This content has been reviewed and updated on July 17, 2024.
You consider your home a haven from outside allergens and pollution, but is the air really as clean as it can be? When we come inside, we often bring these impurities home with us through open doors, windows, and even our clothes.
Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to clean the air in your house with a few quick adjustments to your routine. We’ve outlined what you need to know about indoor air quality and some useful tips for enjoying cleaner air at home.
What Is Air Quality?
Poor indoor air quality can lead to a variety of health conditions, possibly posing a hazard to you and your family’s health. Everyday household activities, appliances, and home fixtures might reduce indoor air quality. Here are some common culprits when it comes to poor air quality in the home:
- Disinfectants and other household cleaning products
- Home improvement materials such as paint, plywood, glue, and insulation
- Tobacco products
- Mold or mildew from excess humidity or moisture in the home
- Insecticides, termiticides, rodenticides, and fungicides
- Crafting supplies, such as stationery, glue, and correction fluid
- Wax candles made with paraffin
- Dry cleaned clothes
- Fuel-burning appliances
- Synthetic fragrances, like deodorizers, perfumes, and air fresheners
- Household furnishings, including newly installed cabinetry, carpeting, upholstery, and flooring
- Home office devices, like copiers and printers
With all these contributors to poor indoor air quality, you’re probably eager to know how to purify air at home. There are certain precautions you can take to ensure proper ventilation and improve your air quality.
5 Tips for Cleaning the Air in Your Home
Before you invest in an air purifier to address indoor air quality, we recommend trying these simple, low-cost steps. Picking up good housekeeping habits will help you keep your home comfortable and healthy.
1. Dust and Vacuum Regularly
Sweeping floors and vacuuming carpets and rugs regularly can help clean the air in your home. Between pets shedding their fur, outdoor contaminants getting tracked in on shoes, and everyday household activities contributing to dust and sticky residue, it’s no surprise that indoor air can end up feeling less fresh than it should.
Dusting and vacuuming your home helps reduce the volume of allergens and debris that accumulate on the baseboards, in the corners of rooms, and on rugs and carpet. It can also help to use a handheld attachment to clean other soft surfaces, like upholstery and window treatments.
2. Deep Clean Every 2–3 Months
The phrase “deep clean” can sound intense, but getting into a routine is one of the most effective ways to reduce household contaminants and improve your home’s air quality.
There are many ways to develop your cleaning checklist and ensure the process is manageable. Many lifestyle publications have their own recommendations, so look to a trusted source for inspiration or a list of areas you might have overlooked. Tackling a room every weekend helps make a time-consuming task much less overwhelming.
No matter how often you choose to deep clean your home, keep an eye on the ingredients in your cleaning products. Some popular cleaning products contain ingredients that release toxic compounds into your home space, exacerbating poor home air quality. The EPA has a comprehensive list of safe cleaning products with their designated “Safer Choice Standard” seal of approval online; the cleaning products featured in their database are considered less toxic to your home environment.
3. Open Your Windows
What’s the easiest way to improve airflow and freshness? Open your windows!
Windows are built-in ventilation for your home, helping eliminate gas stove emissions, aerosol fumes, paint fumes, debris, and pet dander that can accumulate and leave rooms feeling stuffy and smelling musty. Opening the windows allows for proper ventilation, channeling contaminants out of your home and circulating fresh air back in.
4. Change Your Air Filters on Schedule
How often do you think about the filters in your home’s heating system, air conditioner, and kitchen vent hood? If your answer is “never” or “rarely,” you’re not alone. Air filters are easy to overlook, even though they need to be changed every 6 to 12 months. Sticking to a regular schedule is another easy way to reduce airborne contaminants indoors.
The right frequency will vary from home to home. Households with children, pets, and frequent HVAC use will benefit from changing their filters every 6 months. If you have a smaller home and don’t rely on HVAC equipment as much, changing the filter every 12 months should be enough. Remember to also check your dryer’s lint trap and your vacuum cleaner.
When you look for replacement filters, remember that high energy particulate air (HEPA) filters are the gold standard.
5. Regulate Humidity Levels
Regulating the humidity levels in your home can go a long way toward purifying your home air. The optimal humidity for your home space is 40–60% relative humidity (RH). Humidity levels below 40% can increase the survival rate of airborne bacteria and viruses, which can create an unhealthy home environment. On the other hand, humidity levels above 60% create a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, which contributes to microbial volatile compounds in your home.
Canopy humidifiers are designed with proprietary anti-mold technology. Our Bedside Humidifier and Large Room Humidifier have UV lights embedded in the water tank, which kill 99.9% of bacteria in the water tank. The disposable paper filters eliminate any remaining contaminants before they can circulate in your home.
Our original Bedside Humidifier is ideal for spaces up to 500 square feet, whether it’s your personal oasis or a home office. The Large Room Humidifier efficiently delivers hydrated air to spaces up to 1,000 square feet for optimal humidity throughout the home. Both devices use cool, mist-free technology to provide much-needed moisture without excessive heat or steam, so they’re perfectly safe around kids and pets.
For added freshness, Canopy humidifiers feature an Aroma Puck for essential oil diffusion, allowing you to make your space as energizing or relaxing as you’d like. In addition, Canopy humidifiers have dishwasher-safe components for a simple cleaning experience.
If you experience allergies, our humidifiers make a great addition to your living space. The hydrated air can help soothe nasal congestion, throat irritation, and sinus pain.
Indoor air quality is even more important for babies and young children—their little lungs make them more susceptible to air pollution, which is why many parents keep an air purifier in their newborn’s room. Canopy’s Nursery Humidifier provides filtered, moisture-free air to promote easy breathing and a healthier environment for your little one.
You can also take clean hydration on the go with our Portable Humidifier. This trusty travel companion works a little differently from our standard bedside, nursery, and large humidifiers, combining cool misting with evaporative technology to deliver hydration minus the heat. Our proprietary Smart Persistent Airflow™ (SPA) technology eliminates any leftover water in the unit, keeping it dry and mold-free. The result? Clean, targeted hydration and balanced moisture wherever you go.
