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With more time spent at home these days, you may want your home to feel comfortable and safe, a place to unwind and relax. Although surfaces and floors are kept clean, you should also consider purifying the indoor air. Here are five ways to ensure your air is healthy and clean, so your home can become a true sanctuary.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans are indoors 90 percent of their time where there can be concentrations of pollutants two to five times more than pollutants outside. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center’s Health Encyclopaedia poor indoor air quality can cause rashes, coughing, headaches, irritation of the eyes, as well as asthma-like symptoms; but these symptoms can be alleviated by purifying your home’s air, ensuring that you and your family can breathe easier.
Burn beeswax candles
Love To Know says that when burned, beeswax candles create negative ions. Beeswax is a natural substance secreted by bees after they eat honey. The ions that are produced by beeswax candles neutralize pollutants in the surrounding air. Pollutants can include odors, mold, dust, and allergens, particularly affecting people suffering from asthma. These candles burn with hardly any smoke and are an environmentally-friendly solution to achieve clean air.
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Take off your shoes
A simple change that you can make in your home today is to simply leave your “outside” shoes by the door. Microbiologist Charles P. Gerba studied the amount of bacteria brought inside on the soles of shoes, and told The Baltimore Sun that shoes “become a bacteria cafeteria.” He actually found more than 421,000 different bacteria were brought inside in the soles of shoes. These bacteria, Gerba said, range from E. Coli to Coliforms and even bacteria that can cause urinary tract infections or respiratory issues.
Specifically, if you walk through dirt such as dog or bird waste, E. coli can stick to the bottom of your shoes. Shoes very efficiently deposit 90 to 95 percent of the bacterial colonies right onto indoor floors, Gerba told The Baltimore Sun. What is the easiest way to stop this? Take off your shoes outside and switch to clean slippers or sandals when you are indoors.
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Increase ventilation
When you cook with a gas stove, be careful with the levels of nitrogen dioxide that it can produce. This, according to the EPA, is a toxic gas. To limit the amount of pollutants vented, open the windows, turn on the air conditioner, and use a range hood while cooking so the air remains clean.
You can also turn on exhaust fans so the pollutants are carried outside of your home. Make sure that carbon monoxide detectors are installed and are operating properly so you know if there is hazardous gas in the air.
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Use thieves oil
Thieves oil is a blend of five essential oils which usually include clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemon, and rosemary. This diffusion can successfully reduce air-borne bacteria.
A study found that thieves oil can reduce bioaerosols in enclosed environments very quickly and effectively. Another study conducted in 2018 discovered that cinnamon oil was very effective against respiratory pathogens. To effectively circulate thieves oil into the air, you can pour the oil into a diffuser and let it disperse throughout the room.
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Invest in activated charcoal
Activated charcoal is used in filters to purify both water and air. According to Molekule, it can remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors, and other gaseous pollutants from the air. In order to fully utilize the power of activated charcoal, you can buy an activated carbon air filter. A cheaper solution is to purchase activated bamboo charcoal pouches that can be hung around your home.
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