The EPA estimates that the majority of Americans spend approximately 90% of their time year round indoors, but that indoor air quality can be two to five times more polluted than outdoor air.
"Indoor air quality can be worse than outdoor air quality in almost every case,” says William J. Calhoun, MD, professor of medicine and vice chair of the department of medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
The single most effective way to ensure pure air in the home is to keep the toxic out - so reduce or eliminate products that cause air pollution, including cigarette smoke, excess moisture and chemicals.
The second most important method to help with purifying your air is with proper ventilation so that you can pull dangerous pollutants out of the house. Make sure the vent fans in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room are working properly; if you don't have any, think about installing them. You can also increase air exchange by putting in an attic fan to suck stale air out and pull fresh outside air in, or investing in an energy recovery ventilator (ERV), a device that uses ducts to distribute fresh air throughout the house.
You may want to think about keeping plants that are natural air purifiers. This list (see below) of plants helps to remove your home of the following three major household toxins; benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.
Portable air cleaners with HEPA filters are another option to use for individual rooms. In the end though, even with all the air-cleaning technology and the use of air-purifying plants, there's only so much that these things can do to help you breath easy. It's important to keep a clean home and use green products when possible to reduce the toxins that are floating around and make these different purifiers more effective.
"Indoor air quality can be worse than outdoor air quality in almost every case,” says William J. Calhoun, MD, professor of medicine and vice chair of the department of medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
The single most effective way to ensure pure air in the home is to keep the toxic out - so reduce or eliminate products that cause air pollution, including cigarette smoke, excess moisture and chemicals.
The second most important method to help with purifying your air is with proper ventilation so that you can pull dangerous pollutants out of the house. Make sure the vent fans in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room are working properly; if you don't have any, think about installing them. You can also increase air exchange by putting in an attic fan to suck stale air out and pull fresh outside air in, or investing in an energy recovery ventilator (ERV), a device that uses ducts to distribute fresh air throughout the house.
You may want to think about keeping plants that are natural air purifiers. This list (see below) of plants helps to remove your home of the following three major household toxins; benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene.
- Aloe Vera
- Areca Palm
- Baby Rubber Plant
- Bamboo Palm or Reed Palm
- Boton Fern
- English Ivy
- Ficus alii
- Gerber Daisy
Portable air cleaners with HEPA filters are another option to use for individual rooms. In the end though, even with all the air-cleaning technology and the use of air-purifying plants, there's only so much that these things can do to help you breath easy. It's important to keep a clean home and use green products when possible to reduce the toxins that are floating around and make these different purifiers more effective.
RSS Feed