Healthy home check - improve the air quality of your home
Recent studies show that indoor air – even in clean, well-ventilated country homes – can actually be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in the largest cities. We show you how you can improve the air quality in your home.
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Air – the invisible blend of oxygen, nitrogen and other gases on which we depend – absorbs tobacco smoke, dust, pollen, moulds, emissions from household products and a host of other undesirable compounds. These substances can irritate mucous membranes (such as the eyes, nose and mouth), aggravate allergies and asthma and reduce resistance to cold and flu viruses. In the worst-case scenario, indoor air can contain a deadly level of carbon monoxide.
We may not be able to have a huge impact on the outdoor air we inhale, but we can control the quality of the air under our own roofs. Here is a list of where pollutants may be lurking in your home. Breathe easier by checking the following hot spots and implementing the changes suggested for making your home healthier.
1. Front door. Use a sturdy door mat to scrape off dirt from shoes before it gets tracked in. Place the mat vertically instead of horizontally so that every one who enters will have to step on it several times.
2. Lead paint. Over time, ingesting or inhaling dust and flakes from lead-based paint can cause brain damage. If you suspect that the paint in your home contains lead, have it tested. If it contains lead, don’t remove it yourself. Hire a specialist, or cover it with wallpaper or panelling.
3. Household cleansers, pesticides, paints and solvents. To avoid potentially harmful chemicals, select detergent-based, biodegradable products on which the words ‘danger’, ‘caution’ or ‘flammable’ do not appear.
4. Tightly closed windows. Keep a couple of windows open a crack year-round to let out fumes released by harsh cleaning products and chemical-laden furnishings, reduce mould-breeding moisture and lower levels of unsafe gases. If you have allergies, consider buying a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Arrest ing) air cleanser. For tobacco smoke, consider an air purifier that uses an activated carbon filter.
5. Pressed-wood products such as plywood and particle board. Construction materials, shelving, furniture, panelling, cabinets and other products made with these woods are assembled using urea-formaldehyde glues and adhesives, deemed probable human carcinogens by the US EPA. Formaldehyde irritates the respiratory tract and can cause or exacerbate allergic reactions.
Opt for furniture and cabinets made with hardwood or ‘exterior grade’ pressed wood, which contains phenol resins, not urea resins, so the fumes they emit are less troublesome. Or opt for metal shelves and cabinets. Open the windows wide after bringing home new furnishings that might contain formaldehyde, especially if you put the new items in the bedroom.
6. Woodstoves or fireplaces. In addition to producing toxic and irritating combustion by-products, these may fill the air with dangerous particles of ash if you burn any thing other than hardwood. Avoid damp firewood, which may release the spores of moulds.
7. Air conditioners. Both central air-conditioning units and window models can harbour mould, especially when they’re not being used. Empty the water trays and change the filters often.
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