The surfaces in your apartment arenât the only things that need to be clean. Air quality is also extremely important when maintaining a healthy living space.
To keep the air clean in your apartment, you need to leave your windows open daily, get an air purifier, turn your fan on, get a dust screen, dust weekly, take out the trash weekly, throw out spoiled food, prevent mold growth on your fabrics, make sure your a/c filter is clean and get a humidifier.
The most important part about keeping your air clean is clearing out as many airborne dust and fungus particles as possible.
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1. Leave Your Windows Open Daily
One way to improve the air quality in your apartment is by ventilating the space. According to this scientific study in the Atmospheric Environment: X, they concluded that âAdequate ventilation and air cleaning is also critical for maintaining healthy indoor air quality.â
An easy way to practice this in your own home is by opening the windows. Specifically, leave them open for 15 minutes a day. According to Energuide.be, this is enough to ventilate an entire house, so itâll definitely be enough for your apartment. They also suggest that you do this before 10am or after 9pm because âoutdoor air is less pollutedâ at these times.
2. Get An Air Purifier
Another effective way to improve the air quality in your apartment is by getting an air purifier. The effectiveness of these devices were tested in this particular scientific study. During the study, they put an air purifier in a room with children with allergies to see if their condition improved. Over the course of 12 weeks, the children showed âimprovement of childhood asthmaâ and theirâ…nasal symptoms scores significantly reduced.â Buy one of these for yourself to start elevating your air quality sooner than later!
3. Turn Your Fan On
An additional way to improve your home’s air quality is by putting your fan on full blast from time to time. Make sure that the blades on the fan are clean so that you donât spread dust around the room. According to Childers Heating And Air Conditioning, when you turn your clean ceiling fan, it âcan decrease mold and mildew growth.â This is because these fungi love low air circulation. Give them the opposite by creating a breeze with a fan or two. The best kind to go with is a ceiling fan since it creates the strongest gust of wind in an apartment.
4. Get A Dust Screen
A fourth way to make sure that you have clean air in your apartment is by putting dust screens up on your windows and doors. By using these filters, youâll prevent some outdoor pollutants and dust contributors from getting inside. According to National Geographic, these pollutants can include âpollen, bacteria, smoke, ash, salt crystals from the ocean, and small bits of dirt or rock, including sand.â Look for the dust screens on Amazon that are the right size for your apartmentâs windows and doors!
5. Dust Weekly
The fifth way to keep the air quality high in your apartment is by getting rid of dust buildup every week. According to IAQ.works, dust contributes to poor air quality because it â…severely impacts respiratory health.â
Keep in mind that there is also a right and wrong way to get rid of dust. If you use a standard, dollar store feather wand, youâll just push and move the particles around the room without actually getting rid of them. Use either a microfiber cloth or a Swiffer duster because they actually cling to the dirt and pick it up. Make sure to dampen the cloth first if thatâs the tool that you choose.
6. Take Out The Trash Weekly
Another measure youâll want to take in order to keep your air quality up is taking out the trash every week. We all know that the garbage is full of bacteria that we want to stay away from. You wonât want to keep that gross stuff around for an extended period of time. Also, make sure your can has a lid; thisâll prevent the stink from the can from flowing through the air.
7. Throw Out Spoiled Food
Iâm not just talking about the food in your fridge, Iâm talking about the ones on the counter and kitchen table too. These are typically where fresh fruit is kept. You donât want your apples and pears to spoil out in the open because mold growth decreases air quality. Make sure to check the food periodically and, if you donât usually finish the fruit before it spoils, try eating a different healthy snack instead.
Rotten food can also put a bad odor in your apartment; however, you might not notice at first if youâre nose blind to the smell. Here are 8 ways to tell if youâre nose blind to any odors in your home.
8. Prevent Mold Growth On Your Fabrics
Food isnât the only place where mold and mildew like to make a home for themselves. Moist fabrics are another breeding ground for these fungi. For example, if you dry yourself with a towel and then throw it on the floor, that leaves very little room for air to circulate through it. This wet or moist environment promotes mold growth.
Similarly, if you go to the gym, change out of your sweaty clothes and leave them in the gym bag, they wonât dry easily in there. The dark, wet environment is also an optimal place for mold to grow. Make sure that youâre letting all of your fabrics dry completely so that they donât bring down your air quality.
9. Make Sure Your A/C Filter Is Clean
A very important factor in having clean air in your home is having clean a/c filters. According to Christian HVAC, these things âfilter dust, pollen, pet dander, and other small particles out of the airâ. When theyâre dirty, they donât do their jobs properly. That means that all of these particles are left to float around. Check your filter to see if itâs clean and, if itâs not, read this post to learn how to replace it. Additionally, make sure that your furniture isnât blocking any vents if theyâre located on the floor.
10. Get An Air Humidifier
You may be wondering how putting more moisture into the air can help improve its quality. The truth is, dry air is a friend of dust, which we already discussed is a contributor to poor air quality. The lack of moisture in the air prevents these particles from settling onto your homeâs surfaces to be swept up with a duster. Instead, they float around for longer periods of time.
When you introduce a humidifier to your place, you speed up their settling process. Not only that, but according to Air Oasis, moist air âcan moisten nasal passages, which supports your bodyâs natural defenses against bacteria and virusesâ. If this sounds like a welcomed addition to your apartment, pick up a humidifier on Amazon!
11. Introduce Plants Into Your Home
Weâre all familiar with the fact that plants intake Co2 and produce oxygen. These little (or big) green things are natureâs air filters! Place some of them around your home to boost the air quality while improving your homeâs aesthetics. A few specific plants that are known for boosting air quality are snake plants, spider plants and peace lilies. In terms of decor, these plants work especially well in a Scandinavian minimalist setting.