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3 Home Ventilation Tips for Better Indoor Air
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If you want to get cleaner indoor air, proper home ventilation can help. There are lots of invisible particles that pollute our indoor air every day: pollen, smoke and smog can come in from the outside, household cleaning supplies with harmful chemicals like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can give off fumes, and day-to-day activities like burning candles, cooking and running water can release soot, exhaust fumes and mold spores into the air.
Americans spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, so making sure the air you breathe is cleaner and fresher can give you peace of mind when you’re relaxing at home.1 Read on for home ventilation tips to help replace bad air with good, fresh air.
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Run exhaust fans
Exhaust fans draw air from the room they’re in and vent it outside. Your kitchen and bathroom likely have exhaust fans designed to pull air particles up and out of the room. Always run the exhaust fan in the bathroom during use—this can help draw moisture from the sink or bathtub out of the air and mitigate the formation of mold on surfaces. The same rule applies in the kitchen: Run the exhaust fan when using the oven or stove, so fumes from cooking with oil or smoke from baking food get drawn out of the air.
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Open windows
Opening windows is a great way to naturally increase ventilation in your home, but make sure you’re aware of the air quality outside beforehand. Be mindful of excess humidity or poor outdoor air quality. Ideal indoor humidity should remain below 60%, and a high Air Quality Index (AQI) rating above 100 means the air outside is polluted at unhealthy levels.2, 3
Opening windows can help with temperature control, too—opening a window on the first floor can bring cool air in and opening one on the second floor can move warm air out.
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Filter your indoor air
Most heating and cooling home ventilation systems don’t completely remove moisture and pollutants from the air, so use a whole-home or single-room dehumidifier to help reduce mold potential. Switching to a HEPA-filtered vacuum and activated carbon air filter can help mitigate the amount you clean.
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Replace your air filter
Change your HVAC filter according to the instructions on the packaging—if you need a reminder, the Filtrete™ Smart App can also remind you when it’s time to switch it out. If you don’t have an HVAC system in your home or want to increase air filtration, use an air purifier in the areas where you need cleaner indoor air quality the most can help draw unwanted particles from the air.
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