How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

You might think your indoor air quality is good; after all, you windows keep a lot of pollutants shut out especially in the wintertime, right? But actually, nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, indoor air quality can be worse than outdoor air quality because of several factors. First of all, in the wintertime, fresh air is not allowed to circulate from the outdoors because windows are closed all the time. In fact, it can be as much as 10 times worse than during the seasons you can have your windows open. Therefore, to make sure you and your family stay healthy, you'll need to actively work on keeping your indoor air quality as pristine as possible.

There are several things you can do to help improve your indoor air quality.

Number one, use indoor live plants. Not only are these beautiful, but they also utilize carbon dioxide and exchange it with oxygen. In effect, they "clean the air," naturally. They can help reduce other pollutants, too.

Number two, limit smoking to the outdoors if you must smoke. Of course, smoking is not good for you anyway, but if you've got the habit and you can't stop, take your smoking outdoors. Having a "designated smoking area" inside isn't going to help you, either. Smoke goes everywhere no matter how you try to limit it, so if you smoke indoors, your family does, too.

Number three, limit your use of aerosol cans or eliminate them completely. Especially if you've got lung problems like asthma, aerosols can make these types of irritations worse. Use sprays instead of aerosols to get around this problem.

Number four, clean places where mold can grow. That means, your shower curtain, humidifier, et cetera. Any place that gets damp regularly can have a problem with mold. Even if you can't see it, mold can irritate breathing passages and make you sick.

Number five, check your plants' soil for mold, too. Remember those lovely live indoor plants we talked about earlier? They're great, but you have to make sure their soil doesn't stay too damp; if it's left too damp, mold can grow.

Number six, clean your air filters regularly. And if you don't have air filters, you should. There are a couple of different types you can try. HEPA air filters probably do the best job of cleaning out all pollutants, but they can be noisy. They're also somewhat expensive because they require regular filter replacement. Electrostatic air filters do a good job, too, and the benefit to them is that you can clean them regularly instead of having to replace filters. They're also much quieter than HEPA filters.

Number seven, use ventilation fans, but sparingly. They are there for a reason, meaning that they're there to ventilate areas they existed. Using them in bathrooms and kitchens, for example, keeps moisture down and therefore mold growth down, too. Turn them off as soon as areas are dry, though, because they do tend to ventilate heat out into the outdoors, which can drive your energy costs up.

Number eight, vacuum and dust regularly. This helps keep dust mites down and removes other allergens, too. And don't just stick to the carpet. Vacuum draperies, upholstery, anyplace where dust can exist. It's a good idea to get a couple of different types of vacuums, such as an upright and a handheld, so that you get all areas vacuumed completely. Alternatively, of course, you can get an upright with attachments that can do the same job.

These tips should help keep you and your family healthy throughout those long indoor winter months, so that you breathe easier -- literally.