The air quality in your home can have many effects on your health. You can take steps to improve air quality indoors, including using an air purifier, reducing allergens and pollutants, and possibly even adding indoor plants.
While outdoor air pollution certainly poses a concern, it might be easy to forget that the quality of the air you breathe at home may be just as important.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that indoor pollutant levels be
Unexplained respiratory symptoms could offer a clue that it may be time to check the air quality in your living space. Taking steps to improve indoor air quality can help lower one’s risk of developing health conditions and may even improve quality of life.
Learning about common sources of pollution and avoiding adding pollutants when possible is an important way to keep indoor air clean.
Some common indoor air pollutants include:
Radon
Radon, a natural radioactive gas, can seep up through cracks in the earth and build up in your home, leading to health problems, including lung cancer.
Home test kits offer a simple way to check for unsafe levels of radon in your home. If testing reveals high levels of radon in your air, you can typically reduce radon by sealing the foundation of your home so that the gas can’t leak into your living space.
Secondhand smoke
Secondhand smoke refers to exhaled cigarette smoke. Anyone exposed may have a
The best way to keep second—and thirdhand smoke out of your living space is to avoid smoking indoors. Minimizing the habit could also be a good idea since the thirdhand smoke on your clothes may still affect your living space and air quality.
Formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a common volatile organic compound (VOC), one of many harmful gases sometimes emitted by common household items.
Commonly found in glues used in composite wood and many types of furniture, it can seep into the indoor air. Too much exposure can cause respiratory issues, including bronchitis.
You can reduce formaldehyde’s effects on air quality by:
- opting for used furniture instead of new, as furniture tends to release lower amounts of formaldehyde over time
- choosing solid wood furniture over composite wood
- properly ventilate homes
Cleaning products
Certain cleaning products contain harmful chemicals that may linger in your air, including:
- glass cleaners
- air fresheners
- bleach
- cleaning sprays
Choosing safer, nontoxic cleaning products can help you keep your home clean, without the excess pollutants contained in some standard cleaning products.
If you’re concerned about the air quality in your home but aren’t sure what changes could help the most, a good place to start is testing your air quality.
You can either choose the DIY route or call in a pro.
- You can find a variety of air quality test kits online. Some kits allow you to check for multiple pollutants, while others test for just one, like radon.
- Because many at-home test kits aren’t comprehensive, it might make more sense to do at-home testing if you’re only interested in checking for one or two particular pollutants. If you want a full panel of results, working with a pro may actually be more efficient in the long run.
- Hiring a professional will likely cost more than using a test kit, but many professionals offer additional services to help you manage any sources of pollution found during the test. For example, pros who offer air quality testing may also specialize in mold prevention and removal.
The method you choose can depend on your needs. Doing it yourself is often less expensive, but working with a professional will likely yield more extensive results and personalized info.
You’ll commonly find a host of allergens and irritants in many indoor spaces, including:
- dust
- mold
- pet dander
- dust mites
Keeping these allergens at bay may improve overall air quality in your home and reduce your chances of experiencing respiratory symptoms, including
- runny nose
- watery eyes
- sore throat
- sneezing
- skin rashes
- itching
Ways to manage allergens in your home
Strategies to help prevent and control allergens include:
- brushing and bathing your pet regularly
- washing bedding in hot water twice per month to eliminate dust mites
- choosing hypoallergenic pillows and impermeable mattresses to keep dust mites out
You can also remove allergens from indoor air by:
- removing and replacing carpet, wood, or drywall where mold is growing
- vacuuming and dusting to keep pet dander, dust, and dust mites from accumulating
- washing mold off nonpermeable surfaces, like tiles and metal, using a bleach or soap solution
Bringing an air purifier into your home is one effective way to keep your air cleaner.
You may want to opt for an air purifier with a high-efficiency particulate-absorbing (HEPA) filter since these tend to do the best job of removing more than 99% of harmful particles from your air.
An air purifier with a HEPA filter can even help remove flu virus particles from the air inside your home.
Still, air purifiers can’t remove all types of pollution, so you may want to consider an air filter if you want to reduce:
- VOCs
- smoke
- mold spores
- allergens like pet dander
Keeping the air flowing in your home offers a simple (and potentially cost-free) way to improve your air quality.
Opening windows and doors to let some outside air flow through is one way to do this — as long as the outdoor air is clean or low in pollen.
Air enters your house through vents and weak spots like tiny spaces around doors. While there’s not much you can do about the air that enters through these openings, it might help to make sure that the air channeling into your living space via vents isn’t contributing to the problem.
This means:
- regularly changing out any filters in your home heating and cooling systems
- making sure any air ducts in your home are clean and unobstructed, since dust can build up over time
- checking the filters in appliances that bring air into your home and changing them according to the manufacturer’s instructions
Dampness in indoor spaces can lead to many health hazards, including mold growth. Dampness and high humidity may also cause VOCs to leach into your air.
Damp indoor environments can result from a variety of factors, including:
- humid climates
- leaky pipes or roofs
- areas with pooling water
- low ventilation in areas with a lot of steam, like bathrooms and kitchens
Damp conditions can lead to many respiratory symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, and asthma attacks.
You can reduce dampness in your living area by:
- using a dehumidifier
- turning on a fan or opening a window when you shower or cook
- finding and eliminating areas of pooling water or moisture in your home
Some heating systems can also have a big impact on air quality.
Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces can release large amounts of harmful particles into the indoor air, which may increase one’s risk of developing long-term health conditions like lung cancer.
Other potentially higher-risk heating options include heating systems with older furnaces and gas-fueled heating appliances.
Gas-powered heating systems have the potential to release more carbon monoxide, an odorless gas that can cause suffocation and death, into the air. Some experts recommend using direct-vent gas appliances, which keep the gas from mingling with the indoor air.
Solar and electric heating options could keep your indoor air much cleaner than other heating systems. If you have the option, these are usually your best bets for cleaner air.
People commonly recommend using house plants to help cleanse the air in their homes, but research isn’t clear on the overall health effects of adding indoor plants to your home.
A 2017 research review found that house plants could help reduce specific indoor air pollutants, including VOCs and fine particles. But the results of many of the studies differed regarding how much of an impact indoor plants really have.
The American Lung Association suggests that the ventilation already present in most buildings does far more to remove VOCs from the air than indoor plants.
Indoor plants might even cause more problems than they solve if they become a source of mold or trigger allergies.
Plants recognized as more effective at keeping indoor air clean include:
- Dracaena, a popular genus of houseplant that often has sword-shaped leaves that come in many colors
- Spathiphyllum, also known as peace lily
- Hedera helix, or common ivy
Even though house plants are considered the most effective in research, the amount of CO2 they produce and use was considered low for all plants.
A variety of factors can impact the air quality in your living space and contribute to a range of short—and long-term health effects.
Testing your indoor air quality can bring some peace of mind if you’re worried about indoor air pollution. From there, taking steps to prevent and reduce specific problem pollutants can help you maximize the quality of the air in your home and minimize any associated health risks.