Breathe Better at Home (English)

Did you know the average person spends nearly 90% of their time indoors, and the air indoors can be 2-5 times worse than the air outside?

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) describes the condition of the air inside and how it affects our health and well-being. Because air is shapeless and colorless, becoming aware of common objects and activities that impact indoor air quality is the first step to managing risks and reducing sources of pollution inside your home that can be harmful to your health. This resource highlights where indoor pollution can come from and actions you can take to breathe better inside your home.

Indoor Air Quality

The yellow icons indicate sources of odor in the home.

The purple icons indicate volatile organic compound (VOC) sources of indoor air pollution.

The orange icons indicate particulate matter (PM) sources of indoor air pollution.

This is an educational guide to help you improve indoor air quality in your home. The images show hidden sources of indoor air pollution in the home that impact health. Click on the below icons to reveal solutions for reducting pollutants in each room of the house.

Hover over the icon with your mouse to see the room with good indoor air quality.

Look for these icons throughout the slides. Hover over the icon with your mouse for more information on ways to improve your indoor air quality.

Instructions:

Indoor air can be full of particles that contribute to indoor air pollution and can be worse than the air outside.

Using mechanical filtration such as a HEPA filtration unit can reduce up to 99% of the particles in the air.

Poor indoor air quality can lead to short and long-term health outcomes. Poor indoor air quality can also make existing health conditions worse. Populations most sensitive to poor indoor air quality are infants and children, pregnant women, people 65 years and older, and those with existing illnesses.

Health Impacts of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Poor indoor air quality can lead to short and long-term health outcomes. Poor indoor air quality can also make existing health conditions worse. Populations most sensitive to poor indoor air quality are infants and children, pregnant women, people 65 years and older, and those with existing illnesses.

Health Impacts of Poor Indoor Air Quality

"Dust" Particulate Matter (PM) PM is typically associated with dust and can come from pet dander, pollen, carpets, furniture upholstery, and activities such as vacuuming and sweeping, and second hand smoke.

Two Main Sources of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Two Main Sources of Poor Indoor Air Quality

"Chemicals" Volatile Organic Compunds (VOCS) VOCs are commonly used indoors and can come from cleaning products, beauty products (e.g., hair spray and makeup remover), cooking (e.g., gas stoves, cooking oil, non-stick pans like Teflon, and charring, roasting, or frying of foods), air fresheners and other scented products like candles, and building materials (e.g., glue, paint, particle boardm, and plywood).

Now lets explore what factors inside and outside of the home affect your indoor air quality!

Improving Indoor Air Quality Begins Outside

Bringing fresh, outdoor air into your home is one way you can reduce levels of indoor air pollution - but relying on outdoor air alone may not be enough to fully protect the health of you and your family, especially if outdoor air is also polluted.

Click on the pink icon to see what the bathroom looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icons to see how to improve air quality in the bathroom.

Click on the pink icon to see what the bedroom looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icons to see how to improve air quality in the bedroom.

Click on the pink icon to see what the playroom looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icons to see how to improve air quality in the playroom.

Click the pink icon to see what the entry way looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icon to see how to improve air quality in the entry way.

Click the pink icon to see what the entry way looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icon to see how to improve air quality in the entry way.

Click on the pink icon to see what the living room looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icons to see how to improve air quality in the living room.

Click on the pink icon to see what the kitchen looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icons to see how to improve air quality in the kitchen.

Click on the pink icon to see what the basement looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icon to see how to improve air quality in the basement.

Click on the pink icon to see what the laundry room looks like when air pollutants are removed.

Hover over the blue icons to see how to improve air quality in the laundry room.

Factors outside your home can contribute to poor indoor air quality

When outdoor air quality is bad, consider taking the following actions:

• Keep windows closed
• Use a portable air filtration device (such as a HEPA air filtration unit or a DIY Box Fan Filter)
• If you have an air conditioning system, upgrade your system's filters to MERV-13 or higher, and operate the system on recirculation mode to keep polluted outdoor air outside of your home

This project was made possible by funding from Public Health - Seattle & King County's Climate & Equity Initiative, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), with support from the Climate & Health Program at the Centers for Disease Countrol & Prevention (CDC). Images were created by What Else Designs. Visit Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's web page for up-to date information on outdoor air quality in your area: https://www.pscleanair.gov/