Keeping the air clean in your home or business is important, especially if you have respiratory problems such as asthma. Ironically, the air inside your home can sometimes be more unhealthy than the air outside. Here are several tips to improve your home’s indoor air quality to ensure the healthiest home environment for you and your family:
- Have Your Furnace Checked
It is critical to have your furnace checked to see if it is in good working condition. Furnaces run on fuels like natural gases and oils that can leak into your home if your system is not working properly. The primary concern with malfunctioning furnaces is carbon monoxide, an odorless invisible gas that can be a silent killer. Leaks of carbon monoxide can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, chest pain, nausea, confusion, blurred vision, fainting, and death.
- Change Your Air Filter
Dirty air filters can worsen air quality and lead to respiratory problems, especially if someone has allergies or asthma. You should change your air filter every month. If you have pets, changing air filters is essential because pet dander can gather in the furnace and spread into the house to cause respiratory problems.
- Use Air-Purifying Plants
Plants are often useful in helping to purify the air in the home. However, some plants can be toxic to pets. Here are some air-purifying plants that are, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, safe for pets:
- Areca Palm
- Bamboo Palm
- Boston Fern
- Lilyturf
- Money Plant
- Purple waffle plant
- Variegated Wax Plant
These plants can help purify the air of such as chemicals such as toluene and xylene that can cause damage to body organs, such as the kidney and liver, and formaldehyde, which can cause cancer.
- Open a Window … Safely
Opening a window can let in the fresh air that can purify your indoor air. However, open windows especially those on upper floors can be safety hazards for young children. To get fresh air safely from open windows:
- Don’t rely on screens to keep children inside. Screens are flimsy and can easily be pushed out.
- Install window stops on windows that are 6 feet or higher from the ground. Window stops and guards should limit windows to being open less than 4 inches. Install window guards or stops on double-windows to keep children from pushing the bottom window open.
- Use window grills over windows and use grills where the rods are tightly enough spaced together so a child cannot slip through.
- Keep windows closed and locked when you are not using them.
- Keep furniture or other objects a child can climb away from windows.
- Always supervise your children and ask about window safety when your child goes to other homes.
- Use strategic landscaping, wood chips, grass or shrubs, beneath windows to lessen fall impacts.
- Use only cordless window coverings. Window cords can strangle young children.
These tips should aid you in creating the best indoor air quality for your home, but if you think your home needs a professional to come take a look at it, you should contact your local HVAC technician. A good HVAC technician can help you find what’s causing poor indoor air quality to make a healthy environment for you and your family.
