While many of us know to pay attention to smog alerts and avoid dangerous air outside, on any given day, the air inside can actually be more harmful than the air outside. Our homes are our sanctuaries. No one wants staying inside their own house to be worse for their long-term health than being outside, so it’s essential to make an effort to improve interior air quality. As an added benefit, making a few simple changes to the inside of your house to improve air quality can directly impact the environment at-large too.

Here are five ways you can improve your indoor air quality while helping the environment:

Grow Houseplants

Indoor plants improve the air quality of your house and reduce the need for using scents. NASA research has found that some plants can actually remove toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide from the air. These plants include butterfly palms, rubber plants, and philodendrons. Try a spider plant for purifying the air in your bathroom.

Ditch the Chemical Scents

Plug-in air fresheners are packed with chemicals, and there are better options for making your home smell nice these days. Instead of using synthetic fragrances to improve the scent inside, choose non-aerosol, natural alternatives. Give 100-percent essential oils a try for delicious scents you can customize without the harmful chemicals. Switching out which scents you use in your home is not only good for indoor air quality and the environment but will also create a better quality of life for allergy sufferers and anyone with asthma who visits your house.

Change Up Your Cleaners

While the classic lemon or pine scented cleaners may signal your brain to think your house is clean, your home’s air quality could do without them. Many of the most common household cleaners are not only toxic but also petroleum-based. Try an eco-friendly commercial cleaner or make your own natural cleaners.

Upgrade your HVAC

The installation of a new HVAC system can save you both energy and money — and improve your indoor air quality. Make sure to hire a professional for the installation and for annual service to keep it in top-notch shape too. Change the filter and clean the system on a schedule and have repairs done promptly. Spring is a great time to book an annual service so your HVAC is ready to keep you cool all summer.

Stop Using Aerosol Sprays

Choose an option other than aerosol spray for your deodorant, furniture polish, hair spray, and any other household products offered in something other than a spray can. According to Scientific American, although modern-day sprays are no longer depleting the ozone layer as their predecessors did, “they still contain hydrocarbons and/or compressed gases notorious for their contribution to global warming.” These sprays contribute to smog known to irritate asthma too.

Upgrading your HVAC, swapping out your cleaners, and choosing a spritz over an aerosol spray may seem like small changes with little impact on their own. However, when you add them all together, you’ll not only experience an improvement in the air quality within your home, but you’ll also be a contributor to reducing environmental pollutants outside. If everyone who is able makes these changes, we’ll all benefit from healthier outdoor surroundings while enjoying better indoor air quality too.

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