Does Your Home Need Air Care?

Your home could be more polluted than the street but making simple changes can help you breathe easy.

- Kim Jones

Many of us will be stuck indoors for much longer than we’d like this winter, and have been leaving home only for exercise or to nip to the supermarket.

While staying in may help protect us from Covid-19, health experts are warning that being cooped up for long lengths of time could harm our health in other ways.

That’s because, according to the My Health My Home indoor air quality campaign, the air in our homes can be five times more polluted than outdoor air, containing up to 900 potentially dangerous chemicals and gases.

They include formaldehydes and benzene as well as naturally occurring moulds and dusts, all of which can cause fatigue, headaches and wheezing.

And they have been linked to serious health conditions, too, such as asthma, cancers, respiratory infections and heart disease.

To add to this, a lot of what we’re doing to make our homes cosy during lockdown – burning scented candles, roasting, baking and even a spot of DIY – can increase our exposure to pollutants.