You work hard to make your home a beautiful space and a relaxing oasis where you can welcome family and friends. If you aren’t careful, however, your design choices could compromise your home’s air quality, adding volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pollen, and bacteria to the air supply. Keep your family happy and healthy by trying five stylish steps to improving indoor air quality.
Add More Houseplants to Your Home
Houseplants offer an easy way to make your home feel fresh and lush. But did you know that greenery can also clear the air? Some common houseplants have natural filtration systems that pull pollutants from the air while brightening your home at the same time. Start small with a spider plant or a Boston fern, or go big with a weeping fig or a dwarf date palm. While creating a gorgeous display of plants in a single room is always a great idea, adding a plant or two in every room can boost air quality throughout your home.
Update Room Colors With a Low-VOC Paint
Many common substances used in household decor, such as paint, furniture adhesives, and carpet glue, are made from substances that emit VOCs. Since these harmful chemicals can continue to enter your home’s air supply for years, the easiest way to eliminate them is to ban them from your home in the first place. The next time you’re planning a color refresh, choose a paint with low or no VOCs. You can still choose from hundreds of colors, and you won’t notice a bit of difference in the paint quality.
Invest in an Ultraviolet Light System
Even when you keep your home fresh and clean, bacteria can grow in hidden spots in your HVAC system and then make their way through your home. Fortunately, you can keep your air conditioner free from bacteria and pesky germs with a UV light system. Your local HVAC professional can install one of these small but effective systems to help you breathe easy.
Block Pollen With Fun Welcome Mats
If the mere thought of springtime pollen makes you sneeze, it’s time to take precautionary steps to keep this substance out of your home. Rather than inviting pollen into your home, keep it outdoors where it belongs by placing colorful welcome mats at each exterior doors. Create a simple space for family and friends to remove shoes, jackets, and bags near the door to substantially limit your pollen exposure.
Switch to Natural Air Fresheners
Air fresheners help your home smell wonderful, but store-bought versions can release harsh chemicals and VOCs into the air. Rather than buying a prepackaged one, make your own DIY air freshener with essential oils and a beautiful diffuser. You can also add essential oils to artfully arranged bouquets of dried flowers or keep bowls of your favorite fresh herbs throughout the house.
With careful planning, your home can look fabulous and feel great, too. Keep these five ideas in mind as you plan for your next DIY interior design update.
photo via pinterest
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