Believe it or not, the air inside modern homes can be up to five times more polluted than outside air. When you also consider that we can spend up to ninety percent of our lives indoors, the term sick building syndrome should require little explanation.

Inside pollutants like dust, pet dander, tobacco smoke, mold spores and pollen tend to be continually recycled which ultimately means that sufferers of allergy induced asthma are making their condition worse by being inside.

There are various symptoms associated with so called sick building syndrome including stuffy nose, watery or itchy eyes, head aches, sluggishness, lack of concentration and sickness.  However, since many of these symptoms are similar to those of a common cold, it is not always easy to to determine if indoor pollution is the cause or if it is because of some form of viral infection.

If you discover that the symptoms lessen or even vanish when you are outside, the chances are that poor air quality inside your home is the problem. If that is the case, there are several things that you can do to all but get rid of the potential causes and breathe a little easier.

Make a big difference to indoor air quality in your house with the following seven tips.

Do Not Smoke Inside

Even though this may sound obvious, you should in effect ban smoking inside your home or at least confine it to one room. In our case, any friends or family that visit are limited to the kitchen area or the back garden if they want to smoke. In the kitchen, an extractor fan pushes the smoky air outside as it does with cooking smells.

Open Your Windows From Time To Time

Weather permitting, you should open windows and doors in order to lower the concentrations of inside pollutants while allowing outdoor air to come in. If you have bathroom or kitchen extractor fans, make use of them regularly. You should also routinely clean the vent-hole in the extractors and make sure they work correctly.

Get Rid of Those Chemical Cleaners

Pick Out any one of those so called wonder kitchen cleaners from your cupboard and somewhere on the label will be a warning as to how dangerous they are to your health. Furthermore, look at what they are made of and see if you can recognize the names of any of the substances in that bottle. In fact, I doubt you will even be able to say the name, not to mention know what it is. As soon as you use that product, a lot of those chemicals go into the air, the fumes of which are inhaled. How is it that some well known anti bacterial cleaners start your eyes watering and bring on a coughing fit. Personally, I have taken the enviromentally friendly route to household cleaning. Baking soda, washing soda crystals, white vinegar and pure lemon juice will work wonders for most cleaning jobs. Not only do they cost less but they also do not release any toxic fumes into your home.

Keep you House Clean and Dust Free

Vacuuming your carpets and floors on a regular basis will help to keep dust and airborne allergens at bay. Did you know that around 70% of dust inside the home comprises of dead skin which we humans continually shed. Dust mites like to feed on this dead skin which in turn makes them grow. They then shed their own skin and that, combined with their faeces is what causes allergic reactions in people.

Pet Dander Allergies

For those families with a cat, dog or other pet, allergies such as asthma can be triggered off by their dander, which they shed all the time. If you suspect that you or a family member may be allergic to your family pet, action needs to be taken. Ideally, it is best to keep pets out of the home altogether although that is rarely possible. As a possible alternative, try and restrict the rooms that the pet is allowed into. One definite area to keep them out of is the bedroom.

Reduce Inside Air Humidity

If the clime where you live is either very humid or just plain wet (as in too much rainfall), you will no doubt be aware of just how much moisture levels inside your home can increase. A result of excessive moisture is the growth of mold and mildew. For anyone with extreme allergic reactions, mold spores are as bad, if not worse, than dust. Dehumidifiers can be a godsend in a humid environment since they are able to remove excess moisture from the surrounding air, thereby keeping mold and the resulting spores at bay.

Invest in a Home Air Purifier

Home air purifiers or room air cleaners do as their name indicates and clean the air of pollutants and allergens like mold spores, pollen, cigarette smoke and pet dander.  As well as being employed to keep down the concentration of these airborne contaminants, they are particularly useful for folks who suffer from allergic reactions and asthma.  Indoor air purifiers have become very popular recently because they are able to clean the air in your house while making it a lot healthier to inhale. Nevertheless, there are various types of air purification technologies, some of which may not be suitable in all situations.

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