Additional ways of creating a healthier home

According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) a large percentage of people spend up to 90% of their time indoors, either at home in the office or shopping. Another EPA study indicates that the level of indoor pollution can be considerably higher than in the outdoors. Based on this result, the EPA lists indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental risks to our health.

The main indoor air pollutants are:

Dust and dust mites
Pet dander
Smoke
Mold and
Radon

All of these pollutants can be a serious health risk and contribute to respiratory disease and asthma. Having said this, there are a number of possibilities for improving the quality of the air we breathe in our homes. Using an air purifier is a great solution and help, and this is a topic of another article. This article is about additional ways to reduce the indoor air pollution.

Reducing allergens

Pollen, dust mite excrements and pet dander can easily travel through the air unseen. They enter our bodies every time we inhale and cause major health problems.

Mold can be found wherever there is moisture. Make sure you wipe off the moisture on the inside of your windows that sometimes forms through condensation. Air out the rooms. The easiest way is to open all windows in the house everyday for about 10 minutes to exchange the air in the house. If it is winter, turn off your heating system when you air out the house in order not to waste energy and your money. Check soil of plants in the house for mold. If you see some, either re-pot the plant or move it outdoors.

If you need to smoke, step outdoors to do so and ask your guests to do the same.

If you have pets, brush and wash them often and keep them out of bedrooms and away from carpeted areas. It can be challenging to bathe a cat, but people still manage to do so.

Curtains and window coverings collect a lot of dust. Wash them often or replace them with window shades out of a material than can easily be wiped down, like wood and plastic.

Down comforters and pillows are definitely not first choices if you have asthma or allergies. Wash all sheets once a week in hot water. For individuals with asthma, a good idea is to use allergen-resistant covers on the mattresses and pillows.

If you are building a home ask the builder to use smooth surface flooring, such as tile or wood or a carpet with a short nap. These are easier to clean. The same applies if you are planning to change your carpet. You can always use area rugs afterwards that can be easily removed for cleaning purposes.

Otherwise, have your carpets cleaned two to three times a year by a certified carpet cleaner. The same applies for upholstered furniture.

Use a modern good quality vacuum cleaner with a high efficiency HEPA filter to clean the floors in your house 2-3 times a week.

Last but not least is the HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning) system. Regularly clean the HVAC air duct system (once a year if possible).

Every 2-3 months (or as required by the manufacturer), you should also change the furnace and air conditioning filters. Here it is worthwhile spending a few dollars more in order to purchase a high quality allergen reduction filter instead of a fiberglass filter.