These tips from the American Lung Association can help keep the air in your home cleaner — which can reduce problems with allergies and asthma and prevent other health problems.
- Never paint in an unventilated room! The fumes can leave you with permanent damage to your sense of smell and your brain.
- Don’t forget to clean your dryer’s exhaust pipe. Cleaning the lint trap only removes half the lint from your system! Use a round brush with a long, flexible neck to pull lint from the exhaust pipe.
- Always vent your dryer to an open outside area. If you vent your dryer into the attic or underneath the porch, you may be creating a perfect place for mold to grow.
- Keep smokers — and smokers’ clothing — outside. Particles from cigarette smoke can be carried into your home on a smoker’s jacket. If a guest is stepping out for a puff, make sure their smoky coat stays outside, too.
- Air your dry cleaning before you put your clothes away. Chemicals used in dry cleaning linger on your clothes. Give your clothes a few hours outside to air out before they go back into the closet.
- Leave your shoes at the door. Everything you step in — including pesticides in the grass — can be tracked into your house. Keep your shoes by the door and help contain the pollutants.
- Run the fan when you shower and when you cook. Condensation can encourage mold growth.
- Don’t wait until your vacuum bag is full to change it. A full bag makes your vacuum less efficient and can send dust back into the air.
- Don’t run your car in the garage. Even with the garage door open for ventilation, carbon monoxide can still get into your house.
- Check your furnace for carbon monoxide. Faulty heating systems are a leading cause of carbon monoxide poisoning in the home. Have your furnace checked before you turn it on each year.