You can take five simple steps to improve the quality of air inside your home and help your heating and cooling system perform better.

Since most of us spend most of our time indoors, it’s critical to cut air pollutants than can irritate eyes and cause headaches and worse.

Greenbuildermedia.com has these five suggestions, which may take some time but won’t cost you much money:

Ventilate

Opening doors and windows or installing a ventilation system will let fresh, clean air into the home and flush out all those indoor pollutants such as fumes from cleaning products, gases emitted from paint/carpet/etc. (these are called VOCs), carbon dioxide, airborne allergens, smoke and odors from cooking and so on.

Use healthy paints and finishes

To avoid headaches and other reactions when painting your home, look for natural paint and finishes that are classified as being low fume or low in VOC.

Check your cleaning products

Disinfectants, detergents, deodorizers, waxes, polishes, and cleaning agents all emit fumes and harmful chemicals. “At an absolute minimum, you should ensure that your windows and doors are wide open to let the fumes dissipate,” says geenbuildermedia.com. “Ideally though, you will use low fume or low VOC alternatives or even better, go natural with your cleaning products, such as using vinegar and bi carb. It’s not much more work at all, and they clean just as well if not better than the commercial alternatives!”

Fight mold and mildew

Mold and mildew can cause respiratory problems and other illnesses. “Use a solution of bleach and water or mold killer or for a natural alternative, clove oil works well. To stop the mold coming back, be sure to address the moisture issues that cause it to grow in the first place.” Click to read more on how to prevent mold from coming back.

Clean up after your pets

Vacuum carpets and furniture periodically because indoor pets often shed fluff and hair and cause dander, a potential allergen. “Also make sure to bathe your pets regularly and to groom them outside as much as possible,” says greenbuildermedia.com.

Read more about ventilation at http://ezbreathe.com/about/how-ez-breathe-works/.

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