You vacuum regularly, dust the shelves, and spray air fresheners to keep your home smelling fresh. But a clean-looking home doesn’t always mean the air inside is safe and healthy. 

In fact, some cleaning products affect indoor air quality by releasing chemicals that linger in the air. So, how you clean and what you clean with can shape the quality of air that your family breathes. 

Since you can only fix what you understand, this article breaks down the cleaning habits that may be harming your indoor air quality and what you can do differently to keep the air in your home healthier.

Six Cleaning Habits That Contribute to Poor Indoor Air Quality

According to the WHO, about 2.9 million people die of household air pollution exposure every year. And, poor air quality has been linked to several illnesses, including asthma, COPD, and even lung cancer.

While a poor IAQ can be caused by several reasons, cleaning the wrong way can be one of them. Here’s a list of six common cleaning habits that might actually be making your indoor air quality poorer. 

1. Dusting With The Wrong Tools

Regular dusting is an obvious way to keep your home clean. So, you might be dusting your home once a week, or every second day (if you’re extra committed to a dust-free home). But here, how you dust your home is more important than how often you dust.

If you’re using any of the following things for dusting, you might actually be making the IAQ worse:

• Feather dusters
• Cloth rags
• Paper towels

That’s because these dusting tools just disperse the dust, mold spores, and pet dander in the air, rather than trapping them. The dust just ends up resettling on surfaces. 

Solution: 

• Switch to microfiber wands or polyester dusters that can trap dust instead of moving it around. 
• Use electronic vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters for the most effective dusting.
• Dust from top to bottom to avoid spreading particles.
• Opt for indoor air testing at least once a year to ensure your IAQ is safe.

2. Disinfecting Your Bathroom

You might be disinfecting your bathroom every week to keep it clean, fresh, and bacteria-free. But did you know that your bathroom cleaning products affect indoor air? 

Many bathroom cleaning products, including toilet bowl cleaners and disinfectant sprays, contain harmful chemicals like ammonia and chlorine that can increase your indoor toxin exposure. 

According to the American Lung Association, chemical cleaners release VOCs that contribute to headaches, allergies, and respiratory problems. 

The experience of this one Reddit user shows you how indoor toxin exposure can happen with chemical cleaners and VOCs. The user spent six hours cleaning their bathroom with a bunch of bathroom cleaners. 

Once done, they developed a sore throat, hoarse voice, and lost their sense of smell. On calling poison control, they were told that this was likely a chemical irritation from the cleaning fumes.

Solution: 

• Use natural and organic bathroom cleaners.
• Choose from the EPA’s list of low-VOC cleaners.
• Use the exhaust fan in your bathroom while cleaning it.
• Cleaning Your Carpets with Harsh Chemical Products

Your carpets and rugs can trap a wide variety of indoor air pollutants like dust mites, pet dander, PM 2.5 particles, mold spores, and dirt. But cleaning them with high-VOC chemical cleaners can compromise your indoor air quality. 

Most chemical cleaners contain VOCs that can seep into the carpet fibers and settle into the carpet. A study published in PubMed shows that VOC exposure is linked to asthma and related symptoms, including wheezing and throat irritation. 

Moreover, certain VOCs, like benzene and formaldehyde, have high levels of reactivity with the inner lining of the respiratory tract and mucous membrane. Since these VOCs are typically used in carpet cleaners, they can increase your indoor toxin exposure levels. 

Solution:

• Use low-VOC cleaners if necessary for a spill or immediate cleaning.
• Prefer using a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to clean your carpets and rugs.
• Deep clean rugs and carpets, if possible, annually with dry steam cleaning.
• Open windows while vacuuming and empty the canister outside

4. Using Air Fresheners to Remove Smells

You might love the fresh smell, but what you’re actually smelling are VOCs. Commercially available air freshers (be it a plug-in or aerosol one) smell amazing but wreak havoc on your IAQ. They don’t remove smells from your home. Instead, they mask it with artificial chemical fragrances and VOCs.

There are a number of studies that highlight air freshener health risks. Typically, air freshener health risks are associated with the type of chemicals used in the formulation. So, here’s a quick breakdown to help you better understand these risks based on product labels and ingredients:

Solution:

• Look into air purification systems that have natural odor-neutralizing capacities.
• Have your HVAC regularly cleaned to avoid odor build-up in the first place.
• Use natural and non-toxic alternatives like baking soda, coffee grounds, and lemon peels to remove smells and odors.

