At CleanAlert, we know that one of the most effective ways of improving your indoor air quality is to ensure your furnace air filters are changed before they become clogged. But even as we keep on top of our filter changes with FILTERSCAN® Wifi, we still look for other ways to make sure our indoor air is as clean as possible.
Here are 3 other (and completely natural) ways to improve your indoor air quality at home.
Houseplants
Many people love to keep houseplants since they are an attractive addition to your home decor but another big benefit is that they will help improve your indoor air quality too. NASA’s 1989 Clean Air Study found that plants can play a major role in the removal of chemicals from indoor air.
Chemicals such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, xylene, and ammonia which have been linked to adverse health effects like headaches, nausea and eye irritation. The study suggested that you need at least one plant per 100 square feet for efficient air cleaning.
They also found that some plants work better as air purifiers than others. The common Spider plant and Boston Fern are great air purifiers that tackle trichloroethylene and xylene which can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea among other things.
While Peace Lily and Chrysanthemum may require extra care, they will take on all five indoor air pollutants. See the full list of plants Nasa recommends here.
Salt Lamps
Salt lamps are great natural air purifiers thanks to the natural hygroscopic qualities of salt. Hygroscopic describes the action of attracting water molecules from the surrounding air; meaning that salt crystals reduce airborne irritants, pathogens, and allergens by pulling water vapour and toxins out of the environment and neutralising them.
Place a Himalayan pink salt lamp in your home or office near where you spend most of your time to improve the quality of the air you breathe: perhaps near your couch, desk or bed. Surprisingly, although salt lamps improve air purification much more when they are turned on, they also work when turned off too which is a great added bonus.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are the last natural air purifiers to complete our list. Rid your indoor air of viruses, fungi, bacteria and mold with essential oils such as cinnamon, oregano, rosemary, thyme, grapefruit lemon, clove, tea tree. A study from Weber State University showed that Thieves Oil, an antiseptic blend of common essential oils, has a 99.96% kill rate against airborne bacteria. Thieves Oil is a blend of pine needle, cinnamon, thyme, eucalyptus, lemon and grapefruit; blend it yourself or buy it online. Essential oil diffusers can also be purchased relatively inexpensively online.
