Quick post today about ways to improve your indoor air quality. This is a follow up to my podcast about outdoor air quality and why its important.
Indoor air quality is equally important, and something I used to overlook.
If you have a gas stove or oven, these can be a significant source of air pollution, even if you’re not setting off the smoke detector or burning anything. The volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) emitted just from cooking with gas can be significant enough to affect the entire kitchen.
If, like me, you’re very attached to your gas range and have no plans to replace it with electric, you may want to try the following tips:
Turn the vent fan all the way to the highest setting when you are cooking, and leave it on for a few minutes afterward
Use the lowest heat that you can cook with (and still make the food taste good, obviously)
Turn up your air purifier before, during, and after cooking
Open the windows if weather allows
This last one is absolutely key to indoor air quality. As long as you don’t have allergies, keep those windows open and keep air circulating!
For extra insurance, and especially at night, we use HEPA air purifiers. There are lots of good ones on the market, but due to the theoretical risk of generating ozone, we do NOT use the ionizer setting on ours. If you have children or people with sensitive lungs living in your home, you may want to avoid ionizing air purifiers as well.
Bonus ideas for maximizing indoor air quality:
-change the filter in your HVAC unit quarterly.
-Consider doing home radon testing.
-switch from carpet to hardwood or laminate.
-vacuum regularly. Ugh.
-add some greenery! Plants are wonderful for air quality.
-don’t burn regular scented candles or use room fragrance sprays. Switch to natural alternatives like essential oils in diffusers if you want a nice scent.
-avoid moisture buildup in the house, which can create mildew and mold problems. Sometimes a dehumidifier might be needed.
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