Many homeowners unknowingly suffer from poor indoor air quality and the health problems that come with it. You can’t control Mother Nature or air pollution, but you can improve indoor air quality by not inviting or concentrating allergens and pollutants into your home.

Without buying a new house, here are some ideas that can work in almost any home. You may not find all of these ideas affordable or practical in your home, but any one of them can make a big improvement.

Lower humidity and reduce humidity.

Using a dehumidifier is probably a must in most homes, and is especially helpful if you can connect a hose to direct the condensate into a floor drain or drain, rather than sporadically emptying the built-in reservoir.

Mold and other organisms thrive in dark, damp conditions. Eliminating these conditions is critical to improving indoor air quality. Try to locate and identify any sources of moisture in your home. Fix leaky faucets and other pipes, and keep all your appliances in good working order. Leaky refrigerators, washing machines, and other appliances can add to your problems.

Even if your foundation appears dry, make sure rainwater is directed well away from the foundation and use bathroom exhaust fans to reduce humidity. The colder conditions that prevail on foundations, even when insulated and finished, can cause condensation that is often unseen and encourage mold growth.

Install a central vacuum system.

While frequent vacuuming may seem like a helpful thing, most vacuum cleaner filters allow the same dust, pollen, and other irritants back into your living space. Central vacuum systems are more powerful, can be extracted to the outside, and most have a self-cleaning filter. Be sure to install a sound baffle on the canister tailpipe to limit noise pollution in your neighborhood!

Fresh air without opening windows.

While Granny opened the windows and hung the duvets outside, in today’s world, open windows aren’t always the best way to get fresh air. In addition to dust, when outdoor levels are high, pollen and spores float into your home and may not float out.

During hot weather, especially on days with high allergens, air exchange with a heat recovery fan (HRV) and cooling with fans or running an air conditioner can help. HRVs, like other central air exchange systems, are designed to exchange indoor air with outdoor air about four times every 24 hours. As much as we want to keep pollen and other irritants out of our homes, we still need fresh air to breathe.

Using a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter in your central heating and cooling system is another way to capture much of what might be flying into your home.

Other things to consider

When it comes to indoor air quality, chemical air fresheners and dryer sheets aren’t helpful. Neither is the chemical cocktail under the kitchen sink.

Attached garages are notorious for introducing not only foul odors and pollutants, but also car dust and unsealed concrete floors, and you only need to look under your lawnmower to find a veritable garden of fungal growth.

In addition to their own fluff, Rover and the cats can track many other things, too. Neglected fish tanks, litter boxes, and moldy and buggy houseplants are other potential sources of indoor irritants.

The bottom line

You may never fully eliminate all airborne intruders in your home; however, controlling even one or two sources might be all you need to improve your indoor air quality, get some relief, and enjoy your home better.

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