7 Natural Ways to Purify Your Home's Air Quality

Your health can be significantly impacted by the air you breathe, whether you are indoors or outside. The benefits of fresh air for our health and overall well-being go far beyond just how pleasant it feels. Nothing is more soothing and revitalizing than a breath of fresh air.

Poor outdoor air quality has been linked in studies to heart disease, lung cancer, and strokes¹. The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution contributes to nearly seven million deaths annually throughout the world². While outdoor air pollution is unquestionably a problem, it is easy to overlook the possibility that the quality of air you breathe at home may be equally as significant.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asserts that indoor air pollution levels may be up to 100 times higher than outside levels³ and may potentially have a more detrimental impact on our health because we spend most of our time indoors⁴.

Depending on the type of pollutant in your air, indoor air pollution can have various adverse health effects, including cancer, pneumonia, asthma, allergic responses, and heart diseases. Young children, elderly adults, and those with heart or respiratory conditions may be at higher risk of acquiring specific health issues linked to poor indoor air quality⁵.

Given how much time the average individual spends at home, it is crucial to ensure your and your family's safety. One strategy to reduce stress and promote peacefulness in your house while reaping natural advantages is improving the air quality. So, rather than rushing out to buy an extremely expensive air purifier that is also made of plastic, we share some natural alternatives for you to significantly reduce the amount of impure air in your home.

Here are some all-natural ways to clean your home's air.

1.   Reduce Pollutants

Learning about typical sources of pollution and avoiding additional pollutants when you can are critical steps in maintaining clean indoor air.

Several typical contaminants are:

Secondhand Smoke

Exhaled cigarette smoke is referred to as secondhand smoke. Anyone who has been exposed could be at an increased risk of getting certain types of cancer as well as other health issues⁴. A further health concern is posed by thirdhand smoke, which can be found on absorbent materials like clothing or furniture.

Avoiding smoking indoors is the greatest strategy to keep second and thirdhand smoke out of your home. To protect your home and the air quality, it might also be a good idea to reduce the habit. It is because the thirdhand smoke that gets on your clothes may still have an impact.

Formaldehyde

A volatile organic compound (VOC) is formaldehyde, one of many dangerous gases that are occasionally released by everyday household objects. Formaldehyde can contaminate the air inside your home because it is frequently utilized in the glues used in composite wood and many types of furniture. A lot of exposure might result in bronchitis and other respiratory problems.

The impact of formaldehyde on air quality can be lessened by:

• Choosing secondhand furniture over new because used furniture often releases less formaldehyde over time⁶.
• Selecting furniture made of solid wood over composite wood.

Cleaning Supplies

Some cleaning supplies, including glass washers, air fresheners, bleach, and cleaning sprays, contain dangerous substances that could persist in your air. Most air fresheners only add potentially hazardous chemicals to your home while masking the aroma, which is another form of indoor air pollution⁷.

You can maintain your home clean by using safer, nontoxic cleaning supplies instead of some more conventional ones, including excessive pollutants.

Radon

Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, can accumulate in your home through earthen cracks and cause health issues like lung cancer. House test kits provide a quick way to determine whether your home has dangerously high radon levels. If radon levels in your air are excessive, you can typically lower them by sealing your home's foundation to prevent radon from leaking into your living space.

2.   Employ A Salt Lamp

A salt lamp is a natural technique to filter and clean indoor air organically. Salt lamps are crystals fashioned from Himalayan rock salt, which has an amber color. The crystal has been created hollow so that a light bulb may be placed within. Salt lamps are considered natural ionizers because they draw airborne contaminants in and neutralize them like waterfalls or oceans.

When the lamp heats the salt, water vapor is drawn to it and evaporates as a salt solution. The natural qualities of salt allow the lamps to absorb unwelcome particles from the air and release negatively charged ions that lessen the contaminants in the air.

In addition to enhancing air quality, salt lamps are thought to improve moods and sleep for those who have insomnia. In addition to being beautiful, salt lamps also promote relaxation.

3.   Essential Oils

Essential oils are composed of aromatic compounds, having antimicrobial, antibacterial, and antiviral capabilities, which are known to lessen the prevalence of airborne germs^8,9.   Burning essential oils is a fantastic method to improve the air quality in your house and the health of everyone who lives there. To maximize the therapeutic effects of essential oils' aromas, think about choosing HEAL's Essential Oils, as they are of the highest quality. They can assist in removing germs from surfaces in your house, on your body and belongings when utilized in a variety of methods.

You can also use HEAL's Essential Oils as a good air freshener and a cleaning agent. The most popular essential oils for clearing the air include Harmony's Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemon and Peppermint. Tea tree and eucalyptus essential oils have been clinically proven to combat the airborne flu virus¹⁰. Lemon essential oil is entirely antimicrobial and eliminates airborne bacteria because of its high limonene content¹¹.

A diffuser can be used to burn essential oils. Combine a few drops in the diffuser to purify and sanitize the air. Essential oils have the ability to kill airborne viruses, bacteria, and antigens when released into the atmosphere, cleansing it of contaminants¹². You might also add essential oils to a hot, steaming water cup.

