Did you know that the air you breathe in your home can have a huge effect on your health, especially if you suffer from allergies? On top of that, many of the things we all do to make our homes feel comfy and homely — like painting or using air fresheners or candles — can increase your exposure to pollutants and things that decrease your home’s air quality overall. And with some of us spending up to 90% of our time indoors, we thought we’d put together three super simple tips to improve your air quality.

Tip #1: Keep an eye on your humidity levels

Dust mites and mold love damp and moist air. And dust mites and mold are not good for your air quality. To keep your humidity under control, a dehumidifier is a great investment. It’ll reduce the moisture in your air and help you keep allergens under control. On top of that, making sure that your home is well-aired — for example, opening your windows on nice days, drying your washing outside, using an extractor fan when you’re cooking — can make a significant impact on your humidity levels. And, lastly, make sure you wipe away any mold or condensation you find in your house as soon as you see it so you stop it from becoming airborne and getting into your lungs.

Tip #2: Make your house into an urban jungle

House plants aren’t just an amazing way to add pops of colour and character to your house, but they also help regulate your home’s air quality too. All they need is some natural light and some water and they’ll be producing oxygen that’s fantastic for your air quality all day long. In particular, green plants — like aloe vera, palms and ferns — are amazing at producing oxygen and removing toxins from the air you breathe. (Plus, like we said, they look great too!)

Tip #3: Keep an eye on your cleaning products

Although cleaning your house seems like an obvious way to improve your air quality, lots of cleaning products — from air fresheners to detergents — are actually made up of a combination of chemicals that aren’t great for your air quality. These chemicals — called VOCs, or volatile organic compounds (like acetone, xylene and formaldehyde, for example) — evaporate into the air when you use them and are bad news for your allergies and air quality. Even worse, once fragrances have been added to these products — like pine or citrus or whatever — then the fragrance chemicals and cleaning chemicals mix in the air, creating new chemicals that also aren’t great for your air. Instead, look for cleaning products which are environmentally-friendly and are VOC-free. They might be a little more expensive, but they’re worth it for the improvement you’ll notice in your air quality.

And, of course, find the right air filter for you…

If you have a furnace in your home, finding the right air filter — whether you need a Fiberglass, MERV 6, 8 or 11 — can make a huge impact on the quality of the air you breathe. To find out what filter is right for you , check out our other blog post — What filter should I get? MERV ratings, explained.