous for both health and fire safety reasons. In fact some studies show that banning indoor smoking is the number one best way to improve your home’s air quality.
Use your fireplace or wood stove smartly: Wood fires can release tiny particles and smoke that invades the air and your lungs. If you don’t have to use a wood burning fireplace, it’s better not to. If wood heat is your only source of heat; yes for some people it still is – in Humboldt we had only wood heat so we’d open windows and burn cleaner wood. To learn more read the EPA guide Wood Burning Efficiency and Safety.
Open the windows: Fresh incoming air is a great way to push out old stale air, and any icky household fumes.
Buy some naturally air cleaning houseplants.
Quit stirring up the dust: Use a damp rag to dust, not a feather duster or dry cloth. You may be tempted to buy those static cloths for dusting, and they do work, but they’re not long-lasting. You’ll end up tossing them. A wet cloth works just the same.
Clean regularly: Keeping a clean house is one good way to keep your air clean. This means making sure that items like appliances and humidifiers are cleaned as well.
Don’t EVER use toxic cleaners: Chemical, toxic, yucky home cleaners contribute to much of the indoor air pollution you encounter – and worse, none of these cleaners are necessary for a clean home. Choose green homemade cleaners instead. To learn more read the following: