6 ways to improve your home’s air quality
Breathe a sigh of relief over your house’s indoor air quality by putting these top tips into practice.
Image: Classic 480i air purifier, Blueair
Whether it’s concerns about pollution from outside or from the substances that we bring inside, there’s a growing conversation around preserving and enhancing air quality in our homes.
It’s not something that you may think about every day, but if you suffer from allergies, or just often feel under the weather, your health and happiness could be being affected by the air you’re breathing indoors, so why not try these best practices to keep your home’s air fresh and clean?
Invest in an air purifier
Image: Pure Cool Me purifier, Dyson
The most obvious solution to purify your home’s air is to invest in an air purifier of course. Both budget and high-end versions are available, and can often be combined with heater or cool fans too. If you’re not sure whether it’s worth an investment, why not check out our guide to whether you really need an air purifier?
Use eco-friendly paint
Image: Earthborn paints
VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, are something that are present in certain paints we use in our home. Over time, they’re slowly released, affecting the overall air quality and they are linked to a variety of health problems.
Look for paints that promise low VOC content to avoid this from happening. The likes of Earthborn and Lakeland paints are a good place to start.
Let fresh air in
Image: IQ Glass
It may sound obvious, but if you want to improve your home’s air quality, you need to let fresh air in to circulate. It’s just a case of making a concerted effort sometimes to open a window or door to air out your home, even during the winter months.
Try these air purifying curtains
Image: IKEA
These innovative Gunrid curtains from IKEA use the energy from natural sunlight to help purify air. The fabric is coated in a mineral substance which the brand says can transform pollutd air into clean air.
Use your kitchen’s ventilation
Image: Bamia ceramic glass mixed induction hob, B&Q
Cooking up a storm in the kitchen is also going to affect your air quality. Ensure your kitchen has sufficient extraction, and make sure you use it! Take a look at our our guide to choosing to cooker hoods for a start.
Plants, or no plants?
Image: Calanthea plants, thejoyofplants.co.uk
By now, we’re all on board with the idea that plants can increase our wellbeing at home, and some of this is put down to them having an air purifying quality. While this is an added benefit, plants are unlikely to have a huge effect on air quality in small amounts, and some species do better than others.
It’s also worth noting that plants can increase humidity and also encourage mould growth – potentially having a negative consequence on your indoor air quality.
Do your research for the best oxygen-producing types – thejoyofplants.co.uk is a great go-to resource for this.
Going to try improve your indoor air quality at home? Let us know by tweeting us @goodhomesmag or post a comment on our Facebook page.