Starting School with Indoor Air Quality Tips
Even in a time of uncertainty, summer seems to have come and gone. Whether you’re a parent who’s struggling to determine if your child should go back to school or do virtual learning in the midst of a global pandemic, what’s clear is, school is starting soon.
While a lot of things seem to be beyond our control, what we can do is try our best to improve the cleanliness of our homes. We are spending the majority of our time in our homes now, so indoor air quality is just as important as the outdoor air quality in the North Texas region. Here are some strategies you can use to improve indoor air quality as well as encourage environment education at home, and in turn, hopefully improve outdoor air quality as well.
Close all doors and windows in the warmer months. Leave the air pollution and allergens outside. Although it’s been reported all over the world that air pollution is lowered due to less activity from humans, the warmer weather and transportation-related pollution still contribute to ozone pollution in North Texas.
Change your filters. If you have a forced-air/heating system, be certain to change the filters regularly. Electrostatic filters can help ensure that dust and other airborne irritants get trapped instead of being recirculated throughout your home.
Invest in an air purifier. If you're allergic to indoor allergens and can't control the source of the problem, it may help to use an air purifier. Placed in the most commonly used areas of the house, these devices can help capture some of the irritants that may trigger your symptoms. You're probably not going to be able to remove these allergens completely, but you can cut down on them, which may help the problem.
Teach an environmental lesson: Teach your children to keep the environment in mind with everything they do throughout the day. For example, make sure they know they can use every piece of paper (front and back) in their notebooks, educate them on what items in their lunch can be recycled, and ask if they would like to walk or bike home (if the distance from home to school is within reason). Here are some more good ideas to help you stay sustainable throughout the year.
These are just a few actions you can implement to start the year off on a sustainable note, whether it’s a traditional or non-traditional start to the school year. Consider air quality and the health of our planet in everything you do.
