People often make New Year’s resolutions to improve their lives and kick off the new year in the right direction. A New Year’s resolution is a commitment to improving your life in some way, such as losing weight, giving up a bad habit, or learning something new.
Improving your indoor air quality is definitely a worthwhile resolution to consider. Poor indoor air quality can lead to respiratory infections, allergies, and asthma, among other health problems. Taking action to improve the air quality in your home will help you and your family to stay healthy.
Getting breathable, clean, healthy air at home doesn’t require a lot of effort and resources. In fact, there are a few small, quick things you can start doing today that will take you less than five minutes. Here are some of them:
- Open the windows: Fresh air can do wonders to improve indoor air quality even for a few minutes. By ventilating and circulating the air properly, harmful pollutants can be flushed out of the home environment.
- Use a natural air freshener: Rather than using chemically-scented air fresheners, try using essential oils or lemon slices instead.
- Dust surfaces: Dust can accumulate on surfaces and release pollutants into the air when disturbed. Quickly dusting surfaces can help to reduce the amount of dust in your home.
- Maintain proper humidity levels: Maintaining healthy humidity levels in your home is important because it can help you feel more comfortable and can also help protect your home and belongings. The US EPA and WHO recommend keeping humidity levels between 30% and 50% to help reduce the risk of respiratory problems and allergies. Use a humidifier or dehumidifier, and monitor your humidity levels.
- Change your air filter: Regularly changing your air filter can help to improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling system and improve indoor air quality.
There are other things you can do such as fixing water leaks to prevent the growth of molds and other disease-causing viruses and bacteria; vacuuming regularly to reduce allergy-causing dust and dander, and so on. The important thing is to set specific, achievable goals for yourself. It is the small steps that make a difference – when done consistently, they can lead to big things. As you progress, you may find it helpful to enlist the support of friends or family.
A smart indoor air quality monitor can be useful for checking on improvements and even for identifying issues that need to be resolved right away. Making changes in your life can be helpful if you focus on the advantages. Keeping these tips in mind can help you achieve your indoor air quality improvement resolutions more easily.
