14 Ways to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution

1. Open Windows
Adequate ventilation is key to promoting healthy indoor air, and opening windows (when it’s not too cold or the pollen count isn’t too high, of course) is an easy way to encourage a good exchange of indoor and outdoor air. To reduce the level of pollen in the air on days it’s not possible to open the windows, run your window air conditioner on the fan setting with a clean filter.

2. Don’t Smoke Indoors
"Absolutely no cigarette smoke," says Norman Edelman, MD, senior consultant for scientific affairs for the American Lung Association. Smoking is dangerous for both smokers and nonsmokers. Secondhand smoke impairs respiratory health and is responsible for about 7,000 lung cancer deaths per year in nonsmokers, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

3. Give Your Pets a Bath
If you have pets, bathe them and wash their bedding often to reduce allergy-causing dander. And we hate to break it to you, but you should also keep them out of bedrooms.

4. Use Exhaust Fans
Use range hoods in the kitchen to remove cooking fumes, and bathroom exhaust fans in bathrooms to remove steam. Also, be sure that your dryer vents to the outside so that lint is exhausted out of your house.

5. Put Down a Doormat
Wiping shoes can reduce pollutants carried into the house. Better yet, establish a shoes-off policy, or purchase house-only shoes or slippers that never travel outside your home.

6. Change Air Filters
If you have a forced-air heating and cooling system, change the air filters regularly; that typically means every 30 to 90 days. Switch the filters more often when there’s more smoke or pollen in the air.

7. Skip Fires
Flames dancing in a fireplace look delightful, but they release soot and smoke into the air. If you still want the look and warmth of a fire, an electric fireplace insert may be a good option.

8. Don’t Cover Up Odors
Avoid air fresheners, scented candles, incense, and other odor-masking fragrances, which can trigger asthma.

9. Vacuum Often
Do this especially if you have a pet, as brooms can just stir up more dust. Check out some of the best vacuums from our tests and the best for pet hair.

10. Use a Microfiber Dusting Cloth
It will capture more dust than a cotton rag. It’s also the secret to cleaning a flat screen TV. 

11. Minimize Carpeting
It can trap pollutants such as dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, and other dirt and dust. Choose hard-surface flooring instead.

12. Keep Your Space Dry
To prevent mold and mildew from building up, keep moisture down by using a dehumidifier and cleaning the filter regularly.

13. Store Cleaners and Chemicals Safely
Store solvents, glues, and pesticides away from living areas. And when possible, use homemade cleaning products, such as a mixture of white vinegar and water.

14. Try an Air Purifier
An air purifier alone won’t remove all the impurities in your indoor air. But if you’ve gone to the effort to keep allergens and other pollutants out of your home, an air purifier could help to reduce them further. Air purifiers with HEPA filters can capture 99.97 percent of particles that are 0.3 microns, which is far smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Here are the best air purifiers from our tests.