Fighting air pollution in your home

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Last Updated On 1 May 2024
Written By Siobhan Michael

Products featured: MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76×5, H11 HEPA, H13 HEPA

Harmful effects of dirty air

It is well known that air pollution is dangerous for human health, however, the air inside our homes can be just as unsafe.

Dirty air is affecting 97% of homes around the UK, according to reports by The Guardian, so keeping the air inside your home clean is more important than ever.

Studies conducted by UK scientists have found that air pollution is likely to contribute to diseases including heart disease; lung cancer; respiratory diseases; stroke, and worsen asthma, with a report of a rise in cases of dementia in heavily polluted areas (from nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide). A study found that those living in heavily polluted areas were 7% more likely to develop dementia than those with lower concentration of air pollution. The main concern is keeping your family healthy and treating the air inside your home.

Source of air pollutants in your home – from Airtopia

According to the UK Parliament POST, the top pollutants inside the home are:

Pollutant	Description	Dangers
Nitrogen Dioxide	A highly reactive gas formed at high temperatures from a combustion appliance that’s unvented or a defective vented appliance, such as: stoves, water heaters, fireplaces, boilers, unflued gas heaters, or even by busy roads. Nitrogen Dioxide is produced from all these appliances by burning fossil fuels, e.g. coal, wood, oil, gas and kerosene.	High levels of nitrogen dioxide can cause fatigue, headaches and dizziness, it can sometimes cause respiratory infections and increase the risk of asthma. Together with Carbon monoxide they can cause dementia.
Carbon Monoxide	It’s a colourless, odourless gas that can kill you. Produced from fireplaces, gas stoves and ovens, clothes dryers, water heaters, boilers, grills and wood stoves. It can be monitored using a carbon monoxide detector, which should be placed near all bedrooms.	Limited exposure can cause headaches, nausea, and blurred vision. Large amounts of carbon monoxide will starve vital organs of oxygen and kill you.
Particulate Matter	It’s made up of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. It can be generated inside the home through cooking (e.g. frying), tobacco smoke, in fireplaces, burning candles and fuel-burning heaters (kerosene heaters).	It can irritate your eyes, nose, throat or lungs; and lead to coughing, a runny nose, shortness of breath or sneezing.
Radon	It’s an odourless, radioactive gas formed when uranium that breaks down and diffuses into the soil and atmosphere. It can enter a home anywhere where your home is in contact with the ground, so cracks and gaps and porous materials in the home or basements and cellars.	Exposure to radon over time can damage the cells lining the lungs and develop chances of lung cancer.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke	This refers to the exposure to tobacco smoke – passive smoking (from cigarettes, pipe smoke, or cigars). It’s the smoke exhaled by a smoker or from burning tobacco products	They contain about 7,000 chemicals, including 69 which are known to cause cancer (arsenic, chromium and benzene). It can cause lung cancer in non-smokers, childhood issues like bronchitis, and sometimes heart disease.
Allergens	These are substances that trigger an allergic reaction to some people, that are harmless to most people. The main sources can be anything from mould spores, dust mites, pet dander, wall-to-wall carpet or pollen.	It can worsen symptoms of asthma, or cause a runny nose and sneezing, itchy skin or coughing.
Volatile Organic Compounds	They are gases that are emitted from products and into the air. Many of them are man-made, for example: paints, personal care products, disinfectants, pesticides, air fresheners, the list goes on.	Some VOCs are proven carcinogens and can react with other gases to form other air pollutants. In general exposure to VOCs can cause irritation to the nose, eyes and throat, difficulty breathing and nausea, or can damage the central nervous system.

Fighting against pollution in your home with an air purifier – MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76×5

There are a number of steps that can be taken to make sure that you have a cleaner source of air in your home. The MeacoClean CA-HEPA will help filter pollutants, irritants and allergens out of the air in your home.

The MeacoClean CA-HEPA 76×5 offers a leading air purification experience, our first Wi-Fi controlled product you can control using your phone to monitor the air in your home. Its filter is a combination of a pre-filter, HEPA filter and charcoal filter (which must be cleaned every 2 weeks using a soft cloth) to diffuse a cleaner and pollutant-free air.

With a laser sensor that measures the number of particles in the air and shows on the display to give you an idea of how polluted the air in the room is and keep an eye out for the progress of the air being cleaned.

Its H11 HEPA filter removes more than 95% of the damaging particles from the air, with the option to buy an H13 HEPA filter to clean up 99.97% of particles.

Other ways to keep the air in your home clean

Use chemical-free or allergy friendly products – they will have lower levels of VOCs and are usually fragrance-free.
Hoover regularly– remove carpets if possible and minimise clutter to lower the spread of mould spores.
Prevent condensation – use a dehumidifier, dry watching outside or in a well-ventilated room, use an extraction fan, and keep your home warm in colder months.
Fix any leaks – this will help against condensation and, if they’re in your heating system, against nitrogen dioxide.
Use electric heating – instead of burning wood and coal, and open windows or use an extraction fan when cooking.
Don’t allow smoke inside your home – whether it is tobacco smoke or candles, the best thing for your health is to quit or smoke outside, and put a lid on candles.