Photographs: Honeywell Home and Building Technologies, India
Air quality inside the house is determined by volatile organic compounds (from paints), bio-aerosols and nitrous oxides (from cooking gas). While air quality outside is measured on the basis of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone and sulphur dioxide levels. Indoor air has a different composition from the air outside your home. Furnishings, cleaning agents, cooking, pets, and accumulated dust in enclosed spaces of our homes only further contribute to the indoor pollution problem. Sudhir Pillai, General Manager, Homes, Honeywell Home and Building Technologies, India, shares a few ways to guard yourself against indor pollution.
- Keep the house dry: Utmost care must be taken to keep your living quarters clean and dry. In case you spot mold or mildew, immediately take measures to clean it and fix damp areas to prevent future growth. Consider using a portable dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air.
- Get house plants: Certain house plants such as English Ivy, Snake plant, Chrysanthemum, Peace Lily, and Lady Palm can help counter the impact of indoor pollution. Their foliage and roots absorb certain volatile organic compounds, but only to a certain extent. But who doesn’t love a home with lush plants.
- Air purifiers: To fight the more dangerous forms of indoor air pollutants, you can use air purifiers. This helps to keep the air fresh indoors.
- Install ventilation: With space constraints, ventilation is a major problem with urban apartment homes. There is more to improving the ventilation in homes than just opening windows. Consider installing vents around the house to ensure proper air circulation to give you cleaner air to breathe indoors.
Honeywell air purifiers (available in India) use an advanced three-stage filtration process to eliminate more than 99 percent of air pollutants, including PM2.5, pollen, bacteria, formaldehydes, toxic gases and odor – all of which are common indoor air pollutants in homes.