7 Year-Round Tips to Maintain Air Quality in Your Home

We mainly focus on the outdoor air quality, but our home’s air quality is equally important and should not be overlooked. Your home’s indoor air quality could be the cause of some of the stubborn allergies or worse breathing issues your family could face.

Several factors like humidity levels, inadequate ventilation, pets, dust, etc., could be the cause of poor air quality in your home. Your home needs to always have free-flowing air, even without taking an air quality test. If you have concerns about the air quality in your home, these tips can help you get it under control:

1.  Keep Your Home Clean

Before anything, a clean home will help enhance the free flow of air in your home. You must regularly clean your curtains, cushions, rugs, beddings, and carpets since they trap dust, mildew, and other particles over time. Ensure that you also regularly mop the floors and, every once in a while, clean the walls to remove the settled mold. If you have pets, train them to keep off the furniture to avoid hair buildup. That may take time to adjust, but they will quickly adapt if trained. Doing all this ensures that you don’t inhale harmful air particles, which may later cause unknown and stubborn allergies which take time to treat.

2.  Improve Ventilation

If you’re currently doing construction, ensure that the ventilation points are well distributed to enhance good airflow. Planning your ventilation will keep the air moving through your home and prevent it from becoming stagnant. However, if you’re already in a home that doesn’t have the best ventilation, try to open the doors and windows as much as possible, especially during the warm seasons. This will allow fresh air to cycle through your home. Sooner or later, you may want to hire a professional contractor to add more ventilation points to your home, especially for the kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. Before you plan to completely renovate your home, consider investing in fans to improve airflow.

3.  Grow Houseplants

Houseplants are natural air filters and thus can get rid of poor air quality. There are various low-maintenance air-purifying plants that you can choose from, and they add that natural touch to your home. Depending on your space, you can strategically add them to your liking with decorative planters to add more visual interest.

4.  Avoid Using Non-Toxic Cleaning Products

In a world where we are more conscious about how our actions affect the environment, we should seek eco-friendly methods to clean our homes. For example, instead of unclogging your drain with expensive and harsh cleaning products, a simple, measured combination of baking soda and vinegar loosens debris in the drain to allow water to flow more easily. Contrary to the majority opinion, natural cleaners are equally good disinfectants, cleaners and they’ll leave your home smelling good. Fortunately, you can purchase some of the naturally available ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, tea tree oil, coarse salt, etc., at an affordable rate and mix them accordingly in the comfort of your home. While most of these natural remedies are DiY projects, it might also help to speak to a plumber in Moorestown about better solutions that will not wear or damage out your pipes. Try this, and you will notice the difference, and most importantly, you’ll have kept your household occupants’ home safe since they’ll no longer breathe in any harsh chemicals.

5.  Regularly Clean the HVAC Filter

If you like to keep a schedule for yourself, you should replace your air filter after every three months. However, if you buy a good air filter, you may extend the replacement period to 6 months, which is a more pocket-friendly option. A sound HVAC system is designed to filter and trap airborne contaminants in your home, preventing them from being recirculated into the air. Over time, these contaminants clog the filter preventing cool air from circulating in your home. Over time, these clogs and contaminants may lead to your HVAC system breaking down. With that in mind, if your HVAC doesn’t have an air filter, you must consider a new system that has a filter or a different way to purify your air.

6.  Avoid Scented Products

Your favorite air fresheners, diffusers, scented candles are another fast solution to giving your home that aromatized fragrance, but they are not the best. Unfortunately, they’re full of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, etc., which are hazardous compounds that can easily irritate your skin, your respiratory system, cause headaches, etc. Consider going the natural route and stick to essential oils in your diffuser, all without harmful chemicals circulating in your home. Furthermore, these essential oils also help you stay relaxed and brighten up your mood. If you still long for some glamour in your home, especially at night, beeswax candles are another perfect option. They are made from honeycombs in beehives; therefore, they have a great scent and are naturally non-toxic, and they will also help reduce contaminants in your home.

7.  Reconsider Your Paint

The typical paint will always produce an unwelcome scent that interferes with quality air. If you’re doing a home makeover or a paint refresh, carefully look at the ingredients used to make it. Most paints contain some of the VOC compounds that we mentioned earlier. You want to find a paint labeled “zero VOC.” If you’re not sure about this, ask painting professionals to help you purchase the best paint while you decide on the colors to use. They may be more expensive than typical paints, but your health and home’s air quality are paramount.

Your home’s indoor air quality is crucial and shouldn’t be overlooked as it also affects your general well-being. A few easy adjustments will go a long way to enhancing your home’s indoor air quality. For the technical adjustments, find the best professionals in your region to help you out.