6 Tips To Improve Your Home’s Air Quality
We spend about 90% of our time indoors—and more and more, that time is spent at home. Sounds comfy and cozy, right? The reality is that it might not be great for your health.
Even if you stay active, indoor air pollution is a hidden threat. Your home traps contaminants from candles, fireplaces and gas stoves, plus mold, pet dander, lead, asbestos, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from cleaners, paint and furniture. These can cause short- and long-term health issues, from asthma, allergies and irritation to cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases.
The good news is that you can make your indoor air cleaner, both for comfort and improved well-being. With a few smart changes, you can clear the air—literally. Here’s how.
1. Ventilate and Control Humidity
One of the easiest, most effective ways to improve indoor air quality? Open your windows. This brings in fresh air and pushes pollutants out. Just be mindful of outdoor conditions—keep windows closed during wildfire smoke, high smog or allergy-heavy days.
Similarly, use exhaust fans regularly, such as when cooking, and ensure that they work properly. And be extra diligent about ventilation when introducing new pollutants, such as if you are painting a room or have a new mattress that’s off-gassing.
Moisture inside your home can also affect air quality, especially if you live in a humid climate, as it promotes mold growth. The EPA recommends keeping humidity in attics and crawl spaces below 50% to prevent mold problems and suggests a range of 30% to 50% for your home in general. Use a dehumidifier if this is an issue for you, and ventilate bathrooms and clean mold-prone areas such as shower tiles regularly.
2. Upgrade Your Air Filters and HVAC
Your heating and cooling systems, as well as how your home is built, can have a strong effect on indoor air quality. Older houses tend to be drafty—while this has its downsides, it does mean more fresh air circulation. Newer houses are sealed tighter, which means better insulation but more need to ventilate.
If your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system has ducts, it circulates air through your home via a filter that traps dust, pet fur and other debris. Check with the manufacturer or a local repair person on the best filter to use in your particular system and how often to replace it. You might be surprised how quickly it gets dirty! Filters come with a MERV rating (it stands for minimum efficiency reporting value) from 1 to 20, with higher indicating better filtration. But higher MERV values mean your system has to work harder, so the highest number isn’t always the right choice.
You might also consider upgrading your HVAC system to improve its ability to keep your indoor air clean. For example, adding an energy recovery or heat recovery ventilator (ERV or HRV) can bring outdoor air into your home in an energy-efficient way.
3. Maintain & Clean Your Home Consistently
Contaminants like mold, animal dander and dust have a habit of building up over time, which can decrease your indoor air quality. Vacuum, dust and clean regularly to reduce the presence of these irritants and allergens in your space. Don’t forget commonly overlooked areas such as vents, curtains and under furniture. And if you’re in the market for a new vacuum, consider choosing one with a fine-mesh high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to catch these particles rather than re-emitting them into your home.
You can improve indoor air quality when decorating and renovating, too. For example, having hard-surface flooring rather than wall-to-wall carpet can reduce the presence of allergens, as can choosing items such as bedding and drapes that can be washed in hot water in your machine. Clearing clutter is a smart idea, too—the less stuff, the fewer places for dust mites to hide.
4. Test for Radon and Other Pollutants
Some contaminants are obvious, but others are sneaky. Consider the case of radon, a radioactive gas and a leading cause of lung cancer, which seeps from the ground and can build up indoors. Since it’s undetectable without testing, get a long-term radon test kit—a small object you hang in your home for 90 days and then send away for analysis. If the test reveals unsafe radon levels, you can hire a specialized contractor to install a mitigation system.
Another gas to watch for indoors is carbon monoxide, which can build up in homes due to things like idling cars in garages or poorly functioning fuel-burning appliances such as natural gas furnaces or propane stoves. Experts suggest installing a carbon monoxide detector, which will alert you if the gas reaches unsafe levels. And if you’re keen, you can put in an air quality meter, which measures temperature and humidity as well as VOCs and fine particulates.
5. Invest in a Quality Air Purifier
While ventilation helps, air purifiers can further reduce pollutants like dust, dander, viral droplets and fine particulates. Options range from DIY setups to stand-alone units to HVAC-integrated systems, making them especially useful when outdoor air quality is poor.
Choose a purifier sized for your space, and consider energy use, noise level and filter costs. The best models use HEPA filters, which are especially trustworthy in removing the maximum amount of pollutants.
6. Schedule Regular Duct Cleaning
The jury is still out on how effective it is to clean your ducts regularly. That said, it seems logical that dust and grime would build up in ducts like it does everywhere else in your home, especially if you have pets, you smoke indoors or you’ve been doing renovations or other activity that creates a lot of dust and debris.
Another sign your ducts might need cleaning is if you have visible, proven mold inside them, if you’ve had mice or other pests in the ducts or if you can see particles coming out of vents. If you decide to clean your ducts, choose an experienced local service provider with good references and reviews, and consider getting a few estimates before you go ahead.
Ductless or mini-split heating and cooling systems, as well as stand-alone air conditioners, need maintenance, too. Clean and replace any filters as recommended and watch for evidence of mold growth.
Healthier Air for a Healthier You
Indoor air quality—good or bad—isn’t always something you notice immediately. But the multiple short- and long-term health problems associated with poor indoor air mean it’s a valuable thing to pay attention to.
Not only could improving your home’s air make you feel better right away, but it might also save you time and money in the long run thanks to fewer sick days and reduced medical bills. Plus, smart home improvements can align with smart financial decisions—meaning wellness at home is likely something worth spending on. Use our business locator to find a local HVAC contractor if you want to update your system or schedule maintenance.
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