Top 5 tips for improving air quality in your home

Have you ever considered how the quality of the air inside your home could affect the health of you and your children?

It’s not something many of us think about, however children breathe in as much as 50% more air than adults and have immature respiratory systems, so it’s important to do a quick check and make sure the air in your home is fresh and clean.

This is especially important if one of your children has asthma or suffers with another respiratory condition.

Surprisingly some studies have shown indoor air is 2-5 times more contaminated than outdoor air, and the home can contain thousands of toxins and impurities.

For example many household products, paints, carpets and upholstery contain high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) which can let off gas for up to 7 years in some cases.

Regular personal care, cleaning products and even some kid’s craft products contain chemicals, which can be released in the air.

Pet hair, dust mite, mould and pollution from ineffective wood burners and heaters are also major contributors to poor indoor air quality.

Fortunately there are some simple ways to boost the quality of the air inside your house and minimise the impact on you and your family.

Here are my top five tips:

Ventilation
Make sure you open windows and doors to allow the air to circulate and be replaced by fresh air (even when it’s cold or hot outside).

Modern building design tends to seal the house, and we often use air conditioners to heat and cool homes.

Control Moisture
Humidity can be a breeding ground for mould spores, which can be very dangerous.

Ensure your home has good ventilation and consider using a dehumidifier if you live in a particularly humid area.

If you have mould choose a natural mould killer to kill the spores (wiping them off isn’t enough). Roof ventilation can be a good investment if your ceiling is mouldy.

Regular Carpet Cleaning
Carpets can be one of the biggest air filters in your house and absorb all kinds of bacteria, toxins and VOCs.

If your carpets are not kept clean these compounds and chemicals can be released back in to the air. Regular carpet cleaning will help to improve the air quality in your home.

Indoor Plants
Studies have shown that indoor plants are great at absorbing household toxins and every home should ‘go green’.

A study by NASA in the 1980s identified several of the top performing plants, which include Aloe Vera, the Spider plant and the Weeping Fig.

Go Green with Chemicals
Replace standard cleaning products (and personal care products) with natural ‘green’ alternatives.

Natural products don’t contain the same harsh chemicals, and are cleaner on the environment as well as gentle on your home.

Take a look around your home and do a mini audit of the air quality. Then you can start to implement the steps above and enjoy fresh, clean and healthy air in your home.

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55 Comments

- - mom79844 said
  - 27 Feb 2017
    4:57 pm
I open windows and front door, and make air flow as possible. It’ll also reduce usage of air-con as well.

- - mom81879 said
  - 17 Nov 2015
    1:36 pm
I steam clean our carpets and Lino floors regularly. I also have our windows and back door always open, even through winter. Can’t beat fresh air

- - mom81879 said
  - 29 Sep 2015
    8:40 pm
We have a wood heater and it puts out so much dust and crap. I vacuum often and carpet clean. I need some plants

- - caramellosdream said
  - 07 Jun 2015
    6:30 pm
I burn candles to make my house smell nicer but now I am wondering if I am just polluting it more?

- - blondie said
  - 12 Apr 2015
    9:50 pm
I always have my windows open very day even when raining ( of course I close what I need to if it comes in), but I love the smell of rain – its wonderful!
- mom94125 replied
  
  18 Oct 2015 , 4:04 pm
  yeah i love the smell of rain as well
- - mom94125 said
  - 10 Jan 2015
    9:47 pm
thanks for these brilliant tips!

- - matildaspice said
  - 07 Jan 2015
    11:41 pm
Great advice in this article, thank you.

- - christial said
  - 29 Nov 2014
    4:13 pm
I always liked having windows opened to let air in, but we now live on a busy road and I feel the dust that gets in is not worth it!

- - Special_treats said
  - 15 Nov 2014
    9:22 am
Excellent tips here! will take them on broad
!

- - mom57808 said
  - 07 Nov 2014
    7:36 am
THERE ARE SOME VERY OOD IDEAS HERE,,,, I HAVE ALWAYS HAD PLANTS GROWING INSIDE MY HOME IT IS GREAT FOR THE AIR QUALITY

- - mom82590 said
  - 31 Oct 2014
    11:24 pm
great tips

- - taynik46 said
  - 27 Oct 2014
    9:58 pm
My daughter has allergies to flowers, weeds and dust mites so I am always looking for techniques to make her more comfortable in our home environment. I didn’t know about the carpets releasing yucky things so I should create a better carpet cleaning ritual. Can’t wait to check out your website for more tips and tricks for healthier breathing. Thank you

- - Lov'n'Life said
  - 16 Oct 2014
    1:36 pm
thank you good for all except looks like a need an indoor plant

- - jaimilayt said
  - 15 Oct 2014
    1:36 pm
Definitely need more air in my house

- - Gurtling said
  - 13 Oct 2014
    2:57 pm
I will get flyscreens installed this weekend, and have more open windows!

- - curlytops said
  - 12 Oct 2014
    8:44 pm
I better get some plants!

- - mom95201 said
  - 12 Oct 2014
    1:27 pm
Thank you for the tips the great and helpful

- - mom94125 said
  - 07 Oct 2014
    7:34 pm
i didn’t know that tip about the carpet! i love indoor plants so i already have them everywhere!

- - Jillian said
  - 07 Oct 2014
    2:09 pm
Oh my gosh I can not recommend highly enough an air purifier. My youngest son who was under 1 last year was sick with cold/flu / bronchiolitis symptoms for all of august and most of July. I bought an Ionic tower air purifier through buyinvite.com.au and have never looked back, My youngest hasn’t been sick like that for a long time and when he does get like that it isn’t for very long.
I don’t have it on all day everyday but for $80 it makes my life just that little bit better and my house smells like fresh mountain air when I do have it on. It gets rid of the smell and heaps of other things.

- - hopefullyheidi said
  - 05 Oct 2014
    7:12 pm
This is a fantastic article for those like us who have allergies and airborn ones as well as food. I’ve pinned it for future reading and so my friends who have the same problems can be helped out by your very useful advice. Thank you and I would love to see more article like this
- trustedc replied
  
  06 Oct 2014 , 9:27 pm
  Thanks, glad you enjoyed the article and found it useful. Indoor air quality is something we perhaps don’t give as much thought to as we should, but a few simple things can make a big difference.