Exposure to indoor air pollutants can cause respiratory problems, such as asthma attacks, or trigger allergies, and these pollutants include smoke, pet dander, mold, cleaning products, and other chemicals. Keeping the air inside your home clean is extremely important for everyone, but it’s especially true if you have kids. Below are a few helpful tips and tricks for keeping the air inside your home healthy and clean.

Watch Out for Pulmonary Illness

Household pollutants such as pollen, dust, and pet dander can trigger numerous health issues such as allergies and asthma, especially in children and infants. The WHO reports that infants exposed to air pollution have an increased risk of pneumonia and chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma. Be on the lookout for common symptoms associated with mold exposure, including asthma, chronic coughing, frequent sneezing, or wheezing. If your child develops a cough they can’t seem to shake, see your healthcare provider and then consider implementing some measures to clean up the air in your home.

Clean Regularly

Dust and pet dander can accumulate with alarming rapidity if you don’t stick to a regular cleaning schedule, exacerbating asthma and allergies. Try to dust and vacuum floors and furniture at least twice a week. You’ll get best results using a vacuum with a small-particle or HEPA filter. Decluttering any knick-knacks you no longer want will reduce the number of places dust can collect and give you fewer items to dust.

Washing to fabrics in your home regularly will help keep the dust down. Wash sheets weekly and drapes and curtains regularly to keep them low on dust and dander. Consider switching to window coverings that are easy to clean, such as wood shades or blinds. You might also want to invest in dust mite-blocking covers for your mattress and pillows.

Control the Air in Your House

There are some things you can do to make the air in your home environment cleaner and healthier. For example, pets are a main contributor to indoor pollution, and pet hair, saliva, and dander can trigger allergies and asthma. To help eliminate these factors, make sure you groom your furry friends at least weekly. And even though it can be difficult to deny them, don’t let pets on furniture or allow them to sleep in bed with you, especially if someone in your house has serious respiratory issues.

If you’re worried about the air quality in your home, investing in an air purifier is worth it. Air filters should be cleaned every three months. Also, make sure to clean furnace and air conditioner filters every two to three months. It’s also a good idea to have older homes checked for asbestos. To control moisture in the home, which will in turn help to control the growth of harmful mold you should fix leaks promptly, remove water-damaged materials and make sure kitchen and bathroom vents are cleaned often.

Don’t Let the Outside In

To avoid bringing outside pollutants and pollen into your home, you might want to remove your shoes at the door, don’t open your windows on days with high pollen alerts, and change your clothes if you’ve been outside gardening or doing other outdoor activities. Choosing garden landscaping that is allergy-friendly is also a good idea. Plants such as boxwood and hydrangea and trees like apple, cherry, and dogwood are good choices.

From cleaning more regularly to purifying the air, there are many ways you and your family can breathe easier in your home. Poor air at home can lead to a whole host of health problems. However, by implementing the above tips, you will be well on your way to controlling pollutants and allergens in your home.

Guest Author: Julia Merrill

Check out her blog at http://befriendyourdoc.org/