4 Small Changes You Can Make to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality This Winter
Did you know that indoor air can be 2-5x more toxic than the outdoor air?
During the winter, many of us tend to stay indoors. Who wants to be out in the cold when they can be inside, cozied up in front of a fireplace? Or under a super soft blanket?
When your IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) is poor, you and your family can catch colds easier, develop a cough quicker, can start noticing skin irritation or rashes and even start seeing signs of asthma.
Poor IAQ can be caused by a variety of things:
- Chemical off-gassing from furniture and appliances
- Odors
- Pet dander
- Mold
- Smoke
- Chemicals in household products
- And more
Ready to take your IAQ into your own hands?
Here are 4 simple ways you can improve your Indoor Air Quality:
1.Institute a no-shoes policy. One of the easiest ways for contaminants to get into your home is through your shoes. Pollen, dirt, dust and other contaminants can be tracked in easily on the bottom of your shoes. Removing your shoes as soon as you walk in and asking your guests to do so too is a great way to help improve your IAQ and it will also keep your house clean!
2. Have a consistent cleaning schedule. Make a point to regularly dust, vacuum, and mop the floors. Not only will your house look clean, it will help improve your IAQ and it will make you feel good too!
3. Take inventory of your cleaning products. Look for products certified by Green Seal or Ecologo™. Stay away from any products that don’t list their fragrance ingredients on the label, because those ingredients may give off toxic chemicals.
Here is a list of other products that could be pumping toxic fumes into your home:
- Paints, paint strippers and other solvents
- Wood preservatives
- Aerosol sprays
- Moth repellents and air fresheners
- Stored fuels and automotive products
- Hobby supplies
- Dry-cleaned clothing
- Pesticides
- Beauty care products
- Laundry sheets
4. Change your air filters! We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. Change your air filters! Your filters are the barrier between you and the airborne pollutants in your home.
The average homeowner should be changing their filters every 3 months.
Wondering how often you should be changing your air filters? Check out this helpful graphic:
Depending on the characteristics of your home and your filtration priorities, it is ultimately up to you which MERV rating you choose. Need help? Watch this helpful video:
Don’t want to have to remember when to order your filter? Sign up for our Home Filter Club! Pick your filter, select how often you’d like to have them delivered and we’ll do the rest. Interested? Learn more about it here.
Want to know even more about your IAQ? Check out the Awair products we carry:
Awair Air Quality Sensor – Second Edition
Awair Glow Plug-in Air Quality Sensor
With Awair, you can constantly monitor your IAQ and get recommendations on what you can do to help improve it!
This blog post is approved by the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA) because it aligns with their mission to educate end-users about the importance of air filtration. To learn more about NAFA, click here.
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