by Rajeev Sahadevan
Published Tue, Mar 22nd 2016, 13:55 | Home Repair
Do you know that the air you breathe indoors can be 5 times dangerous than the air outside? The quality of the air you breathe on daily basis can give you various ailments that range from constant headaches to allergies or asthma to poor immune function. Heck, it can even deter the immune system. But you don't have to bear it. You do have options such as purchasing air purifier, planting house plants, maintaining a cluster free indoors etc. that will help in cutting down bad air from your indoor environment.
The air we breathe
While you cannot do anything about the air outdoors you can certainly make in peace with the air indoors. There are various health pollutants lurking in indoors that you are not even aware of. To start off, laundry detergents, bleaching agents, household cleaning products, cosmetics, upholsteries, paints etc. are few of the elements that come with high level of VOCs (volatile organic compounds). To name a few, benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene etc. are the chemicals when inhaled on a daily basis can trigger health ailments in the body.
5 ways to purify home air naturally
While ordering an air purifier is an obvious choice, you really need to research on air purifiers and exactly how it works before rounding on a product. For instance, HEPA filters are the best in the market which is combined with high grade carbon that will clean good amount of air indoors. But the size and the construction also have an impact on the filtration process which makes it hard to zero in on the perfect product.
If you are on a budget and plan to save some energy, here are top 5 natural and cost cutting ways to purify the air indoors.
1) Himalayan Salt Lamp – This 200 million year old crystallized salt can be heated with a small bulb inside and the result is release of negative ions that neutralizes the pollutants in the air. Sold in different sizes and shapes, choose the one best for your home and will enhance your decor.
2) Bamboo charcoal – Before electronic water purifiers, there were natural purifiers called bamboo charcoal that was used to purify even the messy water. Currently they are used as part of beauty products. Not many are aware but charcoal has the same toxic eliminating effects in air. Most air purifying bags are filled with high density charcoal that absorbs the moisture, harmful allergens and bacteria. Re-energize the bamboo charcoal bag by placing it under the sun once in a month. You will find them in amazon.com.
3) Beeswax candles – unlike paraffin candles that come with petroleum base, pure beeswax candles burn without triggering any smoke or scent. Just like crystallized salt lamp, the candles releases negative ions to combat asthma, allergies or pollens that lurk in the air such as dust, pet dander’s etc. They tend to be a bit on the expensive side unlike normal candles but they burn quite slow and last a while longer than normal ones.
4) Houseplants – As per recent study from NASA, houseplants work effectively in releasing pure oxygen and absorbing all the CO2. In fact NASA claims that certain plants have the power to get rid of chemical components such as benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene etc. Few of the houseplants include Bostorn Fern, Spider Plant, Golden Pothos, Peace Lily, Snake Plants, English Ivy, Bamboo Plant, Dracaena and Dragon Tree. Have at least one plant per 100 sq. ft. of home for efficient air cleaning.
5) Plant air purifier – now this is a bit pricey when compared to the above ones, but if you want to take the purification to the next level, then Plant Air Purifier initiated by NASA is the best. It includes common houseplant in hydro culture that works with fan to increase the air circulation. Thanks to the growing media (activated carbon that also has a great hand in not only growing plants but eliminating bad air too).
Check the features of these air puriifers: