Smart Strategies for Cooking at Home to Help Improve Indoor Air Quality

When you smell a casserole in the oven or a soup simmering on the stove, do you also think about the pollutants that infiltrate the air you breathe? Ovens and stoves can emit harmful pollutants, such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and small particles into the air.*

The good news: if you utilize the following cooking strategies, your kitchen air may be a little cleaner and you can eat your favorite meals without worry.

Kitchen ventilation is key.

Limiting your exposure to bad air while cooking requires proper ventilation. You can do this in a number of ways. Cracking a window or opening a door to let outdoor air in is a great place to start. Outdoor air can reduce the concentration of the indoor air filled with pollutants.

Also, consider investing in a quality vented range hood above your stove. Recent research indicates using a range hood that covers front burners with airflow greatly reduces pollutants in the air coming from cooking burners.* If you don’t have a vented range hood, install a wall or ceiling exhaust fan instead.

Upgrade your HVAC filter and use an air purifier.

Along with source control and ventilation, another thing (or effective supplement) you can do to improve the air quality in your home is to make sure you have a high-quality filter in your HVAC system to constantly filter the air throughout your home.

You can also add an air purifier to your kitchen area. Though you can’t use them to completely eliminate air pollutants from your kitchen, they can help reduce them.**

Sources:

*Building and Environment journal

**Environmental Protection Agency (PDF, 2.94 MB)