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  • Checklist: Better Indoor Air Quality for New Baby

    Help improve indoor air quality before your new family member arrives with these five helpful tips and easy to-dos.

    Enhance your path to better air quality and customize your connected home.

    • Making sure your indoor air quality is in tip-top shape is especially important for newborns, who breathe much faster than older children and about three times more often than adults.¹ This guide can help parents prepare their air so they can bring home their baby with one less thing to worry about. (Grandparents, take note too!)

      List household allergens

      Dust or pets with dander are one of the most obvious, but there may be other less visible contributions to your home’s indoor air quality—seasonal pollen, for example—that may be something you haven’t thought of before. Making a list of known allergens can help you select the right air filtration products for your home, from efficient HVAC air filters to more heavy-duty help like air purifiers.

      Replace air filters

      One of the easiest ways to help improve your indoor air quality is to ensure your furnace air filter is free of debris so it can do its job of collecting particles, both seen and unseen, that you don’t want circulating inside your house. Make sure you replace your air filter every 3 months for 1” filters, and every 6 to 12 months for larger filters. Or even better, install a Filtrete™ Smart Air Filter, which connects to our oh-so-convenient Filtrete™ Smart App that keeps track of your filter life and lets you know when it needs to be replaced.

      Invest in an air purifier

      Air purifiers clean the air and reduce pollutant particles—including dust, smoke, mold and pollen—from the air in a specific room. As air moves through the purifier’s filter, particulates are collected, pushing clean air back out. Placing a purifier in your nursery is a great option for better clean-air circulation in a space where you and your baby will be spending a lot of time. Using an air purifier with a Filtrete™ True HEPA Filter means you can capture 99.97% of airborne particles*—even fine particles, such as viruses and bacteria.

      Avoid products with high VOCs

      As you prepare to paint and decorate, consider selecting paints and household supplies that have low volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Removing gas pollutants like VOCs will go a long way in making your indoor air better for your family.² VOCs are also found in many cleaning products, so think about using more environmentally friendly options such as vinegar or baking soda when possible.

      Check your vacuum

      Carpets and rugs may look and feel nice, but they also hide some not-so-attractive stuff—from dirt and pollen tracked in from outside, to bugs and dust mites.3 Since floor coverings collect pollutants, vacuuming regularly helps avoid buildup and keeps floors cleaner. And while frequent vacuuming will help clean your floors, the type of vacuum you use is even more important for determining indoor air quality. Choose one with strong suction and a certified HEPA filter, and clean or replace the filter often.

      *As small as 0.3 microns, from the air passing through the filter media. Initial efficiency value.

      Sources:

      1. https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=breathing-problems-90-P02666

      2. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/10881-vital-signs

      2. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality#Steps

      3. https://www.bobvila.com/slideshow/8-dirty-secrets-your-carpet-may-be-keeping-from-you-52057#dirt-in-carpet