Research has shown that 90% of our time is spent indoors. With that equating to around 22 hours per day spent inside, air quality is something that could not be more important to consider for our health and wellbeing.

Unfortunately, everyday activities such as cooking, cleaning, heating and even breathing all add moisture and pollutants to the rooms we live in. Well-insulated, draught-proofed homes give those pollutants fewer ways to escape.

At Lee Jackson, we don’t just want to help you understand conditioning your air for cooling purposes, but also how to maintain better air quality for your home across the board.

Below, we look at what causes air quality to deteriorate, why it is worth tackling and eight practical ways to make the air in your home cleaner and healthier.

What Makes Air Quality Deteriorate In A Home?

Poor indoor air quality usually builds up from lots of small, everyday sources rather than one big one. The most common culprits are:

Cooking: frying, grilling and roasting release fine particles into the air and gas hobs also produce nitrogen dioxide.
Wood burners, open fires and candles: all give off fine particulate matter (PM2.5) that can linger long after the flame has gone out.
Excess moisture: showers, boiling pans, kettles and clothes drying on radiators all push up humidity, leading to condensation, damp and mould.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): released by cleaning sprays, air fresheners, paints, varnishes and some new furniture and flooring.
Dust, dust mites and pet dander: these collect in carpets, soft furnishings and bedding and are stirred up every time you move around.
Pollen and outdoor pollution: both drift in through open windows and doors, particularly in spring and summer or if you live near a busy road.
Poor ventilation: without a steady exchange of air, everything above stays trapped inside, which is why stuffiness is often worst in winter when windows stay shut.

Start By Ventilating Your Home Every Day – Yes, Even In Winter

Opening windows for 10 to 15 minutes a day swaps stale, moist air for fresh air without losing much heat. Opening windows on opposite sides of the house creates a through draught that clears rooms faster. Keep trickle vents on your windows open and if you live near a busy road, ventilate at quieter times of day.

Use Your Extractor Fans Properly

Run your cooker hood every time you cook, not just when something burns and choose one that vents outside rather than recirculating. In the bathroom, keep the fan running during your shower and for around 20 minutes afterwards with the door closed. Clean grease filters regularly so the fans keep working as they should.

Keep Humidity Between 40 And 60 Per cent

An inexpensive hygrometer will tell you how humid each room is. Below 40 per cent, air can feel dry and irritate the eyes and throat. Above 60 per cent, dust mites thrive and mould has the conditions it needs to grow. A dehumidifier is a quick fix for rooms that are consistently damp.

Install Air Conditioning With Good Filtration

Modern split air conditioning systems draw room air through filters that trap dust, pollen and pet hair before returning it to the room.

Many current models also include enhanced filtration or air purification technology designed to reduce finer particles and odours. In cooling mode, moisture condenses on the indoor coil and drains away and most units also have a dedicated dry mode for damp days.

As modern systems now heat as well as cool, you can keep the air conditioned and filtered all year round. It is worth knowing that a standard split system recirculates the air already in the room, so it works best alongside good ventilation rather than instead of it.

To get the full benefit, filters need cleaning every few weeks during heavy use. Take a look at our home air conditioning options to see what could work for your property.

Cut Back On Wood Burning And Candles

If you have a stove, burn only dry wood marked Ready to Burn, which has a moisture content of 20 per cent or less and keep the stove properly maintained. Open the door gently when refuelling to limit smoke escaping into the room. Burn candles less often and ventilate the room when you do.

Choose Low-VOC Products

Look for low-VOC paints and varnishes and keep windows open for a few days after decorating. Swap aerosol cleaning sprays for liquids or creams and choose fragrance-free products where you can. Air fresheners and plug-ins mask smells rather than remove them, so tackle the source instead.

Dry Laundry Outdoors Or With Ventilation

A single load of washing can release a couple of litres of water into the air as it dries. Dry clothes outside whenever the weather allows. If you have to dry them indoors, keep them in one room with the door shut and a window open or a dehumidifier running and make sure tumble dryers vent outside.

Stay On Top Of Dust And Allergens

Vacuum at least twice a week with a machine fitted with a HEPA filter and dust with a damp cloth so particles are captured rather than spread around. Wash bedding weekly at 60°C to kill dust mites, groom pets outdoors and ask everyone to take their shoes off at the door.

The Benefits Of Improving Your Indoor Air Quality

Cleaner air makes a noticeable difference to how a home feels and how the people in it feel too.

Easier breathing: fewer airborne irritants mean fewer triggers for asthma, hay fever and other allergies.
Better sleep: a bedroom that is not stuffy, overly humid or full of dust is far easier to fall asleep and stay asleep in.
Sharper focus: stale air with a build-up of carbon dioxide is linked to tiredness, headaches and poor concentration, which matters if you work from home.
A healthier building: keeping moisture under control protects plaster, paintwork, window frames and furnishings from damp and mould damage.
A fresher living space: fewer lingering smells, less dust settling on surfaces and a home that simply feels more pleasant to spend time in.

Start With The Room That Feels Stuffiest

Every home has one. The bedroom you wake up in with a dry throat, the home office that feels heavy by mid-afternoon or the box room with condensation running down the window every morning. Tell us which room it is, how you use it and what you have noticed and our engineers will recommend a system with the right filtration and moisture control for that space, rather than a one-size-fits-all package.

Already have air conditioning? With windows staying shut for the next few months, now is a good time to book an air conditioning service so your filters and coils are clean and your system is doing its job properly.

Tell us about your room and our Nottingham-based team will come back to you with practical advice for homes across the East Midlands.