Indoor Air Quality in a House and Apartment - What to Watch Out For
The pandemic leads to quarantine, contact, and stay-at-home restrictions. Despite approaching spring, we spend more time in apartments and houses — and need to carefully watch out to stay productive and healthy. This post gives information on what pollutant sources exist and how to improve indoor air quality.
Although air quality is currently improving overall due to less traffic and less industrial production, that doesn't mean there are actually fewer pollutants in the air we breathe. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA ), for example, points out that indoor air pollution (indoor air quality) is two to five times higher than outdoors. In some cases, according to the EPA, indoor air pollution exceeds outdoor air pollution by a factor of 1,000.
That's exactly why it's currently even more important than usual to carefully protect your own health and maintain productivity despite having more opportunities for distraction than, say, at the workplace.
What factors affect indoor air quality?
Indoor air quality is affected by a wide range of different factors. These include, in particular:
- the frequency of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released in the household
- humidity that's too low or too high (humidity)
- problematic gases like carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, released through heating, smoking, or candles and incense sticks
- particulate matter carried into rooms through doors or windows
Concretely, both excessive and insufficient humidity can negatively affect the health and well-being of occupants. Excessive humidity promotes mold growth and contributes to dust mite proliferation. Insufficient humidity, on the other hand, irritates the skin, mucous membranes, and airways, thereby increasing the risk of infection.
A particularly important factor is VOCs, since there are a wide range of possible sources of off-gassing indoors: furniture, paints, and wood preservatives, as well as adhesives, artificial air fresheners, and all kinds of cleaning products emit volatile organic substances.
The most commonly released VOCs in the household include:
- Formaldehyde: this pungent gas, commonly used in building materials, is often found in floor varnishes, paints, adhesives, wall panels, and plastics.
- Ethanol: a colorless liquid that mixes easily with organic compounds, often found in glass cleaners, dishwashing detergent, and laundry detergent.
- Benzene: this flammable liquid with a sweet order is found in paint, adhesive, carpets, and emissions from burning gasoline.
- Acetone: a clear organic compound often found in nail polish remover, furniture polish, and wallpaper.
- Toluene: toluene is a clear liquid with a distinctive smell and is often found in paints.
- Butanol: a poison often contained in the emissions of grills, burning candles, stoves, and cigarettes.
How can indoor air quality be sustainably improved?
Indoor air quality in a house or apartment can normally be easily improved: it's essential to ensure good air exchange. To do this, open windows wide several times a day, ideally creating cross-ventilation. If outdoor air is temporarily heavily polluted (for example due to commuter traffic or pollen dispersal), pay special attention to the best time of day to ventilate. You can also measure pollutants in the air to get a more precise picture of the situation. In some cases, it's also possible to open interior doors instead of windows.
Depending on the specific room, various measures also help improve air quality:
- In the living room, unpleasant odors shouldn't be masked with artificial air fresheners, but rather their causes should be eliminated. Many people use paraffin candles to beautify their living space, but these are made from petroleum and contain many pollutants. A more eco-friendly alternative is candles made from soy, coconut, or beeswax. Also look for wicks made of cotton or wood, which burn soot-free.
- In the bedroom, it's important to keep pets out, since they can disturb sleep and trigger allergies. Keep in mind that up to 1.5 million dust mites can live in a bed. Regularly vacuuming the bed and changing the bedding is therefore advisable. For restful sleep, the room temperature should be between 16 and 18°C. Temperatures that are too high lead to inner restlessness, while temperatures that are too low can cause trouble falling asleep.
- In the kitchen, the window should be opened while cooking if there's no range hood. When it comes to cleaning products, pay attention to the ingredients and prefer allergy-friendly, fragrance-free products that release fewer volatile organic compounds. Caution is also warranted with cooking utensils: many households use pans with damaged coatings, which can release toxic substances when heated. Consider replacing these with more durable ceramic alternatives.
- In the bathroom, bath mats attract mites, mold, and bacteria. It's therefore better to dry off directly in the shower and assign each family member their own towel. Store makeup and medication outside the bathroom, since high humidity and heat can affect their shelf life. Also pay attention here to the choice of cleaning products, since even seemingly harmless cleaners can trigger problematic chemical reactions when combined with others, such as toilet cleaner and bleach.
Generally speaking, good air exchange should also be ensured while cleaning. Instead of using cleaning products as sprays, liquid or solid products can be used. Always pay attention to the ingredients of cleaning products. For products labeled as hazardous, it's important to carefully follow the instructions on the packaging and take appropriate precautions. Ideally, store cleaning products in places rarely used by family members, such as storage closets or garages.
Innovative providers like everdrop now offer cleaning products in tablet form to reduce plastic waste through reusable bottles. These products often stand out with more sustainable ingredients and protect the environment through less waste.
Generally, it's advisable to minimize the use of such cleaning products to protect indoor air quality. Tried-and-true, eco-friendly household remedies like potassium soaps, traditional bar soaps, baking soda, or white vinegar can often be just as effective.
With all these measures, the goal of "good indoor air" can be achieved. True to the motto: odorless air is the healthiest air.