May Is Clean Air Month: How Indoor Gardening and Responsible Cleaning Improve Air Quality At Home

Every time you buy a new carpet, fabrics, or other furnishings for your home, you might not be aware that you’re bringing some of manufacturing chemicals into your house. These chemicals contribute to the air pollution inside your home. 

Though you might not smell them, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) likely exist. These compounds easily become gases your family inhales each and every day, and they’re harmful to your health. 

Costa Farms O2 For You, Houseplants with a Purpose collection, lets you bring home earth’s natural air purifiers for health and well being for May's Clean Air month.

Since May is clean air month, here are effective tips for improving the air quality in your home.

1. Use air-purifying indoor plants for a healthier home

Research proves that air-purifying plants are a remedy to various unhealthy household chemicals that promote poor air quality. Inhaling them can lead to an asthma attack, sinus congestion, fatigue, and even headaches. Air-purifying indoor plants soak up VOCs and break them down.

Put your plants in a pot and place them in your living room or bedroom.

Here are 10 indoor plants effective against household emissions like carbon monoxide, ammonia, benzene, trichloroethylene, xylene, and formaldehyde. Some of these plants are better at eradicating particular chemicals than others. You’ll get the most benefits when you bring in a variety of them in a room. Get a dose of fresh air inside your home.

1. Chinese Evergreen
2. Diffenbachia
3. Philodendron
4. Dracaena
5. Snake Plant
6. Palm
7. Peace Lily
8. Dieffenbachia 
9. Boston Fern
10. ZZ Plant

Place bigger pots in your patio to clean the air your breathe as you relax in the afternoons.

2. How having a garden can improve air quality

If you have a large space, plant a garden, but if you have a smaller space, a vertical garden will do. Vertical gardens can be your air purification wall. Gardens, horizontal or vertical, will not only improve the air quality of your home, but also beautify your home. Plants purify and eliminate airborne toxins from outside, while discharging clean oxygen. 

Vertical gardening is an excellent tip for those who lacks space.

3. Minimize your use of air-conditioning and give vertical gardening a try

In attempts to decrease the humidity in your home, you often use air conditioners. While this can lower your home’s humidity, it can also increase carbon. Conversely, you can have a natural humidifier or air cooler by having house plants. 

Since May is clean air month, why not naturally cool your surrounding with a garden. Additionally, increase ventilation in your home by using exhaust fans and opening your windows.

Let the natural air circulates inside your home by opening more windows and having more plants inside.

4. Avoid toxic chemicals from household products

Household chemicals come from materials like cleaning solutions, beauty products, and ovens, synthetic materials like rubber, fiber, and plastic. Most store-bought cleaners are made from toxic chemicals. This is why they have warning labels about not inhaling the fumes. Use natural cleaning and beauty products to lessen toxic chemicals in your home. You can also make your own cleaners or skincare solutions using ingredients like honey, brown sugar, olive oil, coconut oil, lemon, vinegar and baking soda.

Baking soda is an all-purpose cleaner. Use it in the kitchen and bathroom. Another natural disinfectant for your kitchen and bathroom is hydrogen peroxide. Instead of buying chemical-based air fresheners, you can use essential oils like lavender.

Opt for natural cleaning solutions to minimize chemical emission.

5. Keep your house fresh and clean through constant cleaning

The most basic thing you need to do to maintain good quality of air in your home. Allergens like pet dander, dust mites, and pollen can accumulate in household dust. By vacuuming your floor and carpet, you can get rid of those allergens. Skip the cleaners and only use plain water to get rid of the remaining dust.

Don't forget to clean the walls, upholstered furniture, and curtains where dust accumulates. Keep them fresh and clean. Also try to pressure-wash your house to clean the hard-to-reach areas like the sides or gutters. Put a floor mat at every door to lessen the amount of dirt that gets into your home.

Placing a decorative plant in your living room will help reduce carbon dioxide.

These are simple tips for improving the air quality in our home. It’s always great to make your dwelling place safe and have a natural air filter. Make sure to keep the air you breathe at home clean through constant cleaning and indoor gardening.

Do you find this article helpful? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below. Have a great day!

Hi there! I’m Lucy - founder of GardenAmbition.com and I’m a self-confessed garden fanatic. Gardening has always been a passion of mine and will always be my favorite pastime. Now that I am married and have one adorable son, I have the time to write and share my personal experiences with other garden enthusiasts like me.