Minimizing indoor air pollution at home

Tips and tricks for minimizing indoor air pollution at home:

1. Ventilate! Ventilation is the key to dispersing pollutants in the home and improving air quality. If the temperature allows it, keep a window open in each room as often as you can, while it’s advisable to always use the range hood on your oven (if it has one).
2. Increase the greenery. Plants need CO2 to breathe, meaning they can cancel out the carbon that you exhale and replace it with oxygen, thus improving cognitive function. They’re also absorbers of pollutants, especially those with large, hairy leaves or non-vascular plants like moss.
3. Switch to electric. Although this step may not be possible for everyone, there are substantial benefits to using an electric cooker over a gas one, since they generally produce fewer amounts of toxic gases.
4. Avoid bleach. Although very effective at cleaning surfaces, bleach is highly toxic in its own right and reacts with almost all other substances to become even more dangerous.
5. Restrict use of cosmetics. Given that you’re unlikely to see others outside of your household (except for perhaps on video sharing platform calls), there’s no need to use personal grooming products like hairspray, aerosol deodorants and other cosmetics as much as you normally might.