Polluted indoor air can be found in homes and places of business. For employees, the ability to improve the quality of indoor air can be limited. The employer is in a much better position to make a difference. Inside a home, owners have a better opportunity to make changes than renters in most cases.
Indoor air pollution comes from a few basic sources. Pet odors, dander, and other problems associated with pets can create foul smelling air at best and unsafe breathing conditions at worst. Unsanitary conditions from improper handling of food and unwashed dishes can generate many types of airborne toxins that can drive air pollution.
Wood burned for heat or ambiance can cause problems from smoke and ash. Too many cigarettes being smoked by too many people present problems that affect those who have breathing problems or do not smoke. A variety of other things like pollen and mold can be added to this list.
The problem is not just how to get rid of the pollution, but also how to stop it from happening. Covering up smells with deodorizers, candles, and incense will only go so far. The pollutants will still be in the air, but their presence will be masked. Begin the task of eliminating pollution by removing or relocating the source. For example, getting the litter box out of the kitchen is helpful.
For problems like mold, professional help may be necessary to create conditions that will keep damp areas like the crawl space under the house dry. The same is true for furnace and air conditioning ducts and filters. Soiled flooring may need replacing. If allergies are the main problem from the pollution, pets, smokers, and carpeting may have to be sent packing.
To truly eliminate indoor air pollution, the house or building must be made relatively air tight so that outside pollutants are restricted from entering the space. Once this is accomplished, many high-quality air filtering devices are available. The trick is to find one that is easy to clean and economical to operate while still being large enough to do the job.
Replace conventional ashtrays with the type that filter the smoke and do not allow it to just drift upward into the room. Even better, require that all smoking be done outdoors. This is easier for a house full of non-smokers than for a house where most of the adults smoke.
Replace all filters for the climate control devices as often as once per month. Purchase filters that are able to extract extremely small particles and not just dust. Use a vacuum cleaner with special filters for keeping dust from being pumped back into the space as cleaning is done.
