Limit or eliminate contaminants
The first line of defense is to make sure pollutants don’t get into the house in the first place. Today’s market offers plenty of paints, glues, and other products that don’t exude huge quantities of dangerous VOCs. Use natural cleansers like baking soda. Try mouse traps instead of poison. Avoid dry cleaning clothes, slipcovers, and draperies. Seal sources of asbestos or formaldehyde. Limit exposure to dander by keeping your dog or cat off furniture and out of bedrooms. Central air cleaners attached to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system – or portable units – trap particles in the air, reducing the health effects of pet dander and dust mites.
Just leaving the door open a crack or opening a window or two will improve the ventilation inside if the problem relates to toxins from a short-term situation like painting a room. New energy-efficient heat recovery ventilators called air-to-air heat exchangers can bring fresh outdoor air in as well. Kitchen fans vented to the outside whisk away smoke and steam, and the bathroom fan reduces humidity generating by showering or bathing. Air conditioning and dehumidifiers remove moisture from the air, while humidifiers add it back in. The goal: indoor humidity no greater than 40% to 60%.
