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It’s easy to overlook air quality inside the home; we have no choice but to breathe it every day and yet rarely do we actually consider whether it’s healthy or not.
While there are often concerns about air pollution and pollen counts outdoors, research has shown that indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. With the ability to have a negative impact on our health, productivity and general well-being, it’s not something any of us should be overlooking.
Fortunately, regular cleaning practices can improve the quality of air inside our homes, as can hiring professional maids in Boca Raton.
Let’s take a closer look at how we can enhance indoor air quality at home:
What poor indoor air quality can do to us
Firstly, it’s important to know what poor indoor air quality can cause:
- An increase in symptoms of asthma and allergies
- Fatigue and headaches
- Decreased productivity and cognitive function
- Other, long-term health concerns following extended exposure
Common indoor pollutants
Some common indoor pollutants include:
- Pet dander
- Dust mites
- Pollen (when windows are left open)
- VOCs, volatile organic compounds from furniture and cleaning products
- Mold spores
The connection between air quality and regular cleaning
Helping to address these pollutants at their source, certain cleaning practices can have a huge impact on air quality, here’s how:
- Removing dust – although unsightly, dust is also a combination of textile fibers, dead skin cells, soil particles, pollen and other debris visible only through a microscope. Every particle can contain bacteria, dust mites and allergens, which when disturbed, take the air and flow through homes.
Trapping the particles with the use of a microfiber cloth on a regular basis, helps to remove them before they have a chance to affect your respiratory system. Ideally, horizontal surfaces, walls and baseboards should be dusted at least once a week.
- Vacuuming – carpets in particular – but all floors – collect more contaminants than any other surface in the home, and these are easily transferred around the home. Vacuuming them (and mopping hard floors) at least twice a week, and ideally with a machine equipped with a HEPA filter, helps to capture most particles.
- Maintaining HVAC systems – when your heating and cooling systems aren’t cleaned often enough or the filters changed when needed, they can become major distributors of contaminants, particularly during months when pollen levels are high. Vents and registers can be cleaned on a monthly basis, while ducts should be professionally cleaned every three to five years.
Below are some practical steps to help improve air quality inside the home:
- Implement a top-down approach
Beginning with ceiling fans and light fixtures, dust with a microfiber cloth and work your way down to surfaces, before ending with the floor.
- Address allergen hotspots
From curtains and bedding, to upholstered furniture, certain areas of the home can play host to a wide range of allergens that are invisible to the naked eye. Address these hidden reservoirs by vacuuming upholstery on a weekly basis, cleaning curtains every month, and hot-washing all bedding every week.
- Proactively manage moisture
A proactive approach to moisture in the home is best, including such things as using bathroom fans when showering or bathing, repairing leaks swiftly, and keeping indoor humidity levels to between 30 and 50% to prevent the growth of mold.
- Have a ‘shoes-off inside’ policy
This can significantly reduce the number of outdoor pollutants brought into the home from outside.
- Switch to green cleaning products
As all good house cleaning services in Boca Raton will tell you, many commercial cleaning solutions can release VOCs that diminish air quality. By switching to natural products like vinegar and baking soda, you can avoid this.
To create a healthier indoor living environment, try to adopt some of the proactive strategies outlined above and invest in professional cleaning services. From a regular weekly clean, to a deeper monthly clean, hiring a cleaning service will almost certainly help you maintain cleaner indoor air, and keep allergens to a minimum.
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