It is bad enough that you go through dirt, dust, toxins, and other contaminants outside, but indoors, too? When the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized the coronavirus as a global pandemic back in March, every government asked their people to isolate themselves at home. Stay indoors, they said. Do not go out unless necessary. You may think you are keeping yourself healthy by staying indoors. The truth is that indoor air quality is just as bad.
Even before the pandemic, people spend more than 90% of their time indoors — whether at home or office. They work, sleep, and eat indoors. They socialize indoors. It is only because of the pandemic that people started realizing their indoor air quality may just be as bad, if not worse, than the air outside. If you’re going to malls and eating out in restaurants amid the pandemic, beware. Health experts said it is better to stay outdoors than indoors to prevent contracting the virus.
It’s easy to improve the indoor air quality. It’s a wonder why many people didn’t do these even before the pandemic. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on these. That’s opposed to how much you spend when you do get sick because of respiratory problems.
Clean Your HVAC System Regularly
The air inside your house goes through the heating and air-conditioning pipes. They circulate the air to cool or warm your rooms. This means that all the air pollutants that you can think of are inside those pipes, ducts, and filters. When was the last time you cleaned your HVAC system? How about your air-conditioning unit?
Make it a point to call for an AC maintenance service regularly. If you’re using the air-con unit every day, call someone to clean it every six months, or less if you feel the unit is having a hard time cooling your rooms. At the same time, change the air filters in the ducts. Clogged filters will be powerless to remove the pollutants in the room.
Use Exhaust Fans
Do you have exhaust fans? Install them in cramped areas of your home such as the kitchen, basement, and attic. Exhaust fans will help the air circulate better as it will suck in the air from the room. They work wonders, too, in areas of your home that suffer from too much moisture. Since moist air can cause molds and mildew, you’ll want to have exhaust fans to prevent these allergens from appearing inside your home.
Clean Carpets and Rugs
While carpets and rugs make a home look nice, they collect dust, dirt, and other allergens. Make sure to clean them regularly. Take them to the dry cleaners or have a professional clean them since some carpets cost thousands of dollars. How regularly should you clean the rugs and carpets? Do it weekly for good measure. For deep cleaning, do it at least once every three months.
Control the Humidity
Too much humidity can cause the development of molds and mildew. When the air is too dry, it’s bad for your health, too. You can use either a humidifier or dehumidifier depending on the humidity levels in your area. If there is too much humidity, use a dehumidifier. If the air is too dry, use a humidifier. These devices will control and balance the humidity levels inside the rooms.
Grow House Plants
The most natural way to filter out contaminants and toxins from the air is by growing plants inside your house. You can have small plants by your kitchen windowsill. You can place them in a large pot and put them in the corner of the house. Ferns and lilies will do wonders to get the toxins out of the air. They bloom indoors, too, which makes the aesthetics even better. If you like larger plants, go for palm trees. These are all great indoor plants that help improve indoor air quality.
Increase Ventilation
Indoor air gets so bad because you probably have all your windows and doors closed. Open your windows to let the air inside. You can do this in the morning as it is safer to have your windows opened during daylight. At night, you can only do this if you have screen windows. Installing a kitchen ventilation system will also help since the pollution generated by cooking leads to a lot of respiratory problems, too.
By now, you should’ve learned from the pandemic how important air quality and ventilation are. These two things can prevent the transmission of the virus. The good indoor air quality will be beneficial for your health not only because it stops the spread of the virus, but also because it eliminates contaminants that can lead to respiratory problems.
