Looking after the air in our homes

Our homes have very much become our sanctuaries as we live through the current pandemic. And while it feels like our own little fortress, the air around us isn’t keeping us quite as safe as we would want, or hope.

Research conducted by Puressentiel shows that we also aren’t really aware of indoor air pollution as a problem, nor the extent to which it can affect our wellbeing so it is no surprise that four in five of us say we don’t worry about the air in our homes and two-thirds haven’t heard of indoor air pollution.

But indoor pollution can be just as dangerous as outdoor pollution. In fact, a study shows “indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times and occasionally more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels”. And the European Union Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER) estimates: “indoor air may contain over 900 chemicals, particles, and biological materials with potential health effects Indoor air pollution is a cocktail of outdoor pollutants such as ozone and vehicle emissions, and indoor irritants such as volatile organic compounds, cleaning chemicals, moulds, fungal spores and bacteria. And before you reach for the air fresheners to help or light a candle both add to the cocktail of indoor air pollutants.

Many experts believe that improving indoor air quality is the key to tackling respiratory health issues such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as allergies. Symptoms associated with indoor pollution can include headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, sinus congestion, coughing, sneezing, dizziness, nausea, and irritation of the eye, nose, throat and skin, with some people being more sensitive to indoor pollutants.

Keeping good air quality can be tricky as we can’t see the particles in the air. So, what can we do to purifying the air in our homes? Here are my top five tips:

#1. Ventilation - Good ventilation is essential, open windows where and when you can to allow air to circulate. Do be careful though if you live next to a particularly busy road as you may let in more pollution

#2. Ditch the air fresheners – Though the house may feel cleaner and smell amazing after spraying air fresheners, they actually add to the pollutants circulating in the air, so can actually be bad for our wellbeing

#3. Love essential oils - Essential oils have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. Try Puressentiel’s Purifying Air Spray, with a unique blend of 41 essential oils which work together to tackle airborne bacteria, fungal spores and house-dust mites while leaving a natural uplifting aromatic atmosphere. Scientifically proven it helps improve indoor air quality and reduce respiratory symptoms

#4. Housework – Vacuuming and dusting is important – all over the house to remove dust mites. Pay particular attention to rugs, carpets, upholstered furniture. Even get the vacuum out to use on the mattress

#5. Switch carpets to hard flooring – One for when you are thinking about re-decorating. Hard flooring is easier to keep clean and sweep away dust, pet dander and general dirt. These can be harder to see on carpets, and mites love burrowing into carpets and rugs.