How Clean Is The Air In Your Home?

Ever wonder about the quality of the air that you and your family are breathing?

Today’s tightly-sealed homes trap indoor pollutants and might actually contribute to poor indoor air quality.  Here are some of the steps homeowners can take to improve the quality of the air they breathe:

• Have a high-efficiency ventilation system installed to ensure good indoor air quality;
• Have carpets cleaned once or twice a year to remove pollutants, dust and dirt;
• Have your duct system cleaned every three or four years at a minimum;
• Use low-emission paints to reduce vapors;
• Whenever possible, use green household cleaners that eliminate toxic fumes;
• Ensure kitchen and bathroom exhausts are vented to the outside of your home;
• Change the filters on your furnace monthly;
• Change the pad in your duct-mounted humidifier annually;
• Install a high-quality electronic air cleaner; and
• Open windows on nice days for an hour or so to recirculate and freshen the air in your home.

How to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality with Plants .

Did you know that you can strategically use household plants to improve your indoor air quality?

People spend as much as 90% of their lives indoors. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency statistics show that indoor air quality is five times worse than outdoor air, making it one of the top threats to good health. It’s linked to allergies, sickness and fatigue. Fortunately, indoor air quality can be improved with the help of home air filters, purifiers and living house plants. Plants cycle the air by taking in carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. But plants also have the ability to purify household air by naturally filtering harmful chemicals found in the air known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which come from man-made products in the home.

Check out this video we found that explains how you can do this, how to select the right type of plants to use in your home, how to care for them, how many plants to have, and all kinds of useful information.  There is some controversy about whether house plants actually effect the air in your home, but still, this is good information. It looks like it might well be something to consider in your struggle for clean, healthy indoor air.