Did you know that indoor air is around 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air? Even as many religiously go for regular health check-ups, stress over allergies, and swallow pills every day, they often neglect the most basic thing – indoor air quality. In fact, everything from the mattresses you and your kids sleep on to their pajamas might be hosting harmful toxins and chemicals.
Fortunately, there are several precautions you can initiate in order to safeguard your home. Following the simple tips below, you can keep various pollutants at bay, while keeping indoor air cleaner.
Improve Ventilation
One of the best ways to improve your indoor air quality is by increasing ventilation in your home. However, this does not mean opening your windows and letting all the outdoor air pollution into your indoor space. Instead, consider installing trickle vents that can help in the purification and cycling of air indoors.
Another alternative is making use of exhaust fans that will carry out pollutants. In addition, remember to ventilate your kitchen because cooking is another major cause of air pollution – especially if you are using a gas stove. Furthermore, vent out with a fan all the steam and extra moisture after taking a shower to reduce chances of mildew and mold growth.
Use Essential Oils
Fungi, viruses, bacteria, and mold can’t survive in the presence of essential oils such as tea tree, thyme, oregano, and cinnamon, according to Essential Oil Haven. In fact, some essential oils have a kill rate of 99.96 percent, especially when they are combined. Plus, you can add these essential oils to your detergents and soaps to make the air you breathe in cleaner and fresher.
Use Houseplants
Houseplants have the capacity to rejuvenate and purify indoor air, safeguarding you from side effects associated with common toxins like benzene, ammonia, and formaldehyde. Houseplants are especially critical if you have family members suffering from some respiratory illnesses.
It’s recommended that you have one plant for every 100 square feet of your home in order to achieve efficient air cleaning. Some of the best plants for filtering indoor toxins include peace lily, broadleaf lady palm, and the butterfly palm. The English ivy (European ivy or common ivy) can be placed in rooms with electronics such as computers and printers.
Light a Salt Lamp
The crystals in salt lamps are helpful in reducing airborne allergens, irritants, and pathogens by sucking water vapor from the air. The Himalayan pink salt is a great example that pulls toxins and neutralizes them from your indoor air. All you have to do is light up a Himalayan pink salt in your room – and this will also help improve the aesthetics of the room.
You can leave a salt lamp on at night because the natural orange glow emitted has no effect on sleep hormones. While salt lamps are more effective when they are lit, they surprisingly work well even when turned off!
Be Mindful
Air pollutants make their way into your home with the help of uninformed house occupants, but taking precautions can help prevent these contaminants from taking over your indoor space. For instance, don’t walk into the house with the same shoes you had on while outdoors. Having your family members remove their dirty shoes can help reduce the chances of different soil types ending up in your home.
Conclusion
The air you breathe in your home should not be the cause of discomfort. At the very least, spending quality time with loved ones indoors ought to be a pleasurable experience every time. So, improve on ventilation, have houseplants, essential oils, light a candle, and be mindful.