Maintaining your home’s air quality, or looking for ways to improve it, is essential for your health. Poor indoor air quality is linked to respiratory problems, mood issues, and allergic reactions. In worse cases, it may aggravate cardiovascular issues and affect the central nervous system. 

Because air contaminants are too small for the naked eye to see, monitoring and getting rid of them adequately can be challenging. However, some practices can help prevent the proliferation of pollutants such as dust, allergens, and mold. Here are some of the simple ways to improve indoor air quality. 

1. 1. Minimize Moisture Retention And Humidity

Too much water vapor can increase humidity and moisture retention. Besides amplifying heat, high humidity levels may help toxic chemicals and bacteria thrive. Fungi, such as molds and mildew, may also develop in damp environments alongside dust mites.  

Managing moisture retention and humidity in your home can be done in many ways, including: 

• Sealing vital areas of your home: The moisture taken out from the wet areas in your home, as well as hidden water leaks, may stick to the remote sections of the entire structure. To ensure that essential parts of your home remain moisture-free, ask professionals to perform crawl space encapsulation. 

The process involves installing a moisture-proof barrier, typically thick polyethylene plastic, that keeps dampness from your home’s foundation area. Crawl space encapsulation also involves placing these barriers in other areas such as foundations vents and insulated walls.     

• Installing exhaust fans in wet areas: Exhaust fans suck in humidity and draw it out and away from your living spaces. Use these devices in perpetually damp areas in your home such as the kitchen and bathroom. The kitchen may harbor contaminants like carbon monoxide from stoves, heaters, and other cooking devices, so it’s crucial to have a fan to expel these dangerous chemicals out of your living space.

• Purchasing a dehumidifier. If you live in a place with a dominant humid climate or just noticed water damage in your home, get a dehumidifier to take the moisture out of your indoor air. 

Besides improving air quality, regulating moisture inside the home helps prevent mold and mildew from forming. Mold is linked to respiratory issues and may cause death in severe cases of exposure or ingestion. 

1. 2. Keep Your Home Clean 

Cleaning the entire house helps eliminate air pollutants and allergens such as dust and pet dander. Performing the steps below can help you have healthier indoor air: 

• Washing your beddings often: Dust mites usually stick on the surfaces of most fabrics such as pillowcases, mattresses, and linen. Make it a habit to wash and replace them regularly.  

• Vacuuming regularly: Carpets can trap dust, dirt, and other air contaminants. If you can’t remove rugs from your living spaces, clean them regularly by vacuuming at least once a week. 

• Deep cleaning: Besides washing your beddings, make sure to wipe off the dust from all the surfaces of your home. Remove the clutter and rearrange pieces of furniture and other fixtures to clear our accumulated dust and allergens. For offices, it’s best to hire cleaning professionals to keep the building sanitized.

3. Check Filters And Replace Them 

Air filters are an essential part of your home’s heating and cooling systems as they trap dust and dirt in and around your living spaces. These tools ensure that airborne particles won’t be able to find their way back indoors. A furnace filter can gather lint, dust, and fiber, too, making them helpful in improving indoor air quality.   

Also, have your ducts checked as the cold or warm air from your heating and cooling systems pass through them before being circulated in your homes. While some do-it-yourself experts may prefer to do it independently, it’s best to hire experts to do the job. 

1. 4. Invest In An Air Purifier

As its name implies, an air purifier does more than remove harmful particles in the air; it can sanitize it, too. This health device may help get rid of indoor toxins, allergens, and other types of contaminants. Thus, it may be worth investing in if our family members suffer from allergies or asthma. 

There are several types of air purifiers with each one using its own different filtering and sanitizing technologies. Most cleaners, however, use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA), activated carbon, ultraviolet (UV), and negative ion technologies to do their jobs well. 

1. 5. Encourage Proper Ventilation  

Because there’s better air circulation outside than indoors, air pollution inside the home could be up to 100 times worse, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Contrary to common belief, keeping your home tightly sealed all the time isn’t helpful. Instead, it’s advisable to open your windows occasionally to let fresh air in and keep stale indoor air out.  

Final Thoughts 

Daily activities like cooking and simple routines such as taking a bath may compromise indoor air quality and harbor contaminants. To counter the impact of these seemingly harmless activities, keep your home dry, clean, adequately ventilated, and sanitized. Keeping these tips in mind is vital in preventing respiratory issues, managing allergies, and avoiding severe structural problems.