Improving the quality of your indoor air isn’t just for people who suffer the ravages of upper respiratory problems. It’s also a good way to help decrease the incidence and severity of seasonal allergies and colds and flus while ridding the air of chemical cleaner byproducts, radon, pesticides, dust, bacteria, and umpteen other known indoor air pollutants.
So how does one go about accomplishing such a feat? Here are three very effective techniques.
Keep the floors clean: So many of the pollutants we struggle with find their way indoors on the soles of family members’ shoes. Hence, the need and opportunity to keep washable mats at each entry way and either enforce a no shoes policy, or designate separate footwear for indoor use that are not allowed to be worn outdoors. Also, try to keep the number of large rugs to a minimum and regularly vacuum them. Regularly sweeping hardwood floors and disinfecting tiles also helps keep pathogens, mold, and dust mites in check.
No smoking: When cigarettes are smoked the fire burns brightly at the end, which means many chemicals are being burned in the process. However, a lit cigarette sitting idly in an ash tray burns cooler, thus releasing more smoke by-products into the area and increasing the risk of sickness from 2nd and 3rd hand smoke, the latter being smoke that gets trapped in rugs, fabrics, drapes, and even wallpaper. Thinking of quitting? No doubt about it: if you care about the quality of your indoor air, “no smoking allowed” is the only way to go.
Air cleaning au natural: Using baking soda and vinegar to clean can reduce the amount of chemical cleaning by-products that may be polluting your indoor air. Also, add more plants to your living space. Plants that improve air quality include Aloe Vera, ferns, and spider plants. Plants that flower or multicolored leaves also add to the beauty of your décor. And, of course, let the fresh air in! Keeping windows open when outdoor weather conditions permit allows pollutants to escape vs. ganging up on you indoors.
Here at Burton, we have several whole-house clean air solutions to share with you, with the right solution for every home and budget. Contact us today for an in-home air quality analysis and proposal to help keep your air clean all year long.
