With the increasing level of contamination in the air, there has been a notable upsurge in air pollution as well. Although, people have become a lot more concerned about it now than they used to be previously. But, the level of pollution is still increasing at a rapid pace. We all are well aware of the different consequences of air pollution which include health risks. Air pollution possesses a severe threat to the environment as well.
When we talk about the main reasons for air pollution, we find vehicle emissions, harmful smoke released from the industries and factories to be the major contributing factors. Alongside this, there are many more factors that demand attention too.
We are mentioning below 5 ways by which you can improve the indoor air quality of your home:
- Make use of kitchen vents
There are a lot of air pollutants are released from the kitchen. Gas stoves emit out dangerous toxicants such as nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Also, electrical burners release similar pollutants but at lesser levels and other substances that can be simply occupied by your blood flow. Proper ventilation is the foremost thing to be ensured to improve the indoor air quality of your home. Thus, while you are cooking, make sure you keep the vents in the kitchen open, or maybe allocate a window space to help in the better filtration of the air.
- Keep changing the AC filter
The majority of the people these days have air conditioning appliances at their home which always continue functioning for providing your home with the ideal temperature throughout the year. However, while they are regulating that air, they are purifying some ordinary air-polluting materials. Gradually, the air filters present in them get filled up and stop working. That can not only cause your indoor air quality to degrade, it also lowers the level of functioning of the AC system, which can further pinch your pocket as you have to look for servicemen. Thus, make sure to keep changing the filters in your AC at regular intervals.
- Checking air ducts
Air ducts play a very crucial role in the distribution of cold and hot air across your entire home, offering a very suitable climate in all the rooms of your home. However, if not installed in a proper way or without maintenance air ducts may also lead to the distribution of air pollutants across different rooms. With time, dander, mold, and dust can get collected in your air ducts, degrading the quality of air. Hence, it is very essential to make sure that all air ducts are regulating clean and fresh air.
- Clean your sheets and rugs
Dust accumulation is a major cause of low air quality. They can irritate your nose as well as throat and make you feel exhausted and tired. Dust mites sometimes remain inside the fabric present in your house including curtains, cushions, bedding, mattress, carpets, rugs, etc. It is necessary to clean all such items as regular as possible in a detergent with lower allergens. Before cleaning, you should do proper dry dusting of all the fabric materials to make sure there’s no dirt left inside.
- Give a check to your household cleaners
Paints, cleaners, and other chemical polluted can many times emit out hazardous organic compounds that are evaporative into the air which can be the cause of respiratory dysfunctions and many other health hazards too. Thus, you need to do a routine household cleaning to check for the presence of any kind of lethal cleaner in your house. If you find any, don’t forget to discard it or keep it outside your house.
Factors of Air Pollution:
However, all we can do is reduce the level of air pollution in the environment since eradicating it just at once isn’t easy at all.
- Main sources of indoor airpollution
A lot of people remain unaware of the fact that the air within your house is at least two to five times more polluted than the air outside. The reason behind the fact that indoor air is more polluted in comparison to the outdoor air is that the environment outside has organic air cleaning properties including the ultraviolet rays which are produced by the sun and the trees and plants which captivate the air toxicants. One major reason can be the high level of pollutants that are released from the interiors of your home. There are many other sources of indoor air pollution such as asbestos, smoke released from gas stoves, heaters, chimneys and fireplaces, carbon monoxide, radon, nitrogen dioxide, mold, dust, grim, indoor particulate matter, lead, pressed wood products. Many other chemical-based products used in your home can also largely contribute to the growth of indoor air pollution in your house since all of them release harmful gases which can cause breathing troubles for you.
- Benefits of improving indoor air quality
There is a common misconception amongst people that there is air pollution just outdoors which means that the air within their house is completely pure. But, it is not so. A lot of studies and researches have proved that oftentimes the air inside your house can be even more contaminated than the air outdoors. Hence, it is very important to improve the indoor air quality of your house so that you can assure you are breathing in intoxicated air. So, first, we are going to tell you about some of the major benefits of improving indoor air quality.
- Helps you sleep better
The respiratory system inside our body keeps on changing while we are asleep. During sleep, the rate of breathing tends to become lesser and becomes more stable. Sir for breathing is as important while sleeping as much it is when we are awake. If the air inside your house is not fresh, you would want to cover your mouth and nose while sleeping which can make you feel discomfort while sleeping. Turning and tossing your body throughout the night will not make you feel comfortable at all. Thus, fresh indoor air plays a vital role in letting you sleep better.
- Lessens down bad odour
In a household, there are different kinds of odour out of which some are good whereas some are very unpleasant. A bad odour in the home can make you get distracted from any work you are in. It can even create an obstacle in your sleep cycle. Hence, it becomes very essential to get rid of the pungent, musty odour in your home and you can do that only by purifying the air within your house.
- Removes allergens
Allergens can simply be referred to as the airborne particles that can cause different allergic infections in people. Some of the most common allergens include cockroach debris, dust, animal dander, and pollen. Such allergens keep floating in the air but ultimately fall on flat areas and leave behind a thin and furry layer on the areas where they fall. Removal of these allergens assures that there is no sneezing problem or any other breathing related problem in the house.
- Balances humidity
To ensure the good quality of air inside your house, there must be a proper humidity balance. Humidity refers to the water content in the air. An increase in the humidity levels can make your home feel moist and damp which can make your breathing process. Whereas, low levels of humidity can make the environment in your home feel dry and cold which can further make your skin irritated and itchy. It may also cause hair problems.
- Reduces energy costs
Many steps are required for the maintenance of your indoor air quality. These steps include enhancing the flow of air and ventilation in your house, keeping a balanced humidity level, maintain a balance in the levels of carbon monoxide. One major step is the optimization of the HVAC system as well as assurance that it doesn’t have to function very high for keeping good health of your home. Effectiveness automatically leads to a noticeable reduction in the cost of your electric bill.
Now, we are going to talk about the 5 ways by which you can improve the indoor air quality of your house.
Ways to improve indoor air quality
As you know, air pollution is increasing day by day. Hence, apart from getting concerned about the air outside your home, it is equally important to maintain the indoor air quality too. These are the ways by which you can maintain your indoor air quality. There are a lot of benefits you can avail of if you keep your indoor air clean and fresh. However, the positive thing is that the awareness regarding air pollution and everything related to it is gradually increasing amongst the people and people are making efforts to deal with this problem. People need to pay an equal amount of attention to the maintenance of indoor air quality too.
