Spring is typically the time of the year when people delve into deep cleaning their homes. Most people deep clean closets, garages, floors, counters, appliances, etc., but often overlook how they can improve the air quality in their home. If you are doing some spring cleaning, peek at these tips to learn how you can efficiently and effectively purify the air in your home.
1. Air Ventilation
Cleaning your vents is crucial for bettering your home’s air quality, especially after you do a deep clean of the house. Air vents catch all the toxins, especially if you are cleaning, painting or any other activity inside that would involve chemicals or many particles. You may even consider replacing the filter to remove a larger amount of dust and grime build-up.
2. Humidification Control
As for controlling your home’s humidity, this goes hand in hand with the air vents, because if you allow too much humidification it can lead to mold growth, dust mites and other pollutants. These pollutants are most definitely getting into your air vents. The best thing you can do is utilize a dehumidifier and clean it out frequently.
3. Household Dust and Dust Mites
Household dust and dust mites are a huge item to address when trying to improve your home’s overall air quality. Just about everywhere could use some dusting and a good wipe down.
Best places to remove dust/dust mites include:
- Fans
- Low and high surfaces or shelves
- Ledges (ceiling corners, door frames, cabinets)
- Furniture (sofas, armchairs, bed frames, etc.)
- Underside of furniture
- Window treatments
- Baseboards
- Air filters and vents
- Heaters
- Lampshades
- Pillows and bedding
- Inside drawers
- Clothing hangers
- Electronics
We don't want to sugar coat it; dust and dust mites can absolutely make your air quality bad and can make you sick. Dust in all your regular spots and anywhere you’d never think to dust, such as places from the list above. The more dust you can remove from surfaces the better your air quality will be. To remove dust from the air, you will need to implement an air purifier.
4. The Kitchen
Most people typically give their kitchen a good wipe down at least once a day. What we often overlook is cleaning our appliances (refrigerator, oven, dishwasher, etc.). For those with a gas stove, it’s important to reduce the risk of nitrogen dioxide when in use. So, it’s crucial to have it properly adjusted and vented. Address your dishwasher and garbage disposal because it is a myth that they are self-cleaning. Food and bacteria build up and can affect your air quality and let off dangerous fumes when used.
5. The Pets
Pets often get overlooked when it comes to spring cleaning and improving your air quality. Regardless of what kind of pet you have, it is important to clean after them as well as their products. This may include their pen, bed, toys, food containers, hair, nails, etc., to reduce airborne allergens like dander.
Addressing these top five things that are overlooked when trying to improve air quality will overall give you cleaner air, help you stay healthy, and make your home feel beyond clean as we enter the warmer months. Your air quality affects you so much, so be sure to deep clean not only your closets this spring but your air!