Australians spend 90% of their time indoors, meaning that we are breathing in toxins every single day. From fungi, bacteria and mold spores, to the household chemicals that we use every day. Fortunately there are so many simple ways of purifying the air in your home and making it cleaner to breathe. Here are some you can try this week.
Using houseplants
Houseplants are incredibly good at purifying the air. NASA ran the Clean Air Study in 1989, as a way of finding solutions to producing clean the air in space stations. The results were an eye opener. They found that simply by putting one plant for every 100 feet of indoor space had a remarkable effect on the levels of pollution in the air. Not only do the plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, but they also eliminate significant levels of chemicals such as xylene, formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene.
Improve your ventilation
Make sure there is adequate ventilation in your home – and don’t just consider the windows. Pollution can come from such a wide variety of sources – there are Volatile Organic Compounds in the cleaning products that we use, they can even be found in carpets and furniture. We are also creating harmful carbon monoxide from heating our homes and cooking. We want to let the pollutants out of our home. Solar ventilation systems such as SolarWhiz and SolarVenti can really help lower the levels of pollution and humidity that you have in your home. You should also consider the ventilating your sub-floor level. If your home is properly ventilated, then humidity levels should be between 30% and 50%. An indoor water feature can also help reduce the humidity in your home by releasing negative ions into the air around us. These ions attract bacteria and dirt.
Cut down on your cleaning materials
Think carefully about what you are doing to pollute your home atmosphere. It is worth cutting down on the chemical cleaners that you use, such as kitchen sprays and polish. They contain compounds that remain in the atmosphere. Alternatively, replace these with more traditional methods of cleaning, such as using lemon juice and vinegar diluted with water.
Purifying the air in your home will help you to breathe easier. You will have a cleaner home, and it will be pleasant place to live.