Did you know that over 5 million existing homes were sold in the United States in 2019? If you’re a homeowner, regardless of how long you’ve lived in your current home, you want to make sure the air quality is up to par.
In fact, making indoor air quality improvements can not only make your home feel better, but it can help prevent you and your family from getting sick, too. That’s why we recommend that you take your home’s indoor air quality seriously, as failure to do so could lead to expensive medical bills, which nobody wants.
So, how do you go about making indoor air quality improvements? And what are some things you can do to make the air in your home cleaner and safer?
In this article, we’ll give you tons of tips and tricks you can use to improve your indoor air quality. We’ll also tell you about a few common mistakes to avoid, so you can make sure you aren’t doing more harm than good.
Keep Your Home Clean
Believe it or not, keeping your house neat and tidy does much more than only make things look nicer. Not only does it help with your mental health but it can make the air inside of your home cleaner, too.
By dusting and vacuuming your home often, you remove a lot of dirt, dust, and debris from the air. That will lead to you breathing better, as well as feeling better, which is of course a good thing.
Clutter can also gather dust, which can be stirred around in the air and lead to you and your family having breathing problems. So, be sure to pick up your home daily so you can avoid clutter and the problems it causes completely.
Also, while it may seem like a good idea, house plants can often do more harm than good for your indoor air quality. That’s why we recommend that you keep all of your plants outdoors to be safe.
Change Your HVAC Filters Often
If you have an HVAC system in your home, regardless of what type it is, you have air filters that need to be changed often. Failure to do so could not only damage your HVAC system, but it can also fill your home with polluted air, causing health issues for you and your family.
How often should you change your HVAC filters? Well, that varies per home, as not all homes are the same. We recommend that you check your filter monthly to ensure that it’s still clean. If it isn’t, obviously it’s time to change it out with a new one.
A pro tip? When you do change a filter, write the date that you did so on the side of the new filter. Then, when you check it each month, you’ll know exactly when the last time you changed it was.
If you notice your filters are getting dirty fast, consider investing in a higher-quality air filter. That way you can ensure that none of that dust or debris makes it through your HVAC system and into the air inside of your home.
Clean or Replace Your HVAC Ducts
Sticking with the topic of your HVAC system, there are a few other things that you can do to keep it, and the air inside of your home, cleaner. Outside of routine maintenance, we recommend that you have your ductwork inspected once a year by an HVAC professional.
So, what exactly does a thorough HVAC ductwork inspection consist of? Outside of confirming that all your ducts are still hooked up and sealed properly, your HVAC company should also be able to tell you if they need to be cleaned or not. If they do, they can handle that job for you, or at least recommend you to another company that can.
Cleaning older HVAC ductwork, around 15 years or older, isn’t a good idea. You can often damage the ductwork, and even send more pollutants into your home’s air, which is why we don’t recommend doing this.
If you do have older ductwork, and it has issues, replacing it is without a doubt the best thing you can do for your home’s air. That way you can ensure that the ducts that are sending air into your home are clean and functioning properly.
Use Ceiling Fans and Cooking Vents
Do a lot of cooking in your home? If so, you need to make sure that you use the cooking vents in your kitchen to remove any toxins that your stove or oven is producing.
Regardless of what type of stove or oven you have, they all produce chemicals that can get into the air in your home. By turning on cooking vents, and even ceiling fans, you can make sure that the polluted air gets out of your home in a hurry.
On top of that, using cooking vents and ceiling fans will help keep your home cool when cooking. This can be quite helpful in the summer months when your HVAC system has to work the hardest to cool your home.
Open Your Windows When It’s Cool Out
Cooking during the fall or wintertime? Not too cold outside? Open up your windows to let in some fresh air.
Not only will this help you keep your home smelling and feeling fresh, but it’ll help you better circulate the air inside of your home, too. Just make sure that, before you open your windows, there isn’t anything outside like pollen that could affect your indoor air quality.
Also, when you’re cleaning your home, consider doing so with your windows open and your fans on. That way some of the dust and dirt that you stir up while cleaning can exit your home via your windows.
Invest in an Air Purifier
Are you doing everything that we’ve mentioned so far on this list already? Still not happy with your overall air quality? If the answer is no, consider investing in a whole-home air purifier.
Most whole-home air purifiers are installed in your HVAC system near or in your ductwork. They do work better than standalone air purifiers, although you can still see positive results using a standalone unit, too.
If you find the air in your home to be dry, a humidifier can help you safely add some moisture to the air. Just be sure to be careful when using a humidifier, as too much humidity can create mold and mildew issues.
On the contrary, if your home has too much moisture in the air, or if you already have mole and mildew problems, a dehumidifier is worth investing in. They’ll help you combat those moisture issues and make the air in your home much easier to breathe.
Use Natural Cleaning Chemicals
We touched on cleaning your home earlier, but there are a few extra things to keep in mind when cleaning that can help improve the air quality inside of your home. For example, getting rid of store-bought cleaning chemicals and replacing them with all-natural ones can help make sure you’re not doing more harm than good when cleaning your home.
A pro tip? Consider making your own cleaning chemicals out of common household supplies. Your home will still get the cleaning it needs, but you’ll save money and reduce pollution, which is a win-win.
Pick Up Some Beeswax Candles
Like the way your current cleaning chemicals smell? Worried you’re not going to get the same effect using cleaning supplies that you made yourself? Don’t be, simply pick a few beeswax candles and light them whenever you see fit.
Again, all you need to do to improve the smell of your home naturally is to use a few beeswax candles. They’re affordable, effective, and most importantly, 100% natural. That means that they don’t release any unwanted chemicals in your home, allowing your air to stay fresh and safe.
The best part? You can even find scented beeswax candles, allowing you to bring the smell of campfires and marshmallows into your home safely.
Still Need Help Making Indoor Air Quality Improvements?
As you can see, making indoor air quality improvements starts with you properly maintaining your home. From cleaning daily to keeping up with your HVAC system, a clean home is the main key to reducing indoor air pollution.
Looking for more things you can do to turn your home into your dream home? Check back with our blog often, as we’re always talking about the latest in home improvement.
