3 Tips For Improving Your Home's Air Quality

Studies have shown that the air in your home and other indoor spaces can be more polluted than the air outside, CPSC notes. The main threats to good air indoors include poor ventilation, combustion sources, and so on, but the effects of bad air quality in your home are many, from health to home issues. However, they can be tackled by addressing the source of indoor pollution and keeping the air fresh at all times.

Air that is too dry, for example, poses a risk to those in the home because it can cause problems like dry skin, sinus issues, and extreme nasal dryness. On the other hand, air that is too humid can affect your home's structure with issues like mold growth and interior damage, Dugan Air notes. Try to avoid these problems by taking this pollution issue seriously in your house. From dusting to maintaining the right humidity level within your space, here are three tips for improving your home's air quality.

Dust is the number one enemy when it comes to proper air quality in your home. According to the American Lung Association, Americans spend most of their time, about 90%, inside, and this is important to note for two reasons. First, spending that much time in the house means the air quality inside is significantly more impactful on your health than in other places. Second, more time indoors means more dust since it comes from dead skin cells. Needless to say, dusting and vacuuming regularly should be a priority.

Dust settling and circulating around your place affects the air quality and your health in various ways, possibly causing respiratory issues, allergies, or asthma attacks. Generally, you should dust the most accessible surfaces of your space about once a week, while you can clean the out-of-reach areas every six months or so. Organise My House advises checking first to see how much time it takes for the dust to accumulate in your home. Consider the climate too. If you live in an area with low humidity, you should dust more frequently.

Ventilation and exhaust fans are two types of fans that you need in order to improve your home's air quality. The main function of vent fans is to bring in outside air and keep it flowing indoors so that the air that you breathe is always fresh (via Industrial Fans Direct). In addition, according to Sobieski, exhaust fans take any steam and moisture from the atmosphere and direct it outside, which helps reduce mold and mildew indoors.

Industrial Fans Direct explains when to use each. Exhaust fans should be used in bathrooms when you shower, and in kitchens while cooking because these are instances where you need to send contaminated air outside. Vent fans, on the other hand, should be used in places like bedrooms and hallways where you need to maintain a steady flow of fresh air. Being exposed to growing mold or the decay from furniture that has been sitting in an environment without proper airflow can cause health problems, so make sure you use those fans.

In order to improve the air quality in your home, try to maintain the right humidity and temperature level. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers work to ensure your place never gets too dry or too humid, while air conditioners and heaters cool or heat your house to whatever level you want them to. Therefore, it's crucial to know how to use these different household machines correctly to avoid poor air quality.

For instance, ACs work by removing moisture from the air, while heaters increase the water vapor capacity of the air without adding any moisture. Alternatively, humidifiers add moisture to the air, while dehumidifiers remove any excess as needed. Running two or more of these may not provide the right results and also cost you unnecessarily high utility bills, so know how to maximize them. When running any of these machines together, set them in a way that maintains the recommended humidity level. According to HVAC, anywhere between 30% to 50% is the standard for staying comfortable and healthy.