Remedies for Improving Your Indoor Air Quality
Improving and maintaining air quality is important because a clean air helps us stay healthy. Poor indoor air quality may cause you instant or long term health problems, such as respiratory irritation, dizziness, fatigue, and asthma.
One way to avoid the health risks associated with poor indoor air is to use an indoor air quality test kit that can efficiently determine whether or not your home is safe from harmful particles. You can also follow the remedies listed below to make sure that your household air is free from various harmful elements.
Living room area
Your living room area is probably where most of your family members stay when at home and because of this, you want to make sure that the area is always free from irritants or allergens and heavy metals elements. Here’s what you can do:
- Avoid furniture and panelling that contains formaldehyde because they emit gases. Opt for furniture that uses phenol resin and products coated with polyurethane.
- Avoid carpets if you can because they can trap dirt and dust. Choose area carpets over wall-to-wall carpeting. Vacuum your carpet regularly to prevent mold and bacteria growth.
- Avoid floor tiles that have asbestos. Damaged asbestos-containing materials must be handled by a professional repairman to avoid spreading the harmful chemicals and contaminating your indoor air.
- Maintain proper moisture in your home. Too much moisture builds molds, dust mites, mildew, and other allergens that can cause irritations or allergies to your family.
- Regularly clean vents, humidifiers and air conditioners to improve air quality.
- Avoid tobacco smoking inside the house.
Kitchen Area
- Store household products properly, especially toxic cleaners.
- Ensure proper gas stove ventilation. Carbon monoxide and combustion byproducts can get easily mixed in the air.
Bedroom and bathroom
- Many personal care products found in households contain hazardous chemicals that can pollute indoor air quality. So make sure to choose non-toxic products for your bedroom and bathroom.
- Choose eco-friendly air fresheners because some are manufactured with harmful chemicals that get mixed in the air.
- Leaky pipes attract bacteria and they become a breeding ground for molds and mildew. Make sure to fix pipes and control moisture around the house.
Other areas
The garage, utility room and basement are other common areas in the house where air quality can get really bad because they are poorly ventilated and are rarely disinfected. As much as possible, do not stock harmful chemicals in these areas and avoid storing furniture, damaged carpet, and other old properties that you are not using anymore. Otherwise, they will become breeding grounds for bacteria, allergens, and other pollutants.
Poor air quality is not easy to detect and to make sure that you and your family are safe, consult with a professional to check your home or use an indoor air quality test kit. Indoor air quality tests will tell you which harmful particles are present in your home. Another way to avoid contaminating your indoor air is to use natural air freshening methods, such as opening your windows and using minimal home decors.
Source:
http://www.nachi.org/indoorair.htm
http://www.amhon.org/remedies-to-indoor-air-quality-problems.htm




