Clean air in your home and prevent disease

Published: 03/27/2013 - Updated: 09/22/2018

The air quality in your home is important because it can help prevent respiratory diseases, such as allergies or asthma attacks, among others.

It has been shown that air from home may be two to five times more polluted than the air outside. During winter and cold season, the doors and windows of our home usually remain closed, so that the contaminants are trapped, so that the air quality can be much smaller than on the outside.

That is why the following tips can help improve air quality, and have a healthier and safer home.

Give maintenance to your heating machine

If you use heat, be sure to change the filters regularly, you only have to do it every four months. In this way, it does not only work better, but also avoids contaminating the air with dust, mold spores, and other substances. Do not forget to seal any hole in the filter.

If your family has a member who is allergic to dust, has asthma, or is prone to respiratory diseases, is a good idea to upgrade your heating or air conditioning.

Avoid mold

Molds can grow on any moist material that is organic in less than 72 hours! They cause allergies, asthma attacks, and are toxic to your family, even to your pets. To prevent them growing inside your home, you should monitor the humid places at your home, be careful about leaking pipes.

Mold dies when dry, however, they can still affect your family as particles, can also affect those who are sensitive to mold.

To remove it, mix 10 parts of water with one part bleach. Do not forget to open doors and windows for air circulation and avoid toxic effects, and protect your hands and eyes well, with the right equipment.

Tips for better air quality in your home

When cooking, always turn on the ventilation system to eliminate the steam food particles and carbon monoxide that is generated by gas stoves and food wastes when are burned, these gases are inhaled for hours by your family, if we allow to remain in the environment.

Do not paint or acquire new furniture in winter as they release volatile compounds, organic as formaldehyde, acetone, toluene and benzene. The upholstery and new carpets can have the same effect, so it is advisable to acquire in the spring, when it is easier to have your windows open.

To prevent pollen from entering your home, keep your windows closed at night and open them only after 10 am, as the early morning hours are the hours of pollen emission peaks.

Finally, see that your bathroom is always ventilated; as this will save you prevent moisture and develop molds mentioned above. The extractors are useful for these positions, if you do not have one, consider it as a good investment for your health. It is likely to be noisy, but it should be on all the time, and should always end direct to street.

Contrary to what we think, the ventilation is really important to maintain the cleanliness of the air, and contaminants from traveling abroad, which is why a closed home does not have necessarily cleaner air. Open the windows one or two hours daily, you should shut the windows when the weather is dry and windy.

About the author
  • Miriam Reyes

    Miriam Reyes is a professional expert in nutrition and dietetics. She has more than 12 years of experience in caring for patients with overweight and eating problems. She studied at the Universidad del Valle de Atemajac (UNIVA), where she obtained a degree in nutrition. Linkedin profile.