Every breath you take – but is it clean?

It may come as a surprise but the true fact is that air pollution starts indoors. Yes, most of the contaminants in the air you breathe are generated, rather naturally, inside your cozy workspace, living room, gym or any other indoor space.

There’s something in the air

Nearly everything around us is constantly breaking up into tiny particles or molecules which sooner or later go into our lungs. Furniture, carpets and curtains, plastics, paints and building materials, cleaning products, air fresheners, appliances and even pets and humans, release numerous compounds into the air around them.

Mildew and mold as well as flowers and plants release pollen and spores causing allergies. The immediate effect may be breathing difficulties, but over time these pollutants literally scar our lungs and reduce our well being.

How to improve your workspace air quality

Here are some basic actions you can take to improve the air quality indoors:

1. Ventilate – open windows to let fresh air inside or install a ventilation system to replace indoor air with new air from the outside.
   
   
2. Maintain air filters – create a routine to clean or replace filters installed inside air conditioning systems, furnaces and active venting ducts. Consider installing a finer filter to capture smaller particles
   
   
3. Wise cleaning – remove dust with a damp cloth, use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filter, avoid scented or bleach-containing cleaning materials and use mild, non-toxic products instead.
   
   
4. Reduce humidity – to keep mildew and mold growth at bay, aim to maintain relative humidity indoors below 50%. Use a dehumidifier if relative air humidity is still high.
   
   
5. Install an air cleaner – active air cleaners disinfect the air by releasing human and animal friendly compounds. These appliances, such as ProtectAir, eliminate up to 99.8% of pathogens, bacteria, microbes, allergens and viruses from the air.

Do not underestimate the importance of clean air

These five simple air cleaning steps can have a tremendous effect not only on your long term health. Cleaner air in your work environment has an immediate, positive effect on your productivity, energy and general well being. After all, it’s in every breath you take.