Did you know the air inside your home is more polluted than the outside air? According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this is a fact. We spend more than 80% of our time indoor and it can cause health issues especially for the newborns, babies, toddlers and pre-kindergarteners. Always remember that children are naturally more susceptible to pollutants than adults. Some of the common pollutants are as follows:
- Chemical emissions
- Mold spores
- Animal allergens
- Radon
- Combustion gases
- Tobacco smoke
- Pesticides
- Dust
It is important for your family to take actions to improve your indoor air quality that results in cleaner air for your family to breathe.
1. Do not smoke inside your house especially if you have small children. I don’t understand why anyone would want to raise their own kids in smoke filled environment? It is highly recommended to take smoking outside.
2. Do not use painting that is for outdoor. If you are doing a home painting projects, make sure you purchase the paint that is used for indoor. There are people who don’t realize the negative impact to your family for using outdoor paint inside the house.
3. Do not use scented versions of all home and personal care products. All scented products can produce chemicals that you do not want in your home.
4. Prevent mold growth in your home by controlling the humidity. By using dehumidifiers or fans, you can keep humidity to low level. Also, quickly repair any water leakage to prevent moisture accumulation. Indoor mold growth is known to cause allergies and other respiratory problems.
5. Invest extra money to purchase vacuum cleaner that uses a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter.
6. Take off shoes inside the house or at minimum put walk-off mats at your outside entrances.
7. Consider increasing your ventilation inside your home by opening doors and windows when the weather is nice outside. But be cautious for those families who have grass or tree allergies.
One product you want to avoid in an effort to improve your indoor air quality is one of those ionizer machines. Not only are they expensive but there’s absolutely no evidence that they do anything to clean the air. They’re just a ripoff.
Sadly, I bought one of these ionizers a couple years back and, ironically, it now sits on a shelf collecting dust. Believe me, that’s the only dust it ever collected!