10 Tips to Improve Your Home’s Air Quality This Winter

Labrador lying before home fire place

Winter is a time of year that leads many people to spend more time indoors, but poor indoor air quality can make this a misery, sometime because of lack of power. So, why hire generators? For many people living in areas that are vulnerable to power outages, generator hire can be an incredibly useful asset for your to be able to utilize at home or in your place of work. Cutting down on airborne allergens and even viruses, as well as improving overall comfort, is a top priority. Have your steam generator and heating unit inspected and serviced by a boiler service company to ensure they will be working at their maximum efficiency. And if you need emergency boilers, you can always contact boiler rental services. To help improve air quality in your home throughout the winter, we have compiled 10 tips designed to help make life a little easier for you and yours.

Tip 1 – Use an Air Purifier

Air purifiers are great tools for removing a variety of airborne particles and even pathogens like viruses. Most units focus on filtering out common allergens, like pollen, dust, and pet dander, but smoke and pet odors might also be an issue. If they are, then look for models that use activated carbon, as these are the ones that have the ability to remove smoke and odor particles.

Tip 2 – Change Filters Regularly

Keeping up with any kind of filter present in your home is going to be a big help in improving and maintaining the air quality in your home. The filters for your central heating/air system need to be changed regularly, but your vacuum also needs to have filters/bags either cleaned or replaced to maintain efficiency.

Tip 3 – Bring In Fresh Air

Unless you live in an area that deals with a lot of outdoor air quality concerns, then it’s a good idea to open windows when you can in order to bring in the fresh air. For most homes, the current heating and air systems only circulate the air inside, so introducing fresh air can reduce the concentration of various airborne particles in your home.

Tip 4 – Use a Humidifier

Air can become unpleasantly dry in the winter, and this can cause considerable discomfort, especially if you’re already dealing with allergy symptoms. Dry air can also exacerbate skin ailments like eczema, so it’s a good idea to have a humidifier installed to keep the right amount of moisture in the air.

Hygrometer measuring humidity

Tip 5 – Don’t Overdo the Humidity

While overly dry air isn’t good for you or your home, putting out too much humidity can also lead to negative consequences. Dust mites thrive in warm, humid environments, so increasing your home’s humidity too much may inadvertently result in an increase in dust. Warm, humid conditions may also lead to mold and, thus, airborne mold spores that pose a health risk. Humidity levels should be kept between 30% and 40% – something you can monitor through the use of a humidity gauge.

Tip 6 – Steam Clean

To keep your carpets extremely clean and get out any allergens that may be stubbornly sticking around, invest in a good steam cleaner that you can use throughout the winter to cut down on how much stuff stays buried deep within the carpet fibers. This will also lead to less work required of your vacuum.

Tip 7 – No More Cigarettes

If you or someone in your home is a smoker, then the best course of action is to quit smoking entirely. Not only is this a direct improvement to your health, but the absence of smoke particles in your home will improve the air quality for everyone present. Quitting smoking can be hard, of course, so if you can at least smoke outdoors only, then this will at least improve the air quality in your home.

Tip 8 – Handle Dry Cleaning Wisely

This is particularly true for those with sensitive respiratory systems, but no matter who you are, it’s best to let dry cleaning air out outside the home before bringing it inside. The chemicals used in the dry cleaning process can easily cause nasal irritation, so it’s best to reduce this likelihood as much as possible.

Clothes pins on line outside

Tip 9 – Reduce the Use of Chemical Fresheners

Whether it’s a product used in your laundry during washing or drying, or it’s an air freshener, or even your favorite perfume/cologne, all of these things can introduce a variety of chemicals to your home’s air. Just as with any other airborne allergen, these chemicals can cause irritation and discomfort. Consider washing your clothes in an asthma and allergy-friendly laundry detergent.

Tip 10 – Smart Activities

If you have a list of home improvement projects to do over the winter, then try to keep certain tasks outside the home as much as possible, such as sanding or sawing – anything that’s going to introduce fine dust particles. If you have a dust allergy, then make sure when you’re cleaning that you wear a face mask to help filter the air you breathe. When painting indoors, try to paint with the windows open to allow for fresh air.

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