Reducing indoor air pollution—the best way to improve air quality in your home

We typically think of air pollution as something that only exists in the air outside. For many of us, the term poor air quality is synonymous with cities and built up urban areas, with lots of traffic passing through it. However, it is just as important to consider your home indoor air quality.

In fact, indoor air quality can fluctuate almost as much as air that is outdoors. Critically, a number of leading health organisations, including ORF and the EPA, have stated that people are not doing enough to tackle indoor air pollution in their homes. As a result, indoor air pollution (particularly poor home indoor air quality UK and in the USA) is causing a shocking amount of respiratory illnesses.

Considering your home indoor air quality is often overlooked, but it is a vital health and safety point. One of the best ways that you can improve the health and safety of your home is by improving its air quality.

And we’re here to help you make this change - below, you’ll find our full guide to home indoor air quality, including what it means and how you can improve the air quality in your home.

What is indoor air pollution?

Indoor air pollution is also often referred to as indoor air quality. These measurements indicate the level of pollutants and harmful matter in the air within a building.

This building does not necessarily have to be a home - indoor air pollution could be applied to a workplace, a school, or any other building in which people spend time in.

Why is it so important to get our home indoor air quality up?

In a recent report from the EPA, some shocking statistics relating to indoor air quality were revealed.

The EPA found that ‘Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.’

As a result, the organisation stressed that home indoor air quality USA in particular needed to be given far more consideration.

These findings were also corroborated by a similar report from the ORF. In addition to these statistics the ORF also outlined the fact that ‘each year, 8 million premature deaths are caused by indoor and outdoor air pollution. Ninety one percent of the global population live in places where pollution exceeds the guidelines defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO).’

Although many of us have recognised the need to combat outdoor air pollution, ORF stated that ‘relatively less attention has been given to indoor air pollution’. This is despite the fact that ‘it is estimated that nearly half of deaths caused by poor air quality (3.8 million) are due to indoor air pollution.’

Indoor air pollution can contribute towards a number of illnesses, including pneumonia and cancer, as well as asthma, strokes and heart disease.

As you can see, it is clear that we need to all work to improve the indoor air pollution within our homes. 

How can I improve the air quality in my home?

One of the most common questions that we get asked is, ‘how can I improve the air quality in my home?’. As people are increasingly recognising the importance of home safety indoor air quality, they naturally want to keep their homes as safe as possible, for themselves and their family.

Thankfully, getting your home indoor air quality up is not as complex as it may sound. It can easily be achieved with a few simple changes to your daily routine.

Our top tips to improve the air quality in your home would be to:

• Improve the ventilation in your home
• Avoid using any products containing formaldehyde within your home
• Be sure to clean regularly, and tackle any early signs of mold before they are allowed to develop
• If flies or insects are a common problem, invest in a bug zapper
• If you are cooking (whether it’s with a fire, with propane or natural gas), be sure to leave plenty of windows open
• Don’t use pesticides within the home
• Ensure that your home has been checked and cleared for asbestos
• Be careful of the household cleaners that you use - keep an eye out for products that do not contain harmful chemicals.

What changes can I make to breathe better?

The EPA’s report also stated that people who are most likely to be impacted by poor indoor air quality are those who already suffer from an existing health condition. This is because they are more likely to spend extended periods of time inside at home.

So, in addition to the changes that we recommended above, it is vital that you also protect yourself when you are out and about. The best way for you to do this is by wearing a high quality mask when you go out.

Pollution exists indoors and outdoor so be sure to choose the right mask to protect you from things you do not want to breathe in. Cambridge Mask filters the most dangerous particles in air pollution called particulate matter as small as 2.5 microns. You can read more about how harmful PM2.5 in our previous blog here.

Cambridge Mask has 3 layers filtration technology, that protects you from particulate matters PM10, PM2.5, PM0.3 and filters 99.6% of viruses and 99.7% of bacteria. Read more about our filtration technology here. Our products are the best way to keep you and your family protected from the health risks associated with air pollution. 

If you would like to find out more about our premium face masks, be sure to check out the Cambridge Mask Co. online shop.