5 Natural Ways to Clean The Air in Our Homes
It looks like we are going to be spending a lot of time in our homes for the foreseeable future, doesn’t it? So, we might as well clean the air in our homes.
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I work from home (obviously), so spend a lot of time considering my home environment. One of the things I think about a lot is how potentially toxic and polluted the air in our homes is. For most of us, the environment in our homes is even more toxic and polluted than the air outdoors.
Fortunately, it is fairly easy to clean the air in your home and will make your life better (at least I think so!).
Why Do We Need to Clean the Air in Our Homes?
The short answer is for the health and safety of our families.
Pollutants commonly found in our homes can cause respiratory distress, eye and skin irritation, headaches, as well as endocrine and hormone disruption and cancer. According to the EPA, our indoor air quality is three times lower than the air outside and it is affected by:
- Our cleaning products. Especially anything sprayable and our laundry detergents.
- Toxins carried in from outside.
- Fire retardants that off-gas from our furniture, mattresses and kids’ clothes.
- Fragrance.
- Carbon monoxide from regular use of our appliances.
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), like formaldehyde, toluene, and benzene from paint, solvents, glue, and some beauty products.
Inadequate ventilation, humidity and high temperature all aggravate indoor air quality. If our homes are not properly ventilated, these toxins can accumulate to increasingly unhealthy levels, over time. Scary!
In addition to the physical stress that these pollutants have, we are just now learning about the psychological effect of poor indoor air quality.
Fortunately it is pretty easy to clean the air in our homes. There are quite a few ways to reduce toxins in your home, and most of them are not very expensive and will make your life better.
Here are 5 Ways to Clean the Air in Our Homes:
1. Whatever You Do, Don’t Use Air Fresheners
Seriously. These are some of the worst offenders when it comes to polluting our home’s air. Ridiculous, I know. Certainly seems counterintuitive, right?
Fragrance (as an ingredient in our cleaners, sprays, and body care products) is one of the biggest toxins that we bring into our homes. And we are purposefully spraying it into the air that we then go on to breathe when we use air fresheners. If a home is clean, for the most part, it shouldn’t need an air freshener. If you love fragrance, opt for an essential oil and diffuser, some fresh herbs, or fresh flowers.
| Want to clean your entire home, naturally?
2. Open A Window
This simple act, bringing sunlight and fresh air in, lets air flow and helps get toxins out. As I mentioned above, for most of us, most of the time, the outside air is cleaner than the air inside, especially if you have a new home or have recently remodeled or replaced carpets or furniture.
So, open a window and get those nasty indoor pollutants out. Then psychological benefits of a little fresh air!
3. Get Plants
Plants are a beautiful way to clean the air in your home. Not only do they help filter out pollutants, but they also help improve your mood.
Choose one of the ones that NASA recommends the best indoor air cleaners, pick one you will have a hard time killing, or find a few that just speak to you. Whatever you choose, love them, nurture them, and enjoy their beauty all year round.
4. Simplify Your Household Products
There are a lot of things we keep around our homes that are unnecessary and are incredibly toxic. Just like with your beauty routine, simplifying your cleaning routine will help detox your house and keep you and the earth safer. Stick with ingredients you know and eliminate the things that you don’t need.
The EWG recommends eliminating:
- Dryer sheets
- Fabric softener
- Air fresheners, of course
- Drain cleaners
5. Use Only Natural Cleaning Products
Of course, you still have to clean your house sometimes!
Once you’ve simplified your products and gotten rid of the ones that are unnecessary, start switching over to cleaner cleaners, or make your own (easier than you think and usually cheaper!).
The synthetic chemicals in household cleaners can be incredibly harmful, even deadly. There is endless research on what many of the byproducts of our cleaners can do to us, from causing breast cancer to messing with our immune systems. Here is some info on how to clean your home naturally, and the only six ingredients you need to clean your home.
That’s it. Cleaning up the air in your home is as simple as making sure what you using is non-toxic, that you aren’t over-using (or using at all) certain products, and that you air it all out. And, of course, pick up a few plants!
