Every year when winter starts, it brings with it a number of discomforts and health issues. The first few weeks of winter seem to bring sneezing, runny noses, congestion, coughing and body aches. Everyone around you, including yourself, becomes affected - and it becomes even worse when the air indoors is not clean.
Indoor air quality becomes a problem in the winter months as windows stay closed and people huddle indoors. Keeping your air quality fresh and clean during this time can take some work to achieve especially when the inclement weather goes on for weeks at a time.
Below are our top, proven ways using non-chemical methods to improve your indoor air quality during winter:
Everybody wants a home that smells great; the smell, however, is difficult to come by as a lot of detergents and scented sprays contain chemicals. The use of these products can lead to irritation of skin tissues especially for small children, which makes it essential to use natural scents.
Using cinnamon sticks on your stove in a boiling pot, can be a great way to make breathing feel a bit easier and at the same time make the house smell like the seasons. Using lemon slices for cleaning and baking soda to eliminate toxic cleaners from the air will improve the quality of air circulating indoors.
Clean floors contribute significantly to fresh indoor air. Allergens and chemicals can remain for years on your floors if they’re not adequately cleaned. HEPA air filters help remove dust, dander, and allergens from the floors. Purchasing HEPA vacuum cleaners that come with added attachments for cleaning stairs, pet beds, and other areas will also help eliminate dust and dirt from your floor.
Allergens and toxic chemicals may more likely be present in the air we breathe in larger quantities if it's not well circulated. Opening up windows is one of the best ways to increase air circulation all over your home, but this might not be possible during winter. If the weather forbids cracking the windows even a little bit, then consider turning on fans as an alternative.
Adding an inexpensive air circulator that can gently move air into the room allows better air circulation. If it’s too cold to turn on the full speed, make sure you turn it on low speed.
Turn your vents on when cooking; although the aroma might smell great, allowing the smell to travel all over the house might decrease the perceived quality of air for the entire household.
The furnace systems and HVACs present in our homes are designed to get rid of toxic particles from indoor air. The regular replacement of these furnace filters contributes significantly to the process of maintaining high-quality breathing air. It is recommended to replace old filters with more efficient and advanced alternatives. A quality filter ensures the cleanest breathing air possible. Quality filters are absolutely necessary in the cold months when your heater is running all the time.
Air purifiers are the easiest and most efficient ways of improving the quality of air in your home. An air purifier is designed to take in impure air and filter chemicals and allergens before clean air is pushed back to your home. Even if you have already bought one, depending on the size of your living space, an additional one could be a quality investment.
The winter of 2016 to 2017 is projected to be long and cold. However, by improving air quality, you can help your family and yourself avoid sickness and respiratory issues – allowing everyone to spend more quality time together.