5 Simple Ways to Prevent Indoor Air Pollution

Some people are conscious of outside air pollution, which compels them to use masks when they venture out in the real world. It is good that there is awareness. Hopefully, that awareness also reaches out to indoor air pollution. Pollutants are not limited on the streets where vehicle fumes and dust and other toxins abound. Pollutants are also present at home. 

Indoor air pollutants are not easily seen but can sometimes be smelled. It comes from a variety of things you have at home like chemical products used in cleaning or beauty products like hair spray. Indoor air pollutants can come from carpets, paints, pots and pans, arts and crafts products, and even pets. 

Indoor air pollution is becoming a real problem in the UK with medical experts calling for affirmative action related to the threat against the health of children in homes, nurseries, and schools. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Physicians want authorities to order schools and other public institutions to make improvements, which will ensure that interiors don’t box poor air quality. 

In truth, this problem is worldwide, it just seems like British organizations are doing something about it. For those at home, there are simple ways by which indoor air pollution can be prevented. 

Ban smoking indoors

This is just another reason to quit smoking altogether. First of all, people already know that smoking is bad for the person’s health and the people inhaling the second-hand smoke. But after one finishes a cigarette, the smoke continues to leave behind pollutants. There are residual gas particles in cigarette smoke, and they can settle in fabrics like curtains and carpets or your couch textile, among others. It is mostly the children that gravely suffer from this because they are usually on the ground, playing on the carpet. Experts call this third-hand smoke phenomenon. 

Switch to natural household cleaning materials

Household cleaners and disinfectants use harsh chemicals in order to be effective. This is why most of the cleaners have the ability to remove dirt and stains in just one swipe. But that kind of convenience will also cost you good air quality. Household cleaners are among the more common causes of indoor pollution. The fumes from the harsh ingredients in these products can irritate your nose and mouth, as well as cause problems for the lungs. Some could also irritate the skin. 

Minimize textiles at home and regularly wash those that you really need

If it is possible for you to not have a carpet, then don’t use carpets. These can look really good at home and will allow you to tread the house barefoot, but pollutants easily cling on to any kind of textile. However, if you have a child and it is essential to have a carpet to minimize the traumatic effects of falls or stumbling, then you just need to make sure you clean the carpet regularly. The same goes for curtains. Also, wash your bed sheets regularly—like every week. 

Don’t walk around the house with your shoes on

Make sure you have a shoe stand by the door of your home so anybody who comes in can leave their shoes on it. Outside dirt should not enter your home. You have enough pollutants to battle indoors.

Minimize deodorizers

Air fresheners and scented candles have pollutants. Both have chemicals in them to make the house smell better. Air fresheners are known to have phthalates and formaldehyde, which are harmful chemicals. Candles are usually paraffin-based and emit benzene and toluene, which are also pollutants.

When people in the same household are getting sick at the same time, this is already an alarming indication that indoor air quality is poor. The environment is currently in a precarious situation. It needs protection because we have an amazing planet. In order to take care of it, we first have to take care of our homes.