Healthy Home
How to Maintain a Healthy Home
Our homes are our sanctuaries. They are the places we retreat to after a long day of work or the perfect spot for a family blanket fort on Saturday morning. We spend a lot of our time in our homes, so we want to make them as inviting and comfortable as possible. Unfortunately, poor indoor air quality can make it difficult to enjoy the place we love because of allergies, dust, germs, chemicals, and more!
While we often focus on the visual aspect of our homes, the decor and furnishings, it is just as important to focus on the things that are less visible like pollutants from cooking, home cleaners, pets, and more. If you are looking for ways to improve indoor air quality, here are a few tips, room by room.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality, Room by Room
Air Quality in Your Living Areas and Bedroom
Improving Air Quality in your Kitchen
Air Quality in Your Attic Matters
Controlling Air Quality in Your Basement, Laundry Room and Utility Closets
More Tips on How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Air Quality in Your Living Areas and Bedrooms
Living areas and bedrooms are notorious for collecting allergens. As one of the areas we spend most of our time, and due to all of the upholstered items and bed linens, allergens such as dust mites and pet dander easily can become an issue. But you can easily reduce it by:
Add Proper Protection – Make sure to cover mattresses, box springs and pillows in an allergen-reducing case or an airtight plastic cover.
Cleaning Bedding and Drapes – Regularly clean bed linens, pillows and duvets, as well as any window treatments. Vacuum or take down and wash curtains and remember to dust and run a hose attachment over blinds, too.
Reduce the Clutter – Sure, you want to decorate the living room with knickknacks and objects that bring you joy, but try to keep it to a minimum. The more clutter that surrounds your living room and bedroom (actually, this goes for all rooms in the home), the more dust collects and contributes to allergies.
Add an Air Purifier - The Molekule Air is great for removing germs, viruses, allergens, and odors from living rooms and bedrooms (up to 500 sq. ft.) where our families spend a large portion of the day. Poor air quality in main bedrooms can lead to poor quality sleep and other health concerns if not addressed. For extra-large rooms, like open concept living areas, the Molekule Air Pro can purify the air up to 1,000 sq. ft., making it a great solution for combined living rooms, dining rooms, and kitchens.
Air Quality in Your Kitchen
Kitchens are the heart of the home and where we cook and prepare meals, but did you know that cooking can be a source of indoor air pollution? Here are a few great ways you can maintain a healthy home when it comes to your kitchen space.
Limit Carbon Monoxide – Fuel-burning combustion appliances can contribute to carbon monoxide emissions in the air. While you should always have a working carbon monoxide alarm to alert you of dangerous CO levels, it’s also important to reduce it as much as possible with proper air purification. For instance, your kitchen’s gas appliances should be appropriately adjusted and gas stoves should have a range hood or exhaust fans vented outdoors.
Avoid Harsh Cleaning Agents – One of the best ways you can reduce VOCs and create a healthy home is by avoiding cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals. Our Bona floor cleaners have a water-based cleaning formula that dries fast, is residue-free, and is safe for people, pets, and the planet. No matter how sparingly it’s used, the same goes for pest control. Opt for closed baits and traps instead of bug bombs and foggers.
Use an Air Purifier - Kitchens are another area where VOCs from cooking and household cleaners are common in the air. Placing the Molekule Air in the kitchen, especially when preparing meals, helps to remove odors, gases, and harmful pollutants.
Bathroom Air Quality
If you’re not careful, your bathrooms can develop mold and mildew quickly. This can cause unhealthy air quality throughout the home. Here are some ways to tackle bathrooms to make them a healthier space.
Remove Harsh Cleaning Agents and Cosmetics – The same way you should remove harsh cleaning agents from your kitchen, you should do so in the bathroom. But take it a step further, discarding cosmetics and body products that contain toxic chemicals, too. As a general rule of thumb, if you shouldn’t put it on your body, you probably shouldn’t be breathing it either.
Reduce Moisture and Mold – Bathrooms are prone to moisture, but it’s important to reduce that moisture and limit mold spores. To do so, make sure your bathroom has proper ventilation. Since grout can develop mold, consider replacing tile flooring with something more waterproof, such as vinyl sheet (for smaller bathrooms) or luxury vinyl tiles.
Add an Air Purifier - Bathrooms can be especially susceptible to spreading harmful germs and viruses in the air. Placing the Molekule Air Mini or Air Mini+ in bathrooms helps to remove harmful germs along with mold, odors, and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds).
Air Quality in Your Attic Matters
Don’t forget your attic space! Attics often are ignored, but they can cause lots of issues that result in poor indoor air quality. For example, remember to:
Check Roof Leaks – Have your roof regularly inspected to ensure there are no damaged areas that can cause leaks. In the meantime, stay on top of your roof’s maintenance by checking and clearing gutters and keeping trees trimmed away.
Install Proper Ventilation – Ensure your attic is adequately ventilated. This will prevent trapped moisture and humidity that can develop into mold and mildew. Excess heat and condensation can cause severe damage to your roof, too.
Seal Any Gaps – Make sure to inspect your attic space and roofing for any gaps. Gaps not only invite moisture and leaks, but also unwanted critters and insects like rodents and cockroaches, which can carry germs and even diseases.
Controlling Air Quality in Your Basement, Laundry Room and Utility Closets
When it comes to maintaining a healthy home, be sure to address your basement and laundry room as well. And while it’s not a space you visit often, your utility closet can also be improved upon to help improve air quality.
Change Your Molekule Air Filter – It is recommended to replace your Molekule air purifier filters every 6 months to ensure proper air quality. With continuous research and development into the air purifier filters, consumers reap the benefits of ongoing
improvements and advancements with each replacement. Replacing your filter is key for capturing larger particles such as pet dander and allergens while also utilizing PECO technology to destroy smaller pollutants like viruses, bacteria, chemicals, and mold.
Check Gas Appliances – Make sure to have gas appliances and furnaces checked annually to ensure there are no carbon monoxide leaks. CO can occur naturally when cooking on a gas stove, which is why vent hoods are recommended, but you don’t want a small leak to get worse.
Check the Clothes Dryer Vent – Your clothes dryer’s vent should be aimed outside. Like the range hood above a stove, it needs to send air pollutants away from the indoors. However, you should also make sure the vent doesn’t become clogged.
Test for Radon – Radon gas can’t be seen or smelled and being exposed to it can cause lung cancer. So do yourself and your family a favor and check the home for radon using the EPA’s easy at-home testing methods.
If you find your home’s radon levels are high, your state radon office can offer local experts and a mitigation contractor to fix your radon problems, repairing and sealing cracks or using a ventilation pipe system and fan to send it outside.
More Tips on How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Creating a healthy home doesn’t have to be complicated. Utilizing an air purifier can help you maintain good indoor air quality by reducing allergens from pet dander and dust mites. Safe and effective floor cleaners can also help ensure your flooring lasts longer and is a place you feel comfortable enjoying life’s everyday moments on. Implementing the tips mentioned above will help create a home that you can feel good about!
