Surprisingly, studies have shown that levels of several organics average two to five times higher indoors than outdoors, and when inhaled they can contribute to several health problems. The volatile compounds are released in the air by wall paintings, equipment, furniture, decor, and most of the household cleaning products and chemicals. It seems it’s safer outside than inside.
Fortunately, with improved paint technology, there are more products in the market now that can help purify and improve indoor air quality. These are air purifying paints — and although they are quite expensive than regular paints, they are a highly effective solution that ensures you always have clean fresh air for a safe and healthy environment.
Air cleaning paints are formulated with special ingredients such as anti-formaldehyde which traps the harmful volatile organic compounds – VOCs, released in the air. This ingredient helps to reduce the effect of air pollutants by absorbing and converting them into vapor, slowly purifying the polluted indoor air.
The reason why it’s so critical to ensure clean indoor air quality is that a great percentage of our time we spend indoors than outside — be it at home, office, malls or restaurants. When these gases are released in the air they irritate eyes, nose, throat, causing you to cough and wheezing severely. The compounds can also cause other serious respiratory problems, especially for children, pregnant mothers and people with asthma.
Though air purifying paints are effective in ridding your home of harmful indoor air pollutants, there are other eco-friendly solutions that don’t require the use of chemicals. See what you can do to improve your indoor air quality.
Open your windows
It’s the easiest – and cheapest way to reduce harmful compounds accumulating and polluting the air. By opening your windows you allow fresh air to come in a neutralize the effects of air pollutants in your indoor air. Ensure that your windows are always open if necessary, and if the weather allows, especially during the day for a refreshed environment.
Use your air conditioning system
An air conditioner is a complete air filtration system that works by absorbs indoor air, cools and recycles it back into the room. The air pass through a filter inside the system and any small particles are trapped, allowing clean air to come out. The filters will need to be replaced regularly for improved efficiency.
Use Nontoxic household cleaners and chemicals
The leading cause of indoor air pollution is from the chemicals we use for cleaning. Most of these cleaning detergents are formulated with toxic chemicals that can cause health problems including serious symptoms like sneezing, whizzing, nose, and eye irritation. Consider eco-friendly products such as homemade cleaners made with readily available ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, toothpaste, lemon juice, essential oils, table salts among others.
Brighten up your space with houseplants
Houseplants help to improve indoor air quality, but there are no conclusive studies to prove to what extent indoor plants purifies the air. However, like with air purifying paints, there are various types of air-purifying plants that can detoxify the air and rid it of toxins, allergens, and dust that are normally released by most of the household items. In addition to air cleansing, houseplants are a decorative element that can really transform your living spaces.
Remove your shoes when entering the house
This is another basic and simple thing you can do to improve your indoor air quality. Generally, you carry a lot of dirt with your shoes some of which are germ causing diseases and therefore, it makes sense to take your shoes off whenever you coming in the house. Also, it’ll help keep your floors clean and air fresh.
Remove and Prevent Mold Growth
Another major air pollutant that you must remove from your house is mold and mildew. These fungi slowly emit pores into the air that can potentially cause allergic reactions. Normally, they grow in high humid and damp areas of the house like kitchen, bathroom and basement. Rather than using chemicals that might also have VOCs to kill mold, opt for homemade products like baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and vinegar.
These are some of the ways you can improve you indoor air quality using air purifying paints and homemade solutions.