Cough, difficulty breathing, headache, skin lesions, higher risk of cancer – the stake in the fight against smog is the highest. According to the WHO, air pollution is now the biggest environmental health risk factor. However, instead of panicking, it is better to take initiative and take care of the air that we breathe.
Every day we take about 20 thousand breaths. “We get as much as 70% of toxins out of our bodies in the air we breathe out. If toxins are not effectively removed from our bodies, organs have more work to do, which may result in diseases,” explains Martyna Korzelik, a meditation and breathing coach and an expert of the Blueair brand.
Smog is very egalitarian because all of us are exposed to its negative consequences. However, we can protect ourselves against pollution inside our homes.
Advice: 10 tips on how to improve the quality of air in your home
1. Avoid scented candles and incense sticks – toxins from paraffin candles are as harmful as those contained in diesel exhaust gases.
2. Vacuum your house frequently – there are dust particles and mites on carpets, rugs, and mattresses.
3. Wash bedclothes and other textiles regularly.
4. Avoid unnecessary chemicals – use natural cleaning agents instead.
5. Reduce use of aerosol products – they contribute to air pollution.
6. Wash new clothes before first use in order to reduce the quantity of chemicals that escape into the air.
7. Invest in plants – according to NASA, ivy and peace lily are the best plants to eliminate pollutants at home.
8. Look for emission-free products (paints, varnishes, but also furniture or flooring) when you repair or arrange your home.
9. Use your fireplace as rarely as possible and when you do it, use properly seasoned and dry deciduous wood.
10. Put air purifiers in rooms where you spend a majority of your time. When selecting an air purifier, pay attention to the CADR indicator – the higher, the more effectively the device removes pollutants from the air. Most cleaning systems based on a HEPA filter use only mechanical filtration which, as a standard, eliminates over 99% of particles with the diameter of 0.3 micron. The HEPASilent™ technology patented by Blueair combines mechanical and electrostatic filtration to achieve higher efficiency and to trap smaller particles. The HEPASilent™ technology filters out 99.97% of harmful particles with the size of as little as 0.1 micron.