How To Improve The Air Quality Inside Your Home

Did you know the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ranks indoor air pollution as one of the top five environmental dangers? It’s not uncommon for indoor air to be five times more polluted than air outside the home, creating a serious hazard to family members living inside. Whether you live in an apartment, condo or house, you should take some additional measures to improve your indoor air quality.

Install a Waterfall

Most people install waterfalls inside their home or office for the brilliant touch of style and aesthetics they provide; however, another key advantage of indoor waterfalls is their ability to filter impurities out of the air. When bacteria, mold or dust travels through the air, it may land on the flowing water where it’s absorbed. This alone will offer a noticeable difference in the quality of air inside your home.

Be sure to check out our selection of wall fountains if you’re interested in taking advantage of their air-purifying qualities.

Note: it’s recommended that you change the water in your waterfall on a regular basis for optimal air-purifying benefits. Allowing your waterfall to recirculate the same water over and over will result in a gradual buildup of pollutants and impurities, so try to get into the habit of changing it regularly.

Use Houseplants

Growing houseplants inside your home will also yield some air-purifying benefits. Plants are considered nature’s own air filter. When dust, allergens, bacteria or other impurities hit a plant’s leaves, it’s absorbed into the plant and replaced with fresh oxygen.

The key thing to remember is that you want to choose plants with large, lush leaves to catch and filter the greatest amount of impurities from the air. Dracaena fragrans (common name: cornstalk plant) is an excellent houseplant that’s known for its exceptional air filtering benefits.

Change The Air Filter

I think most homeowners have been guilty of running their central heating and cooling with the same air filter for longer than they should. Most HVAC professional advise homeowners to change their air filter at least once every 30 days for peak performance. Using an air filter for longer than this length of time reduces its effectiveness to filter impurities from the air.

Air filters typically only cost about a couple bucks a piece, so changing them once a month isn’t going to break your bank account. Just remember to check the size of your current air filter before hitting the home improvement store in search of a replacement. Air filters typically feature a height, width and depth, such as 16x25x1.