Breath Easy
Tips on improving indoor air quality
Stale air in our increasingly energy-efficient homes is a sanctuary for harmful chemical build up. Air inside the average city home is 3 to 70 times more polluted than outside air. Coughing, sneezing, depression, flu-like symptoms and other health problems that don’t have an indentifiable cause may be due to poor indoor air quality.
There are simple, natural ways you can significantly improve your home’s air quality.
- While air filters are one way to go, consider opening the windows as often as possible, at least for an hour or two every three or four days.
- Ventilate all areas where humidity is a problem, including crawlspaces and attics.
- Fans in bathrooms and kitchens should exhaust outside.
- Dust often using microfibre and water in a spray bottle.
- Use non-chemical cleaners.
- Chemical products can leak when not in use. Do not keep any partly full containers unless you absolutely need them. Find out if your community has safe disposal days for toxic products. If not, think about starting one.
- Store products containing chemicals in a safe, well-ventilated, hard-to-reach (for children) part of the home.
- Do not allow smoking inside the home.
- Clean evaporation trays in household appliances as often as possible.
- Reduce allergic reactions with allergen-proof pillows and mattress encasements. Wash all bedding in very hot water. Avoid room furnishings that accumulate dust.
- Ask people to take off their shoes when they come inside to avoid them tracking in dirt and microbes from outside.
