Your Grandma always "aired out the house" in the spring. This airing out announced the coming of spring. but is it really necessary? Yes, it is! Today;s homes actually need airing out even more that Grandma's did.The house, which had been draft-proofed as far as possible with storm windows, heavy curtains, felt strips around the door and window frames, and blankets stuffed under the doors, was opened up to let the fresh spring breezes flow through. And as winter's cooking and heating odors wafted away on the wind, serious spring cleaning began.
But talk about closed up! Our modern homes make those of thirty or forty years ago seem like wind tunnels by comparison. You can almost feel your ears pop when you slam a door. Our homes today are sealed up so snug with vapor barriers, improved insulation, double-glazed windows, high- efficiency weatherstripping, and lifetime caulk that very few breezes find their way in. And we seldom open the windows anymore, because we are either heating, cooling, cooking, filtering or humidifying the inside air and we wouldn't dare crack a door or window too long for fear of wasting precious energy or that the cat or dog would escape.
Our new homes have coined the phrase indoor air pollution to try to describe what it's like to be trapped inside a airtight structure with an atmosphere full of toxic substances and not enough air exchange from the outside. The pollutants range from cigarette smoke and carbon monoxide to sulfur dioxide and mold spores. They come from our appliances, and heating devices, our paints and arts and craft supplies, our cosmetics and grooming products, and our cleaning and pest control preparations, especially the aerosol ones.
The resins and solvents in particle board subfloors, certain wallboards, and carpeting put formaldehyde and other noxious vapors into the indoor air. What does indoor air pollution do? It stains, and damages and shortens the life of our possessions and furnishings. It gives us coughs, and sneezes and stuffy noses, irritates our eyes and throats and skin, aggravates our asthma or allergies or bronchitis, and makes us listless or nauseous or tired, So, when Mom said "Go out and get some fresh air" she had a good idea.
So, what can you do about it? Open the windows once in a while in mild seasons. Even in the winter, open one of the windows a crack and let the air flow through. You may lose a little heat, but everyone will breathe better. Turn on your fans to help move the indoor air. And
add some real plants to you homescape, they add oxygen to the air and help remove harmful gasses fro it And they are nice to look at also.