Once, we thought that if we stayed indoors, we could live happily without allergies. Well… weren’t we wrong! Unfortunately, indoor air pollution is becoming a severer problem every day. It often leads to sinus infections, allergies, and even infectious diseases.
So, how do you know if your air is nasty? What are the most common things polluting your home air? And what are easy ways to improve air quality without spending thousands of dollars?
Keep reading — we’re about to tell you all we know!
Signs of Indoor Air Pollution
The most conspicuous sign that your house air may be dirty is sneezing, coughing, and runny nose. Allergy or not, dust, hairballs, mold, and other pollutants will irritate your respiratory system. This is because these pollutants cause irritation, which forces your body to fight back.
Similarly, if your eyes are itchy or teary, your air is dirty. Other signs of indoor air pollution include unexpected odors, visible dust, and dark spots on the walls (which could be a sign of mold).
How to Measure Your Indoor Air Quality
Measuring your air will tell you if your air is making you ill. You can find some cheap air quality monitors from Walmart or Home Depot or go for higher-end ones from larger brands.
Or, you can look at our Ibuki True HEAP Air Purifier since they come with a PM 2.5 monitor that will show if you have severe indoor air pollution.
Most Common Pollutants
So, what are the most common pollutants inside your home? To name just a few:
- Hairball from your pets
- Dust
- Virus and bacteria
- Mold
- Paint fume and other chemicals
Visible or invisible, pollutants are everywhere. When you return home from a long day of work, your clothes, shoes, and even hair are covered in dust, exhaustion fumes, and viruses and bacteria from the outside world.
Even if you stay home, the sealant on your furniture, the food that’s starting to go bad, or the built-up humidity from the past few days of rain could all lead to allergies and sinus infections.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Luckily, there are many ways to improve indoor air quality. For example, try keep some air purifying plants in each room. These plants can filter out harmful chemicals while producing fresh oxygen at night.
Maintaining sufficient ventilation also helps. All you need to do is open up the windows regularly to create a natural airflow. It will push out the stale air in your house and fill it with fresh air. The only downfall is that you can’t do this on days with high pollen counts because that might trigger your allergies.
Finally, air purifiers are great for allergies and sinus issues. Use a HEPA or hybrid purifier to make sure you remove as many pollutants as possible. You can also try active carbon packets, which are available from Amazon or Walmart. The active carbon works as filters and will suck in the pollutants around them. All you need to do is hang them on a doorknob or a tack off the wall.
Conclusion
Trust us. Your body knows when you have nasty air around you. Therefore, pay attention to the signs it gives. For example, you may be feeling tired all the time. Or, you keep sneezing and coughing even though you’re not sick. These could all be signs of indoor air pollution.
Since pollution is inevitable, it comes down to you taking care of yourselves. Always wipe your hands with disinfectant and change off your outdoor clothes when you get home. Invest in an air purifier, such as the MIKO Ibuki air purifier with a HEPA filter and a PM2.8 reader. Maintain good air flow, and clean regularly.
It’s not that hard to have clean air in your home.
