Taking Control of Your Home’s Air Quality
Air quality impacts our lives a lot more than most of us realise. The World Health Organization believes that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that definitely exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants. They also believe that countries with low- and middle-income experience the highest exposure to poor quality air. It is actually estimated that 4.2 million deaths every year occur as an active result of exposure to ambient (or outdoor) air pollution. Now, you may not be able to do much about the levels of air pollution outside of your home – besides protesting and raising awareness – but one area you should really focus on is one that you can control. This is the air inside your home. We spend a lot of time in our own properties and we should do what we can to make sure that the air we are breathing inside them is of the best quality we can possibly attain. Here are some steps you can take to help with this.
House Plants
A simple, straightforward and low cost area to consider is investing in houseplants. A lot of people like to take care of houseplants anyway, as they are a great visual addition to any living space, adding a touch of nature to the indoors and sprucing the place up a little. It’s also rewarding to see somethign you’re taking care of thrive and grow. But there are signficiant air quality benefits to having houseplants too. Plants are often referred to as nature’s life support systems, as they serve to draw impurities in from the air, photosynthesising carbon dioxide into oxygen. This is a kind of natural air filter. Some good options to consider include the Peace Lily, the Snake Plant, English Ivy, Scarlet Star Bromeliad and more. It’s important that you take time to check whether any plants are toxic or dangerous if you have children or pets in your home, who may not know better than to chew on the leaves or other parts of the plant.
Air Purifying Systems
Increased demand for improved air quality in the home has resulted in a number of companies offering air purifying systems. Take a look at Hunter Pure Air. These systems draw impurities out of the air and serve to maintain mcuh better air quality in your living space. Look out for options that are not only effective at what they do, but also fit in well to your home design. They’re available in a host of different colours and designs, so browse and see what suits your tastes and needs!
Extractor Fans
Extractor fans can help to pump unclean and humid air out of your home. While they’re not necessary in all rooms, they should always be installed within bathrooms and kitchens. Bathroom extractor fans typically take the form of a subtle wall mounted or ceiling mounted fan. Within a kitchen, you may want to consider a more prominent kitchen fan hood for directly removing steam and smoke from the stove. Kitchen fan hoods can be more than just a functional feature – there are many attractive styles of ceiling fan hood that can enhance the look of your kitchen. Such fans should always be installed by a professional.
Managing Your AC and AIr Ducts
If you have air conditioning systems or ducts in your home, it’s abolsutley essential that you maintain them. Implement a maintenance routine and stick to it. These systems tend to gather up dust and, when you turn them on, or when wind or airflow passes through them, they can spread this dust, debris and other particles around yoru home. You will end up breathing them in without even realising it. Combat this by using professional companies to clean them out. This will resolve this problem on an ongoing basis.
Each step in this process is simple to implement, but can make all the difference. So, give them a go!
