When you clean and tidy your property, generally you will tend to clean and tidy the surfaces. You’ll give the floor a vacuum, you’ll probably dust the surfaces and spray some disinfectant in the bathroom and kitchen… and then once everything’s cleared out the way you’ll consider yourself done. In reality though, your surfaces only really make up a very small portion of your property – what takes up a lot more space is simply the empty gaps between those various surfaces. It’s the air that actually causes the surfaces to get dirty in the first place. It’s the air that carries the larger proportion of germs that eventually end up affecting us. And it’s the air that we actually breathe into our bodies all the time.

Here then, we will look at some of the ways you can make your air cleaner and thereby keep the rest of your home cleaner while improving your own health.

Think About Your Surrounds

It may come as no surprise to you, to learn that the air outside isn’t particularly clean. It’s not necessarily worse than the air indoors – it just has a lot of different problems that it brings to the table and this can be particularly bad depending on where you live. If you live by a main road for instance, then you can expect to breathe in a lot of smoke and fumes from passing cars. Likewise, if you live near open fields, then you may find that a lot of dander comes in which is bad of course if you have allergies.

You can solve this problem partly by choosing the rooms at the back of your house to be your bedrooms, and by hanging net curtains which can ‘filter’ the air almost as it comes through. If you find a lot of grime comes in through a particular window, then keep it closed and try to use your air conditioning when you need it instead.

Moisture

Moisture can be a big problem in your property and particularly when it gets into your air. Small droplets of moisture can cause breathing problems for instance – even leading to asthma in people who don’t usually suffer. Additionally, moisture can cause mould to form in your property which can then destroy your walls and belongings, cause more health issues and be very difficult to get rid of.

The best way to avoid problems with moisture, is simply to keep your heating on longer. This will then prevent the water droplets in your air from condensing which is then what leads to mould. Likewise, make sure to occasionally air your rooms by opening the windows, and to let air circulate into the hard to reach areas. If a leak or seepage is exacerbating this issue, then be sure to get waterproofing where there’s the problem. In extreme cases, a dehumidifier may be required.

Note as well though that very dry air can also be problematic. Not only can this make it difficult to breathe, but it can also dry out your skin, cause your belongings to dry out and crack, and also create more dust. If your air is very dry, then you may conversely need a humidifier.

Dust

Dust in your air will not only make your property look unclean more quickly, but it can also make breathing more difficult and be unhygienic. It’s worth bearing in mind that dust is actually made up of dead skin cells and the droppings and remains of small insects – not particularly hygienic and really rather off-putting to consider.

By generally keeping your property as clean as possible, you can reduce this problem and see less dust being thrown up into the air. To improve this further though, consider investing in an air conditioning system that will also filter the air, and be sure to clean out the vents regularly to prevent dust from being re-circulated.

Bacteria

Finally, to prevent air-borne bacteria that can cause colds and other illnesses, make sure to disinfect your sides and occasionally to use a little disinfectant air-freshener. It’s also important to generally encourage hygienic practices when in your property – so make sure that everyone puts their hand in front when they sneeze or cough.

Follow these pointers and you’ll find that your property is much cleaner on a more fundamental level, and that your health benefits too as a result.

Daniel Lorenzo, the author of this post,works as a researcher at The City Wide Group, a waterproofing company in Toronto. He likes to give valuable advice regarding home interiors via his articles.