Health & Home Safety: Tips for Clean Air

Breathe that clean, fresh air … In your home

Reprint from Farmers Insurance:



We live in an ocean of air, yet research shows that we’re not always breathing clean fresh air, particularly in our homes. In fact, air quality is often worse indoors than outside.¹

The main causes of outdoor air pollution are industrial and vehicular missions. Pets, hair, smoke and moisture all combine to pollute the air indoors. And, in addition to other negative effects on our health, air pollution can cause or exacerbate allergies and in many cases serious breathing disorders, including asthma.


Pollution solutions
Here are some tips that may help improve the air quality in your home:

• Source control — Typically, one of the more effective ways to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate individual sources of pollution or to reduce their emissions. For instance, if you smoke, do it outside; better yet, QUIT! If you have a fireplace or wood-burning stove, be sure to operate it safely and maintain it properly. Brush and bathe your pets frequently and do it outdoors, if possible.
  
• Improve ventilation — Try to increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors. Most home heating and cooling systems don’t bring fresh air into the house. Opening windows and doors, operating window or attic fans, or running a window air conditioner with the vent control open increases the outdoor ventilation rate. Bathroom or kitchen fans that exhaust outdoors remove contaminants from the room and increase the outdoor air ventilation rate.
  
• Clean the air — There are many types and sizes of air cleaners on the market, some more effective than others. For information on various air-cleaning devices and how they work, download a free copy of the EPA’s “Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home”.
  

Pollution fighters
You may want to consider using houseplants as an attractive, inexpensive and healthy part of your interior decorating. Houseplants give off oxygen and filter carbon dioxide — and some plants actually absorb toxins, to some extent.¹ 


Be sure not to over-water because damp soil may promote the growth of microorganisms which can affect allergic individuals. Here are some common houseplants that are thought to be good pollution fighters and perhaps the prettiest of air cleaners²:

• English Ivy
• Spider Plants
• Peace Lilies
• Ferns
• Corn Plants
  

For more information, download a free copy of the EPA’s “Care for Your Air: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality”. Share this email with someone you care about. Clean air is important to all of us.

¹ Source: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/is-imprv.html
² Source: http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h110indoorair.html

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* The content of this blog is for informative purposes only. It does not reflect official standing of any agent, agency, or company mentioned on the blog. Nor is this blog necessarilly an endorsement. Please consult with your insurance, tax, or legal specialist before making any decisions. This blog is purely meant to spark the thought process.