How to Improve Air Quality during Winter

Some people are not aware that winter can affect air quality, especially indoor air. Apart from no air circulation, closing doors, windows, and other ventilations also causes harmful particles such as dust and polluting gases to be trapped in the house. When breathing this air, it can cause problems for your health. Here are some suggestions you can do to improve air quality during winter at your home. 

Clean the Indoor Air 

It looks like an impossible task to remove pollution particles in the air by yourself. So, to help you clean the air, you can use an air purifier. An air cleaner improves the air in your home by filtering and removing pollutant particles like dust, smoke, and mold. HEPA filters in air purifiers can remove between 70-95% of particles, depending on their size. 

Another tips to help cleaning the air is by cleaning and changing your air filters. During winter, filters in your ventilation systems should be cleaned regularly since dirty filters will recirculate all the pollutant particles. 

Keeping your windows shut during winter keeps the warm air in day and night. Unfortunately, the air will not circulate properly and also hold in pollutants. On the chance of a warmer temperature, open your windows and doors for a little while to cycle out the air. This will improve air quality significantly by getting rid of dust and bacteria particles.  

Eliminate Pollution Sources 

Other than cleaning the air, you also need to eliminate pollution sources to improve air quality. Dust, smoke, and chemical gases are pollutants that may be trapped in the indoor air during winter. To improve air quality, clean the dust on any surfaces and wipe them with a damp rag. You can also vacuum rugs and carpets from dirt and dust  

Smoke from cigarettes and fireplaces can reduce air quality especially during the cold season when there is no open ventilation all winter. So, to avoid this problem, do not smoke inside your house. Smoking is already harmful in general and so does the smoke from tobacco. 

Another thing that can produce pollution gases is kitchen appliances, such as gas stoves, ovens, and electric burners. Gas stoves produce pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide that can trigger breathing problems. Since the air does not circulate much during winter, make sure to turn on the cooking vents. If possible, opening a window is also good to circulate the air in and the air out.

Conclusion 

Air is very essential for humans to keep on living. Therefore, it is very important to maintain good air quality throughout the year, especially during winter when there is minimal air circulation in the house.