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Is Your Home’s Air Cleaner for Your Family in the New Year?
From clogged HVAC filters to unseen dust bunnies in your vents, your indoor air might not be as fresh as you’d hope going into the New Year. Luckily, giving your home’s air quality a boost isn’t as complicated as setting up that new treadmill. With a few simple steps, you can set the stage for cleaner air and a thriving home in the months ahead.
After weeks of marathon shopping, endless cooking and maybe a little too much indulging (we’ve all been there), the New Year feels like the perfect excuse to hit pause, reset and start fresh. If your resolution includes making your home a comfortable haven, cleaner air should be at the top of your to-do list. Kick things off with these seven tips:
Replace or upgrade your HVAC air filter
Didn’t get everything on your wish list? Treat yourself and your family to the ultimate gift instead: a cleaner home. With winter bringing all the hustle and bustle — from bubbling pots in the kitchen to crackling fires in the fireplace to guests aplenty — your air quality might take a hit. Enter the hero of cleaner air: a high-quality HVAC air filter. Our Filtrete™ MPR 1900 Premium Allergen, Bacteria & Virus Air Filter doesn’t just stop at the big stuff like household dust and lint. It goes after teeny-tiny troublemakers too, helping to capture allergens, pet dander, smoke and smog particles, bacteria, viruses and other microparticles you can’t see.
Minimize the use of scented products
We have a simple hack that will instantly boost your home’s air quality: Be mindful of the scented household products you use (yes, including that candle you just received as a Christmas gift from your mother-in-law). Candles, air fresheners, diffusers, you name it — they are all guilty of polluting your air with chemicals.¹ You don’t have to forgo scents entirely, though. Instead, consider using a higher-efficiency filter to help capture airborne particles and changing your air filter more often. Or, try an alternative like a wintry simmer pot, also known as stovetop potpourri, by combining a sliced orange with cranberries, rosemary, cinnamon sticks and cloves in a pot of water.
Add new greenery
Whether you’re Team Take Down Decorations Right Away or Team Keep The Twinkle Lights Glowing Into January, freshen things up post-holidays with new greenery. Spider plants, gerbera daisies, Boston ferns and bamboo palms can keep your space lively well into the New Year.²
Follow fireplace safety protocols
Wood-burning fireplaces aren’t great for indoor air quality, but we get the appeal — who can resist crackling wood and flickering flames on a snowy winter day? So if you’re going to light a fire, make sure you’re taking the proper precautions. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away, use a glass or metal screen to prevent embers from jumping out, and have your chimney inspected and cleaned by a professional each year.³
Learn how to make your own non-toxic cleaning products
If “take up a new hobby” is another New Year resolution, we have one for you to try: making DIY cleaning solutions. Not only are they cheaper than store-bought products, they also have fewer chemicals (and it’s much easier to commit to than going to the gym). Give these simple solutions a try:
- Oven and grout cleaner: ¼ cup water and ¾ cup baking soda
- Hardwood floor cleaner: A bucket of warm water, a few drops of dish soap and a teaspoon of olive oil
- All-purpose cleaner for windows, mirrors, countertops and more: ½ cup of white vinegar and 4 cups of warm water in a spray bottle
Clean your kitchen
Between festive parties and family gatherings, your kitchen undoubtedly worked overtime. Give it a little TLC to remove the cooking debris that may affect your air quality. Scrub down the inside of your oven and microwave to remove stuck-on food particles, toss any moldy leftovers and wipe down refrigerator shelves, and clean grease and residue from your range hood filter to ensure proper ventilation.
Wipe down holiday decor before storing it
It’s so fun to decorate for the holiday, but let’s be real: Taking down the ornaments, lights, garland and stockings is a pain in the tinsel. While you may be tempted to just chuck everything into a box and call it good until next year, taking the time to wipe down your decor will remove dust buildup, prevent pests and extend the life of your items. Your future self will thank you.
Sources
1. Use of candles and risk of cardiovascular and respiratory events in a Danish cohort study, NIH
