Thanks so much to my amazing friend and Grass Roots Community Outreach Coordinator from Maid Brigade, Kia Boriboon, for putting together this wonderful article about healthier indoor air within your home. Kia is a wonderful woman who understands first hand what it means to live a healthier, more sustainable lifestyle. She not only practices it in her own daily life, but also in her business. Here are some great tips on how to not only beat the heat, but also improve the quality of your indoor air!
A Quality Escape: Beat the Heat and Improve the Air Quality in Your Home
by Kia Boriboon
Humidity and high temperatures are driving people in the DC region indoors. As members of our communities escape the heat and poor air quality outdoors, they should consider the quality of their indoor air.
Allergens such as grass pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and mold can pollute the air in your home and increase allergy and asthma symptoms. While some of these can be tracked into your home, other pollutants that can compromise your air quality can come from commonly used items such as paint, carpet cleaner, personal care products, and household cleaning products.
To protect members of your family, especially children and the elderly, who are more susceptible to health risks associated with allergies and asthma, follow these tips to improve the air quality in your home:
- Keep windows closed during high pollen days to reduce the amount of pollen that enters your home. You can check the pollen count for your area on Weather.com’s PollenCast.
- Open windows on cooler, low pollen-count days to expel pollutants and allow fresh air to circulate and push out stale, toxic air.
- Use a vacuum with a High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter. HEPA filters improve air quality in your home by capturing 99.97% of all airborne pollutants down to 0.3 microns.
- Mop your floors with microfiber mops to pick up any dust left behind by your vacuum. Microfiber mops pick up more dirt and dust than commonly used mops and require only a small amount of water or cleaning solution.
- Use non-toxic cleaning solutions and household products. Some common household cleaners and air fresheners contain toxic chemicals that can pollute the air and compromise your health with long-tern use.
To learn more about how to improve the air quality in your home, visit Maid Brigade’s green cleaning blog and view topics such as Common Household Asthma Triggers, How to Get Rid of Dust Mites, and How to Get Rid of Pet Hair & Dander.