You can also use essential oils in a room spray to clean your house. In order to make it, add 24 drops of your essential oil blend and 1/2 to 1 cup of clean, fresh water to a spray bottle. Shake the spray well before using because water and oil do not mix. To avoid furniture, spray far into the air. Room sprays are excellent for purifying the air and eliminating musty odors from rooms. An intense fragrance blend of Tea Tree/Lemon/Eucalyptus makes your rooms smell clean and fresh.

4.   Use Beeswax Candles

All candles have calming energy, and it's ideal to have a candle that also lowers pollutants. If you enjoy burning scented candles, it is better to avoid paraffin candles because they are made of petroleum and generate airborne toxins, including benzene, toluene, and soot. You can choose to light a few beeswax candles instead of these because they are great for purifying the air.

Bees use beeswax, an all-natural, nontoxic waxy material they exude, to build their honeycombs. The wax is used to create candles once collected and purified. The wax doesn't release any nontoxic byproducts when burned because it is entirely natural and fragrance-free. Instead, it produces negative ions that aid in neutralizing airborne contaminants, reducing dust particles, smells, allergies, and other toxins to improve indoor air quality¹³.

Beeswax candles have the power to ionize the air and remove pollutants and hazardous substances¹⁴. In addition to helping to enhance the air quality in our homes, they also burn slowly, requiring less frequent replacement. In actuality, beeswax candles of the purest kind burn with almost no fragrance or smoke. These candles are very beneficial if you have asthmatic patients at home; they even clear the air of typical irritants like dust.

5.   Boost Ventilation

Ventilation is the easiest and least expensive thing you can do to enhance the air quality within your home. To reduce the accumulation of hazardous air pollutants in your indoor air, open windows, and doors to let some outside air in, provided the outdoor air is clean or pollen-free.

An efficient ventilation system will bring in the fresh air and circulate it throughout the house. While windows contribute to ventilation, rooms like kitchens and bathrooms also need enough airflow. In these places, exhaust fans can remove the dangerous and harmful stale air. Trickle vents are an additional choice. Even when the windows are closed, these tiny gaps in the windows allow a small amount of fresh air to flow from one side to the other.

Ventilation contributes to providing clean air by reducing the amount of pollutants entering the home and eliminating those already present there. Ventilation systems also regulate how much moisture is kept within your house because mold and mildew, which prefer damp environments, can grow up when there is too much moisture.

6.   Effectively Use Indoor Plants

The best natural air purifiers and the best defense against indoor air pollution are plants. Our homes and workplaces' air can be cleaned and revitalized by houseplants¹⁵. Different types of houseplants can purify the air, and they are the best way to reduce indoor pollution, especially if you have respiratory conditions. Some types of houseplants need a minimal amount of indirect sunlight. According to a NASA study, houseplants can clean and revitalize the air in our homes and workplaces, protecting us from any negative impacts of common contaminants like benzene, formaldehyde, and ammonia.

Numerous varieties of indoor plants remove common volatile organic pollutants from the air. According to a research by the American Society for Horticultural Science¹⁶, keeping indoor houseplants can enhance the air quality within the home. Even NASA has commented on this, claiming that plant leaves and roots are utilized to eliminate trace levels of harmful fumes inside securely sealed buildings¹⁷. Plant leaves can purge indoor settings of low-level pollutants like formaldehyde and carbon monoxide¹⁸.

A very effective and efficient way to get clean air in your house is to keep a houseplant every 100 square feet. The Lady Palm or Broad-Leaf Palm, which require brilliant indirect light, and Peace Lily, which prefers very mild light, are the most effective plants for eliminating toxins from the air. All three indoor plants—the Butterfly Palm, Golden Cane Palm, and Bamboo Palm—grow best in indirect light. They should be explicitly kept in carpeted or recently painted rooms.

While all houseplants contribute to air purification, rooms with computers or printers are most suited for English or common ivy. The Spider Plant is helpful in a kitchen with a gas stove since it reduces the airborne levels of xylene, benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide¹⁹. Money Plant, Boston Fern, Silver Vine, and Centipede Tongavine are also common houseplants.

7.   Activated Charcoal

Use activated charcoal to purify the air naturally. Activated charcoal, also known as active carbon, is a type of carbon that has undergone an additional treatment to enhance its surface area and the number of micropores. It behaves like a sponge and is better at catching particles because it is so porous. The confined bacteria die since the pores don't supply any moisture or nutrition.

It has no smell, is very absorbent, and is fantastic at removing contaminants from the air. Bamboo charcoal is a terrific natural alternative for air purification in the house. The charcoal's porous structure absorbs moisture and traps impurities to prevent mold and mildew by removing bacteria, hazardous pollutants, and allergens from the air.

In addition to removing volatile organic compounds, activated charcoal is also known to help regulate humidity²⁰. Activated charcoal can be used as filters in heaters and air conditioners, or it can be used as charcoal briquettes that can be scattered around the house (on metal trays). However, since the pores fill up over time, the charcoal will need to be cleaned on a regular basis as it becomes inactive. The pores will be cleaned if the charcoal is exposed to the sun.

The Bottom Line

Numerous variables can affect the air quality in your home, and they can have both short- and long-term health implications. To ensure your family's health and wellness, make every effort to purify the air in your home. Consider all of these natural strategies to improve your home's air quality while also lowering the number of pollutants your family is exposed to. Try one or more of these seven natural methods to detoxify your home. You may use these natural air purification techniques quickly and at a lower cost in your house.