We don’t give much thought to the quality of the air we breathe unless something draws our attention to it. The things that may trigger thoughts of the air around us are a change in color, odor, environmental factors, or even a potential contamination due to a global pandemic.
There are many pollutants and allergens that can affect the quality of indoor air in your home or other public shared spaces you spend a lot of time in. These spaces can include schools, workplaces, restaurants, and other public venues.
Some people may feel the need to clean the air in their homes, workplaces, classrooms, and other frequently visited places in the following scenarios:
- You or a loved one are more susceptible to allergens or suffer from asthma.
- There is a lot of construction outside throwing dust and dirt into the air.
- You notice strong odors or air discoloration from machinery or a factory nearby.
- Someone is smoking inside a building or near a window or open door.
- There is increased illness in a location and you want to do everything you can to avoid it.
- Construction or remodeling is happening indoors.
- Or, you just feel the need to improve the air quality out of general concern.
Whatever the reason, it is never too late to start improving your indoor air quality.
Air Quality In Your Home
There are a myriad of reasons one might find themselves desiring a cleaner indoor breathing experience, so let’s dive into how we can make that happen. According to a study from Harvard Health, you can improve air quality in your home by:
- Cleaning and dusting your home regularly
- Leaving plants outside instead of in the windowsill
- Replacing filters in air or heating systems in your home or car to ensure proper ventilation
- Circulating the air by opening windows and allowing fresh air in
- Investing in an air cleaning machine
Pollutants and allergens in a home can cling to curtains, carpets, bedding, and other furniture and clothing we may not consider. We sometimes allow dust to accumulate on fan blades, blinds, and behind books on a bookshelf never realizing that it may be causing us harm.
It’s the little things which accumulate in our homes that can cause concern. Make sure to be aware of the things you may be missing in your regular cleaning regime.
Air Quality in Shared Spaces
Unfortunately, we can’t all spend as much time in our homes as we would like. This means that a lot of our time is spent in what can be called “shared spaces”. These spaces can include work/offices, restaurants, event venues, gyms, hospitals, etc.
Because we don’t own these spaces, we have very little control over how well or often they are cleaned. Cleaning is often outsourced to cleaning companies or an in-house custodial staff that cleans on a daily or weekly basis. Recently, everyone running shared spaces has been even more dedicated to cleaning, purifying, and disinfecting everything due to the COVID 19 pandemic – including the air.
Like what was talked about with the importance of cleaning the surfaces in your indoor environment, another way to improve air quality in shared spaces is through air disinfecting devices. There are different kinds of devices out there. Some collect air pollutants and cycle the air through filters to clean it. Other device options are ones that utilize the power of UV light to disinfect the air continuously.
In many shared spaces, there isn’t a lot you can do to influence the cleanliness of the air. However, employees have a little more influence in their workspaces. If you feel like your office environment could use better air cleaning protocols, talk to your executives about this. They have the power to implement initiatives to make the work environment safer and cleaner. Don’t be afraid to influence your environment for the good.
Why Does It Matter?
In a world where technology is always evolving, we have the opportunity to make even better choices every day to improve the quality of the air we breathe. The air we breathe is important for overall health and wellness. When we take an active interest in our health and the health of those around us, we can all help make our indoor spaces safer and more pleasant places to be.