While it is true that our home as being the best place to retreat to from the hustle and bustle of everyday living, it is also true that there is a hidden danger within our homes. What is this danger? It is the quality of air that we are breathing, on a daily basis, within our homes. If the truth is told, the quality of the air within our homes is actually far worse than that of an industrialized urban center.

What does this mean to us? It means that the air in our own homes could be far worse for our health than the air you inhale on an urban street corner. This is true even if we keep a home that is always clean. Things such as paint, coals, furniture polish, cleaning fluids, asbestos, space heaters, and other such sources of hazardous particles are always present within our homes regardless of how clean we keep it. Allergic reactions, and even asthma, may be caused as a response to these things. Also, if you allow cigarettes or cigars to be smoked inside of your home, you are allowing these chemicals to be stored inside of your home for as many as ten years, and there are a lot of people who are actually allergic to these chemicals today. There are also molds and mildews present within a home. Some other indoor air pollutants include:

• Carpeting captures dirt, dust, and everything that you track inside on your shoes. There are also formaldehydes and other chemicals present in your carpet. People can be allergic to any of these things.

• Furry pets create dander, dust and odors that many people are allergic to.

• Store-bought cleaning products are highly toxic and their fumes linger in the air and on surfaces being touched and inhaled by people. A lot of people actually may be allergic to these products even though they may not know it.

• Dry cleaning also uses a lot of chemicals, some of which you may be allergic to.

• Humans themselves also produce germs and shed skin. These are pollution producers too.

The good news is that you can do something about the quality of air within your home. The first thing that you should do is make sure that your home has good ventilation. Poor ventilation poses a serious health risk. However, this does not mean that just because your home has plenty of open windows that your home will not be polluted. In fact, if you live on a busy street, near a factory, or even if you live out in the country with wild animals, you are simply inviting allergens into your home whenever you open your windows to get some “fresh air.” For this reason you may want to look into purchasing an air filter for your home. Even the portable type that you can move from room to room can do a lot of good. Whatever you do, don’t simply ignore the air pollution within your home, do something about it.