Did you know that indoor air pollution can be so bad it causes deaths? For example, 4.3 million people in the world die each year from it, with 34% of it being from strokes.
While most of these deaths are from living in poor, third-world countries, that certainly doesn’t mean you’re in the clear just yet. Poor indoor air quality can still cause some major health problems.
It’s true that hearing these stats may be cause for some concern. But there are definitely ways you can prevent indoor air pollution from happening.
Read on to find out what indoor air pollution is and how you can prevent it in your home.
What Is Indoor Air Pollution?
Before we tell you how to prevent it, you should first understand what indoor air pollution is exactly.
When you think of “air pollution,” you probably think about smog and smoke outside. So naturally, you aren’t worried about indoor air pollution.
But the truth is, air pollution is just as real indoors as it is out. Inside, it’s anything that lowers the quality of air that you breathe. These are impurities that can cause or exacerbate allergies and other respiratory illnesses.
Causes of Indoor Air Pollution
Now that you know what it is, let’s move on and discuss what the sources of indoor air pollution are.
Inside, you can have things like dust from your normal shedding of skin and pet dander from your pets shedding their skin as well. It can also come from something as simple as burning your dinner or smoke from smoking indoors.
Indoor air pollution doesn’t just come from inside though. Chances are, you don’t keep your windows closed 24/7. Because of this, some outdoor air pollution can make its way in.
For example, during spring and summer, pollen can easily float inside, as well as copious amounts of dust. Or if there is an active burning fire in your area, leaving your windows and/or doors open can allow smoke and ash to get inside.
How to Prevent Indoor Air Pollution
You now know the causes of indoor air pollution. But how do you prevent this from happening in the first place?
Here are some tips to prevent indoor air pollution in your home.
Clean Your House Often
As you can see from the previous section, much of indoor air pollution can be eliminated if you clean your house more often. More specifically, you should vacuum, dust, and mop regularly.
This should significantly reduce things like dust, pet dander, and pollen.
Stop Smoking Inside
If you’re a smoker, then you need to stop smoking inside. It may be more convenient, but it’s just sabotaging your home’s air quality.
Take the extra moment to step outside whenever you need a smoke. Who knows, maybe this will be just the motivation you need to finally quit!
Bathe Your Pets on a Regular Schedule
If you have pets, their dander may be compromising your indoor air quality. This can cause allergy symptoms to flare up, especially since up to 20% of the worldwide population is allergic to animal dander.
It may be tough to bathe your pet at first, especially if they aren’t used to regular bathtime. You might want to look up some tips and videos so you feel more confident. That way, it’ll reduce the stress both you and your pet will feel.
Once you’ve got your pets used to baths, you can also brush them outside between baths to reduce the amount of hair and dander that is shed in your home.
Swap Out the Filters on Your HVAC System Regularly
In your HVAC system, you have air filters that help to trap indoor air pollutants, like dust, hair, dander, pollen, and more. If you suffer from allergies or other respiratory illnesses, we suggest utilizing a MERV 11 rated filter or higher.
Over time these filters become clogged with pollutatnts and lose their effectiveness. You should check on your filters regularly to ensure there aren’t any obvious signs that you need to change them.
At the very least, you should change your air filters every three months. During peak usage times in the dead of summer and winter, it is likely that you’ll need to change them more frequently.
Utilize an Air Purifier
Despite all the above measures, it’s inevitable that some indoor air pollution will still happen. To ensure it stays at a minimum, you should consider getting an air purifier for rooms where you spend the most time. This includes bedrooms, nurseries, home offices, and living rooms.
These look like portable fans but instead of cooling you down, they draw out impurities from the air. This will make it so you don’t have to clean as often, nor will you have to spend as long doing so.
Like with the air filters on your HVAC system, remember to regularly check and change out the air purifier filters.
Keep Indoor Air Pollution Away With Our Tips
After reading this article, you now know what indoor air pollution is and what you can do to prevent poor indoor air quality in your home.
The next step is to put our tips to use. And don’t just do it once; ongoing maintenance is extremely important in keeping up good air quality.
So make sure you’re diligent about upkeep and your family will enjoy good indoor air quality for years to come.
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