9 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Your Home

People spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It’s also important to keep indoor air quality in mind, as it can be impacted by certain sources or emissions that can also affect your health. Take these simple yet effective measures to improve indoor air quality within your home.

1. Let in some fresh air

A little fresh air can go a long way. Depending upon weather conditions and outdoor air quality—such as pollen, humidity, or local factors—opening up a ventilation window can make your indoor air quality seem less stuffy.

2. Check on your air ducts

Jennie Bergman, an indoor air quality expert at Trane Residential, advises regularly cleaning your air ducts and vents with a cloth and warm water to remove dust and dander. When cooking, Bergman says to turn on your kitchen hood fans “to mitigate lingering odors and vapes.”

3. Vroom with the vacuum

Along with floors and carpeting, vacuum drapes and upholstery to reduce dust and other allergens. “Be sure your vacuum works properly and is fitted with good filters so as not to recirculate debris into the air,” says Dr. Philip M. Tierno, Jr., professor of microbiology and pathology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine & NYU Langone Medical Center.

4. Watch your household cleaners

According to Jill Heins, senior director, Nationwide Health Promotions for the American Lung Association, household cleaners can contain harsh chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), that can cause health issues including headaches or eye or throat irritation. The association’s online resource guide offers additional tips.

5. Go easy on the scents

Kristi Ohr, Ph.D., assistant director, academic safety at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, said “deodorizing sprays, candles, and other scent-producing items can actually contribute to poor indoor air quality by introducing particle pollution and VOCs.”

6. Help you HVAC

According to Heins, properly maintaining your HVAC or central air system and upgrading your HVAC filters can also improve indoor air quality. These filters “clean pollutants from the air as it passes through them before circulating the air throughout the home or building.” Change them about every two months or when they’re dirty by comparing them to a white sheet of paper.

7. Buy an air purifier

When buying an air purifier, check its CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) score, which tells the rate at which it clears the air. “The CADR is very useful because you can use it to size a device appropriately to a room,” says Joe Allen, associate professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “My general rule of thumb is to select a device with CADR of 300 for every 500 square feet. That will give you a lot of what we call air changes per hour of clean air.”

8. Put in testers like a carbon monoxide detector

Radon, a radioactive gas, can emerge inside a home through gaps or cracks; DIY test kits can be sent to labs for results while digital detectors measure levels. “Radon is the one thing that you want to have tests done to know what the level is,” said Vito Ilacqua, an EPA researcher. Another be aware of carbon monoxide, which can build up through burning fuels or appliances or engines that aren’t well-ventilated. Ilacqua recommends installing a carbon monoxide detector, as it “will sound an alarm if dangerous levels are encountered.”

9. Prevent moisture

According to Ohr, controlling moisture in your home is essential in maintaining indoor air quality as leaks and damp areas can provide ideal conditions for fostering indoor fungal growth.Z Ohr recommends fixing leaks, cleaning surfaces that get damp regularly, having bathrooms properly exhausted, running air conditioning during summer months, and using dehumidifiers in basements.