The most important time of the year is here – Indoor Air Quality Month! 

You may not consider indoor air quality the most important focus of your calendar, but it’s far more important than you think. As we close out October, Indoor Air Quality month, we wanted to offer some tips on improving your air quality (and why you need to). 

Why Indoor Air Quality Really Matters

Typically, people don’t spend too much energy on the air around them until something is wrong. After all, it’s invisible, and such a natural part of our surroundings that it’s easy not to give it much thought. Indoor Air Quality month is a good time to pause and give some consideration to the air you breathe – one of the most critical elements of your overall health and wellbeing. 

Air quality affects everything from your health and your sleep to the atmosphere in your home and even financial matters. According to the US EPA, citizens spend most of their time indoors – approximately 90%. They also tell us that indoor concentrations of some pollutants have increased in recent years due to factors like more use of synthetic building materials. The WHO also tells us that indoor air pollution is a leading cause of death in several countries.  Imagine having continuous, constant contact with something that’s unhealthy – and yet, people do just that every single day. 

And that’s just the beginning. There are a lot of reasons why indoor air quality is worth your focus: 

• Health and wellbeing – Clean air is an essential factor of remaining healthy and poor air quality tends to lead to respiratory problems, allergies, asthma, and other issues. According to the WHO, household air pollution was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237,000 deaths of children under the age of 5.

• Chronic illness irritants – Breathing clean air is important for the lungs and other organs  and especially crucial for people who are managing chronic illnesses like asthma. 

• Energy levels – Cleaner air can enhance energy levels, concentration, and overall productivity. 

• Environmental sustainability – Good air quality is vital for ensuring the well-being of natural ecosystems including plants and animals. 

• Economic impact – Poor air quality can result in actual financial implications due to increased healthcare costs, decreased productivity, damage to household items, etc. 

• Children and elderly vulnerability – Both children and other at-risk populations are especially susceptible to irritants in the air. Breathing clean air is crucial for development and supports growth and development. 

5 Things You Can do This Month to Improve Air Quality

If the article so far scared you a bit, never fear. We have more control over indoor air quality than you might think. Here are a few suggestions that experts recommend for improving indoor air quality. 

1. Go beyond an air purifier – A room purifier uses proprietary technology that works much better than traditional air filtration systems. Advanced technologies like probiotic purification can have dramatic effects on air quality – and your wellness. Probiotic purifiers release microscopic probiotics into rooms, creating a more balanced and healthy biome. They essentially consume everything from allergens to mold spores to toxic pollutants. They’re so voracious that they outcompete bacteria and other germs for food, greatly reducing their numbers.  The probiotic layer settles on surfaces and objects, even hard-to-reach areas, and provides much broader protection in a room than an air purifier ever could. Some models include a HEPA air filter to also remove particulates from the air. The result is not just clean air, but naturally deep-cleansed objects and surfaces within the room. Fewer allergens and bacteria means fewer allergies and illnesses – and that’s what any home needs. 

2. Improve ventilation – It’s critical to ensure proper ventilation in your home. Start by simply opening windows to release stale air, and turning on exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen when they are in use. You can remove a lot of kitchen and bathroom odors, smoke, steam, and other irritants by properly using the ventilation systems you already have in place. At the same time, you might want to check your outdoor air quality and close windows on days when the quality is particularly low – you can do that here. 

3. Perform HVAC maintenance – You might be surprised how many particles can build up in your HVAC system. Schedule routine maintenance for your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units. Have an expert take a look and ensure that air is moving freely  with no blockages, and the unit is operating efficiently. All HVAC units should have functions to filter out pollutants effectively, but older models may be outdated. Schedule a check up and see if any improvements or updates need to be made. And consider an HVAC purifier to keep your ducts clean and avoid dangerous conditions like air conditioner sickness.

4. Go Shoe-Free – How much of a difference can shoes really make? Turns out, a pretty big one! Encourage family and guests to remove shoes at your entrance to prevent tracking in outdoor pollutants like dirt, pesticides, and pollutants. Many households keep a nice mat and a basket of slippers near the entrance to the home to make the shoe removal process easier for guests.

5. Test for radon and carbon monoxide – While you are focusing on indoor air quality, it’s a good idea to test for radon gas and ensure that carbon monoxide detectors are working correctly. If you don’t already have such detectors, take the time to install them! Radon and carbon monoxide are both extremely dangerous indoor air pollutants that go beyond just being irritating. Put a date on your calendar for each October and perform testing for these items. 

Indoor Air Quality All Year Round

While this month is a great time to consider indoor air quality, it should be an important focus for your household all year long. Proper indoor air quality has so many benefits, while impure air can do a lot of damage over the long-term. Not to mention, cleaning your air is better for eliminating bad odors, pet dander and smells, allergy symptoms like red eyes and runny nose, and keeping plants and your home ecosystem healthy. 

Improving your indoor air quality can change your life. Probiotic Room Purifiers are one of the most effective and complete solutions for improving your indoor environment. Do yourself a favor and take steps today to level up your health!