15 ways to improve the air quality in your home

Clothing, furniture, and other items can contain chemical residues that bring a weird smell to your home thanks to "off-gassing." If you're able, allow your new couch or jacket to sit outdoors for a few hours to prevent those chemicals from entering the air in your home. 

If you're a homeowner, your ducts could be filled with dust and debris that is negatively impacting the air quality of your home. You can DIY the job or bring in a professional relatively inexpensively. 

Air purifiers, specifically those with HEPA-rated filters, are a great way to remove dander, odors, and other impurities from the air. Before buying, make sure the air purifier you're looking at is powerful enough to cover the space you plan to use it in. 

Unless you live in a tiny home, one air purifier probably won't cut it. Consider investing in air purifiers for living spaces, bedrooms, and other high-traffic areas to ensure they're actually cleaning your home's air. 

They're a little pricier than the standard air filter, but HEPA-rated air filters for your home's HVAC system are ideal for eliminating allergens and trapping other particles that can impact air quality. 

Your vacuum cleaner is an important weapon in the fight for good home air quality. Invest in a high-powered vacuum with HEPA filters, and make sure you clean (or change out) those filters regularly for the best results. 

There are few chores more tedious than dusting, but ensuring your knick-knacks and shelves are dust-free is essential for air quality. Use microfiber cloths to trap dust instead of just kicking it up in the air with an old-school feather duster. 

Just like outdoors, houseplants can be helpful in cleaning the air in your home. Snake plants, rubber plants, and different types of ivy are all good, easy-to-care-for options that will both improve air quality and make your home look a little cheerier. 

Carpets and rugs trap dust and allergens, and cleaning them regularly is important. Vacuum as often as possible, and consider bringing in a professional once a year to give your home's carpets a thorough deep clean. 

Pet hair is especially prone to being trapped in carpets, and sometimes, your vacuum just isn't powerful enough to keep it all swept up. If you can, keeping pets out of carpeted rooms can help keep dander and allergens at bay. 

If your family is struggling with dust allergies or other issues caused by poor air quality, it might be time to pull up those carpets. Replacing carpets with hard floors can reduce exposure to allergens and may even be easier to clean, especially in spaces like children's rooms. 

Dust and fumes aren't the only things that can impact air quality in your home. If you live in an especially damp area or have concerns about leaks, have your home inspected by a professional for mold damage. Remediation can be a lengthy process, but it's worth it to make your home's air healthier. 

Ventilation is a key component of good air quality, and opening up the windows is the best way to do just that. Even when it's cold outside, consider opening your windows for at least 10 minutes to allow fresh air indoors. Before throwing the windows open, though, check and make sure that your city is not under an air quality warning. 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but secondhand smoke is not good for your home's air quality. If anyone in your house smokes, or you have guests who do, insist that they smoke outdoors. 

Candles and other scented products can be made with chemicals that irritate airways and impact air quality. Instead of buying yet another scented candle, consider simmering lemon slices and cinnamon on the stove or investing in an essential oil diffuser.