According to a study, indoor air pollution can cause four times as many deaths as homicides. It’s usually the leading cause of death for low-income households. Furthermore, three percent of all diseases are caused by indoor air pollution. Individuals with lung conditions and chronic allergies are particularly at risk.
Knowing how to reduce indoor air pollution in your home means your care for your family’s health. So let’s talk about a few ways to enhance your home’s air quality and reduce indoor air pollution.
How to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution
Indoor air pollution can be as bad or even worse than it is outdoors. Direct exposure to indoor air pollution can seriously affect your health, so it’s vital to know how to minimize it to keep your household from danger. Below are five reliable ways to prevent or reduce indoor air pollution in your home.
1. Stay dry
You can keep the moisture down by using a dehumidifier to stop mold development. Do not forget to clean the filter regularly to prevent producing pollutants. If the humidity in your home keeps increasing despite regularly using a dehumidifier, see if there are unresolved leakages or water damage in your home. If you find water damage, hire restoration companies to prevent mold growth and structural damage.
2. Use the cooking vents
The kitchen is one of the major sources of indoor air pollutants in homes. Gas stoves release contaminants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Electric burners produce the same pollutants at lower levels, including other harmful particles easily absorbed into the bloodstream. To help filter the air when cooking, always turn on your kitchen vents and open the windows.
3. Do not smoke indoors
Cigarette and vape smoke are common air pollutants. So the primary step to making the indoor air cleaner and healthier is to stop smoking inside. According to professionals, second-hand smoke from tobacco contains more than 7,000 hazardous chemicals that can trigger serious health conditions and even drift easily through your house. If you have family members who smoke indoors, tell them to do it outside or motivate them to stop.
You’re saving their lives by doing this, and you’re also protecting your family from exposure to second-hand smoke and reducing the possibility of home fires. Cigarette smoking is accountable for numerous home fires and deaths every year. So avoiding indoor smoking can help save you the hassle of employing fire damage cleanup specialists should your home suffer fire damage due to carelessness.
4. Open your windows
Sufficient and correct ventilation is essential to promoting healthy and clean indoor air. Opening the windows is the best way to improve ventilation and encourage a good exchange of indoor and outdoor air. Keeping your windows open during the day also helps regulate moisture in your house. Excess moisture encourages mold growth and can develop in 48 hours if there are damp areas in a home.
If there are mold infestations in your home, don’t disregard them. Contact mold professionals immediately to address the situation. You may see this page to learn more about the mold remediation process.
5. Give your pets a bath
If there are pets in your house, regularly wash their bedding and bathe them to reduce allergy-causing dander. If you can, keep them far from your bed to avoid allergies.