What's Indoor Air Pollution?
Your home rarely comes to mind when you hear of "air pollution". But pollution in your house and interior environment is an issue that can negatively affect your health and mood.
There are several ways that common contaminants can enter the air in your house. Some are unintentionally brought in by you or your pets, but most of the contaminants are already indoors, such as the flame retardant chemicals on furniture, house-cleaning detergents, candles, hairspray and other sources you might have not thought about.
With the rise of early onset of cancer and hormonal imbalances amongst today's population; It is crucial to make every effort to reduce air pollution in your home, place of employment, or any other indoor environment.
How To Reduce Air Pollution in Your Home
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Get indoor plants
Plants have the ability to beautify your home. However, plants do a lot more than add aesthetic value to your home. They also help to remove toxins from the air.
During their respiration (or photosynthesis), plants breathe in carbon (iv) oxide and breathe out oxygen. Carbon (iv) oxide is a gas that’s harmful to humans. It can lead to dizziness, headaches, and difficulty breathing. Plants help to replace this carbon (iv) oxide with oxygen in the air.
English Ivy, Spider Plant, Boston Fern, and Peace Lily, are all examples of plants that reduce air pollution and also add aesthetic value to the home.
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Use toxin-free household cleaning agents
Most of the cleaning products in use today contain harmful toxins called VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). These VOCs pollute the air and cause respiratory problems.
While it is almost impossible to not make use of household cleaning agents, it is better to make them yourself. This way, you can control the products that go into these products and avoid harmful chemicals.
There are many DIY sites that offer tutorials on how to make homemade cleaning agents.
Skip the air fresheners/artificial fragrances and use essential oil diffusers instead
We all like air fresheners, scented candles, and other artificial fragrances because they help our homes/living space smell good. As nice as these products are, they also contain VOCs.
A safer option to opt for is essential oil diffusers. These diffusers help to break down the molecules of essential oils and produce a pleasant smell. Apart from helping your space smell nice, essential oils also have medicinal and therapeutic benefits.
Vitruvi essential oils are 100% pure, vegan, and cruelty-free. Free from synthetic fragrance, sulfates, parabens, formaldehydes, phthalates, and mineral oil. The brand also has an amazing Stone Diffuser that will not only look beautiful on your desk but also releases some humidifying steam, which makes it double up as a humidifier! Not only will your home be smelling amazing but your skin will thank you for adding some much needed moisture back into it, especially during these upcoming colder months.
For the price-conscious consumer Campo's Travel diffuser is the perfect choice. Transform the mood of any space on the go with this compact diffuser, which is conveniently USB-powered. This portable diffuser is car, laptop, and hotel USB-port ready and covers over 100+ square feet.
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Opt for Natural and Eco-Friendly Candles
For candle lovers who are concerned with having to part from their beloved scents, here at The Beauty Doctrine we have curated the best candles made of paraben-free and phthalate-free fragrance oils.
Our first pick would have to be our very own Natural Candle w/ Organic Cotton Wick, Coconut Wax candle. This candle is crafted with a beautiful blend of renewable, vegan, coconut and apricot wax. The scent is soft and not overpowering, perfect for those that are prone to headaches from strong scents, with a lasting power of 80+ hours.
Another great option for your home is Salt & Stone's Black Rose & Vetiver Natural Candle. A dynamic and bright aromatic blend of pink grapefruit, orange and black pepper enhanced by Vetiver and Patchouli. This intoxicating smell has a lasting power of up to 55 hours and is ideal for fragrance addicts who love a strong projection.
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Eliminate the source of the odor
This point goes along with the use of artificial fragrances. If you do not wish to invest in a diffuser, the least you can do is limit the use of these artificial fragrances, as an attempt to hide any unpleasant odors in your home.
Make sure to focus on actually eliminating all potential sources of foul odors, rather than simply masking them. Some good practices to maintain are emptying your trash can often, avoiding the pile up of dirty dishes, throwing away spoiled food, and keeping your toilets/bathrooms clean.
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Minimize the use of hairsprays
Although hairsprays help your hair smell good and are beneficial to your hair, they are a major source of indoor air pollution. This is because hairsprays contain extremely dangerous compounds that, when released into the atmosphere as gases, pollute the air.
It might be hard to completely stop using hairsprays because they are quite useful but minimizing the use of hairsprays, at the very least, goes a long way in reducing indoor air pollution.
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Do not smoke indoors
Smoking inside causes hazardous compounds and smoke to build up, which has a significant negative influence on the quality of the air indoors. Smoke is linked to a number of carcinogens as well as other toxic chemicals that are bad for human health in general.
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Ensure proper ventilation
This step is quite simple but it has a big role to play in reducing air pollution. Opening your windows and ensuring the free flow of air into your home prevents the accumulation of indoor air pollutants.
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Dust and clean your home thoroughly
Pet dander, pollen, mites, mildew, germs, and mold can all be carried by dust. Since removing these pollutants improves indoor air quality, thorough cleaning is strongly advised.
Cleaning and dusting should be done with tools or detergents that are environmentally friendly. I’ll advise that you vacuum cleaners because brooms stir up more dirt and a micro-fiber dusting cloth because it captures more dirt than a cotton rag.
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Use air purifiers
In case you don’t know what an air purifier is, it is basically a device created for the sole purpose of removing indoor air pollutants and improving indoor air quality.
All of the contaminants in your indoor air won't be eliminated by an air purifier alone. However, if you have make an effort to reduce air pollutants, an air purifier will essentially complete the job for you and make the air around you purer.
BLUEAIR | Healthprotect 7470i air purifier is one of the best air purifiers out there that you can try. Blueair air purifiers use HEPASilent™ dual filtration technology, delivering maximum filtration with minimum noise. This dual filtration technology system pioneered by Blueair combines electrostatic charging of particles and mechanical filtration along with a unique filter designed to produce more clean air.
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Change or clean filters regularly
The filters present in an air purifier, for example, remove the different pollutants present in the air.
When in use for a long period of time, these air pollutants accumulate in the filters. If the filters are not changed or cleaned, the air purifiers won’t perform their functions properly because the filters are too clogged to work.The same goes for the filters of an air heating or cooling system.
Therefore, it is imperative that the filters of your air purifiers, heaters, and/or air conditioners are changed regularly.
Conclusion
The more you think about it, the more you realize that indoor air pollution is very common and can almost never be avoided.
I have helped compile 10 precautions that will help reduce indoor air pollution very significantly. If you can at least implement 7 of these precautions, you’ll discover that the air in your home becomes lighter and purer.Be well. Be safe. Be beautiful