Ten Easy Steps To Better Indoor Air Quality

Improving your indoor air quality may actually put a spring in your step, make your ceramic floors glisten and save you a few dollars on your grocery bill.

“Every home is full of chemicals and moisture which create a toxic cocktail,” says Bill Crawford, senior research consultant at Canada Mortgage and Housing (CMHC). Then you turn on the furnace and heat the cocktail up. Then you find you’re lethargic, getting a bit dizzy or maybe feeling tired and not thinking straight.”

Surveys conducted by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. show measurable levels of high-volume synthetic chemicals in the bodies of nearly all Americans, including newborns, infants and in the breast milk of nursing mothers. Many of these chemicals off gas from household goods and products.

People often report that after they clean up their indoor air they feel more alert and energetic, says Crawford. If you usually feel better after you have been out of your house for a while, chances are the air in your home is responsible for your illness or lethargy, he says.

CMHC is offering Let’s Clear the Air seminars and Build and Renovate to Avoid Mould workshops to help professionals identify sources of poor indoor air quality and make recommendations to homeowners on how to improve it. In addition, your local home improvement store will have many mechanical devices to help you in filtering the air in your home.

However, mopping up the chemical cocktail spilt in your home does not have to be that complicated, says Don Fugler, senior researcher at CMHC. He advises that Canadians interested in breathing deeply with confidence should start with simple solutions. These methods will also make your home sparkle and save you some shopping dollars.

Here are the Top 10 Simple Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality.

1 Use non-toxic cleaning substances. Vinegar and water can be used to clean windows and to make ceramic tiles shine. Vinegar and baking soda cleans clogged drains and cleans bathroom appliances. Hydrogen peroxide is a good disinfectant. Soda water can remove may carpet stains. This one change will reduce the chemical content in your home and reduce your grocery bill.

2 Take your shoes off at the front door. All the places you have walked in a day – lawns with pesticides, the public bathroom – are on the bottom of your shoes and will be deposited in small amounts in your living room. Your shoes also bring in lead from the dirt at the side of the road. This is because the exhaust from the old days of unleaded gasoline still lines the roads.

3 Keep fresh dry-cleaning out of the house. Dry-cleaned clothes are steeped in toxic chemicals that release gases. Allow your clothes to hang outdoors for a while before bringing them in. Or better yet, buy clothes that do not need dry-cleaning.

4 Get rid of your carpets. Dust and pet dander collect in rugs. Rugs also harbour moisture, mildew and mould. In addition, they can also off-gas toxic chemicals. Ceramic tiles and hardwood floors reduce those irritants, are easier to maintain, keep dry and look beautiful.

5 Buy a hygrometer for $30 to $60 at your hardware store. This device monitors humidity much like a thermometer measures temperature. Make sure levels stay below 60% in summer and 30% to 50% in winter. Habits that reduce moisture in the air include running kitchen and bathroom fans, or opening windows to expel moisture. Most basements benefit from a dehumidifier running in the basement. Prolonged exposure to moisture creates a good breeding ground for mould and its irritating spores and is one of the primary triggers for asthma and allergies.

6 Clean your heating and cooling systems. Without proper maintenance these systems become breeding grounds for all manner of mould and bacteria which then get blown into your home. Read all maintenance manuals for your air conditioner, humidifier, furnace, gas fireplace and follow accordingly.

7 Open the windows on fresh warm days. This is particularly important if you have been using paints, varnishes, glues or chemical cleansers. Opening windows early in summer mornings and later in summer evenings can also keep your house cool. The more pollutants you have inside your home, the more important this tip is. Common sources of air contamination include: chemical cleaning products, upholstery, carpets, plywood, particle board or Oriented Strand Board, draperies and manufactured wood products, air fresheners, perfumes, vinyl flooring and burning candles.

8 Install a central vacuum system. The beauty of these systems is that they can be vented outside. Most traditional push vacuums allow lots of dust out of the bag and you end up breathing it. If a central vacuum system is not feasible, buy a vacuum with a HEPA filter, which will reduce airborne particulates.

9 Do not smoke indoors. It is reported to be the number one cause of asthma attacks in children.

10 Keep the house clean. Simple household dust can aggravate allergies and cause respiratory irritations. Sweep floor regularly, dust and wash the bed sheets often.