When freshening up your home, you might focus all your efforts on polishing the floors or adding a new coat of paint to the walls. However, when was the last time you thought about the air quality in your space?
Clean, healthy air is of the utmost importance not just for your health but also for how comfortable your home feels. Dusty vents and stuffy corners lead to musty smells and a feeling that you’re about to suffocate whenever you take a deep breath. Thankfully, there are many ways to improve air quality at home without doing a complete overhaul of your place. Here are eight easy ways to make the air in your home fresh and clean again.
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Crack Open the Windows Now and Then
Energy-efficient windows are designed to keep your home as airtight as possible, and while that is beneficial for the summer and winter months, it’s not always the best for air circulation. Trapping air in your home can lead to a buildup of pollutants and lingering odors, making your space feel stuffy and less healthy.
One way to quickly get that air circulation going is by opening the windows a couple of times a day. This flushes out the pollutants and cooking fumes that have built up inside your space and lets in fresh air. You don’t need to have your windows open for a long time. All you need is about 10 to 15 minutes, and the air quality in your home will already improve dramatically.
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Regularly Swap Out Your HVAC Filters
Your home’s air quality heavily relies on your HVAC system. When the filters in your system are clogged with dust and pet dander, they push those particles around in the air distributed throughout your home.
If you want good air quality, clean filters are essential, as these can catch these particles before they spread throughout your spaces. That’s why it’s important to replace your HVAC filters once every three months, maybe more depending on the season. If you have pets and allergy-prone family members, you might even want to do it every month.
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Schedule an Air Duct Cleaning
Even if your HVAC filters are clean, dirty air ducts can still spread low-quality air throughout your home. Dust, mold, and other contaminants can settle deep in these ducts, decreasing air quality no matter how much you clean your home and HVAC filters.
Cleaning out these ducts isn’t always straightforward because these contaminants often accumulate in hard-to-reach areas that typical household tools can’t handle. It’s always a good idea to hire professional air duct cleaning services to get the job done properly. These professionals use high-powered vacuums and specialized brushes to dislodge and extract built-up dust and pollutants. The result is an HVAC system that runs more efficiently and gives you nothing but fresh, clean air.
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Vacuum Your Space More Often
All that dust and pet hair hiding in your rugs and carpets also contribute to low-quality air at home. To make your air as dust-free as possible, vacuum as often as you can, way before these particles can circulate in your spaces.
Try to vacuum carpets and upholstery at least twice a week, maybe thrice in high-traffic areas like the living room. Take your time vacuuming hard-to-reach corners to make sure you get every bit of dust out. Don’t forget to vacuum underneath your furniture. Not only will you have high-quality air as a result, but you’ll have a fresh, spotless home as well. Do a deep carpet cleaning once a year to extract all that gunk.
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Invest in a Dehumidifier
If there’s excess moisture in the air, it might encourage mold growth and mildew in your home, especially in bathrooms and basements. You don’t want to breathe all that bacteria in. A dehumidifier pulls that excess water from the air, making it difficult for allergens and mold to thrive. Just place the dehumidifier in the middle of a damp room and empty the water reservoir as needed.
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Avoid Lighting Scented Candles
Scented candles may be aesthetically pleasing and satisfying to smell in your space, but they’re not always the best for your lungs. When you burn these candles, they release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are chemicals that irritate your lungs and can trigger allergies.
Cutting down on your scented candle use is a terrific way to significantly lower air pollution in your home. Instead of lighting candles, go for fragrance-free and natural scented products. Experiment with diffusing essential oils or placing bowls of dried herbs like lavender or rosemary around your home for a gentle, natural aroma. These options give you that cozy, inviting scent without the harmful VOCs.
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Add Houseplants to Naturally Filter Air
Plants are excellent at absorbing toxins in the air and releasing fresh oxygen, which can help improve air quality in any space. They also help regulate humidity, making your home more comfortable year-round. Place some large indoor plants in your spaces, like your living room and bedroom. Not only are they great for adding cleaner air to your home, but they also add more life and brightness to any corner.
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Groom Your Pets Regularly
Your cats and dogs may be family to you, but the reality is that when they shed fur and dander, it can negatively impact the air quality in your home. To make sure the air you breathe is good for your health, groom your beloved pets regularly.
Brush your pets’ hair outdoors if possible, and give them a bath every two weeks. When you vacuum your home, make sure to spend extra time clearing up the hair and dander in the places your pets love to hang out. By being extra vigilant about these things, you’ll have an allergy-free home with the best-quality air.
Endnote
When it comes to air quality in your home, all these small changes will add up. Whether it’s spending a few extra minutes vacuuming the carpet, upgrading your HVAC filters, or simply grooming your fur babies, these tips will help you breathe easier and feel more at ease in your space. When your air is fresh and clean, your home feels lighter and more comfortable.
