In the winter we keep the doors and windows closed in order to keep the house warm, but then the same air circulates over and over and the recycled air gradually becomes less healthy to breathe. The most important thing you can do to the air quality in your house is to open a window for 5 to 10 minutes each day. Even better is if you can open two windows on opposing sides of your home and then there will be better airflow through your home. If someone is home during the day, try leaving one or two windows open a tiny bit all day. But if you can’t do that, open two windows wide while you get up in the morning and close them before you leave for work.

Houseplants improve the quality of the air in your home. While any plant will help the air quality, here are some that do the job best: spider plant, chrysanthemum, azalea, Chinese evergreen, bamboo, gerbera daisies. Having houseplants makes your house look good too. When you look after them, remember to mist them and so introduce some water vapor into your home.

Keeping your floors clean is important, sucking the dirt into your vacuum cleaner and throwing it out improves the whole quality of the air that you are breathing. Hardwood floors are healthier than carpets as carpets trap the dirt. It’s easier to remove dirt by vacuuming and then washing floors if your floor is not covered with carpet. By using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, you will get rid of more allergens than using a regular vacuum cleaner. Microfiber cloths pick up more dirt than regular cloths. I use one wet and one dry (no chemicals) to clean a lot of my house, including windows.

Check your home for any toxins that might be there. Use baking soda or vinegar to clean your house rather than commercial cleaners. Avoid using aerosol sprays for anything as they introduce pollutants in the form of tiny particles into the air. For a good smell in your home chop lemons, cook apples with cinnamon or home cook with onions. You don’t need a fake smell to make your home smell good.


Eureka Boss Smart-Vac Upright HEPA Vacuum Cleaner, 4870MZ


Zwipes Microfiber Cleaning Cloths, 36-Pack