Indoor Air Quality And How To Improve It

We all love our homes to look clean and tidy and


as a result we devote many hours cleaning them, even after coming home after a


long day at work  or at the weekend. This pride in our homes  is reflected in the


fact that professional maid services have never been more popular . But one


aspect of cleaning we probably do not give much thought to is how clean the air


in our home is. And does it really matter  anyway? Indoor air quality matters


because poor indoor air quality has been cited as a cause of a number of ailments,


including recurring unexplained headaches, allergic reactions and more serious


respiratory complaints, including asthma.  In the office environment , problems with air


quality are thought to be a major contributor to staff absences through illness,


making it a major factor in productivity for most businesses.









So how would you know if there was an issue with


the quality of air in your home or office ? The first sign that there could be a


problem which requires attention would be if family members or staff  in the workplace


began to complain of chronic ailments such as the type referred to above.


Regular instances of headaches, allergic reactions or a general feeling of


malaise may well indicate a problem with indoor air quality. In order to get to


the bottom of the matter  you may have to arrange for the air in your home or


workplace to be professionally tested. Assuming you take this step  and the


result proves there is a problem which needs to be addressed – what next? You


then need to identify the source of the problem and take steps to resolve it.


There are many possible sources of poor indoor air quality. It may be caused by


problems with your heating or ventilation systems or by the growth of mould or


it may even emanate from your carpets and floorcoverings. It could even be


caused by something as mundane as your choice of cleaning materials.  In order to rectify matters  you may have to overhaul your heating or air


conditioning, use eco-friendly cleaning products in the home or office rather


than harsh cleaning chemicals, hire or buy an air purifier or ioniser or perhaps


even have your carpets and floorcoverings professionally cleaned, by a company


such as Proclean Carpet Cleaning Glasgow.









This last suggestion may seem a little strange


but unless carpets are regularly cleaned dust and dirt, together with other


unpleasant things like dust mites, can build up in the carpet fibres. As people


walk on  the carpets these items are disturbed and released into the air, causing


the problems we have already discussed. Thorough cleaning of your carpets can


eliminate up to ninety percent or more of these allergens, making it a simple,


cost-effective way to improve your indoor air quality.









Another surprisingly simple aid to improving


indoor air quality is to light  some scented candles, especially candles which


are made out of beeswax, which has been shown to act as a natural air purifier.


Beeswax candles are expensive and tend to be made by luxury manufacturers like


True Grace candles or Yankee candles. While they not be the answer to a problem


in the work environment, they provide an easy-to-implement way of improving the


air you breathe at home quickly and with minimum fuss.










The author is owner of the Scented Candles Store, your number one resource for scented candles including Yankee candles