5. Using a Dirty Vacuum Filter

Vacuuming is supposed to remove dust and allergens from your home. But if your vacuum filter is clogged or dirty, it might actually be making your indoor air quality worse.

This can be especially concerning if you use a bagless vacuum. These types of vacuums are designed to trap fine particles like dust, pet dander, and pollen. 

But when their filter is clogged, these particles can escape back into the air while you’re cleaning. So, your trusted vacuum ends up circulating indoor air pollutants, rather than removing them.

When that happens, you may notice various symptoms like sneezing, wheezing, itchy eyes, or allergy flare-ups. The reaction can be worse for people with existing asthma or respiratory illnesses.

Solution:

• If your filter is washable, wash it with warm water until the water runs clear.
• Change your filter regularly (every 6 months or so) depending on how often you vacuum.
• Consider using a vacuum with a HEPA filter for more effective cleaning.

6. Emptying Your Vacuum Canister Indoors

If you have a habit of cleaning your home and then emptying the vacuum canister inside the trash bin, you might be undoing all the hard work you just finished. 

Emptying the canister inside releases a bunch of particulate matter into the air. When you breathe in this air, pollutants automatically get inside your respiratory tract and lungs, causing coughing, wheezing, and other allergy-like symptoms.

Solution:

• Empty your vacuum outside
• Wear a mask and gloves when handling the vacuum canister and its contents. 
• Empty the canister slowly to reduce the amount of dust released into the air.
• Seal the debris in a trash bag before bringing it back indoors.
• Wipe down the canister and surrounding area after emptying to remove leftover dust.

How Cleaning Products Affect Indoor Air Quality?

Here’s how common cleaning products and indoor air quality are linked:

To ensure your home is a healthy place to spend many hours and relax, it’s always best to get your indoor air tested. For science-backed indoor air quality testing you can trust, call InHaus Lab. We’re currently operational in Minneapolis and Aspen and will be happy to get back to you with a quote in just 30 minutes.

Easy Steps to Reduce Indoor Toxin Exposure and Protect IAQ While Cleaning

So, how do you keep your home clean and fresh without actually pumping it with a bunch of chemicals that can worsen your IAQ? It’s actually quite easy, but you do have to be a bit more mindful.

Here’s what you can do:

• Use cleaning products that meet the EPA’s Safer Choice Standards to minimise indoor toxin exposure.
• Read the product labels carefully to select low-VOC cleaning products for indoor air quality maintenance. 
• Avoid mixing products, as that can trigger a different chemical reaction, possibly increasing your indoor toxin exposure.
• Open windows to let fresh air in during and after cleaning. 
• Try to clean when family members with sensitivities or existing health conditions are away.
• Keep your cleaning products tightly closed after every use.
• Minimize the use of powered or spray products that can disperse pollutants over a larger area.
• Change your clothes and wash your hands properly after cleaning to remove any residues.
• Worried About Poor Indoor Air Quality? Get Testing Done and Take Steps to Address It

So, now you know how to change your cleaning habits (and cleaning products) for indoor air quality protection. But don’t just stop there. Have your indoor air quality tested first to know exactly what’s wrong and how to correct it for more targeted improvements. 

For that, you can get in touch with InHaus Lab, your trusted indoor air quality testing partner. Our experienced team specializes in testing everything from VOCs to mold and particulate matter, so you’ll know exactly what you’re breathing in and what you can do to change it. 

FAQs on Cleaning Habits and Indoor Air Quality 

Are my cleaning products impacting indoor air quality?

Yes, they might be. Several studies suggest a link between cleaning products and indoor air quality. Chemical cleaners with VOCs and other harmful particles can pollute the indoor air and cause respiratory and other illnesses.

What cleaning products contain VOCs?

Many common chemical cleaners release VOCs, including:

• Aerosol sprays
• Air fresheners 
• Chlorine bleach
• Disinfectants
• Carpet cleaners
• Furniture polish
• Oven cleaners
• Scented detergents and fabric conditioners
• What cleaning products are safe for indoor air quality and lungs?

Products that are labeled low-VOC and fragrance-free may be better for IAQ. Natural alternatives like baking soda, lemon, and mild soap may also be safer alternatives.

Are green cleaning products safe?

Not always. As per the American Lung Association, manufacturers in the US aren’t required by law to list all ingredients in consumer products. That’s why, even products labeled ‘green’ may contain some harmful chemicals. 

What are some safer ways to clean my home?

Instead of using chemical cleaners with VOC that can increase your indoor toxin exposure, you can opt for some safer, natural alternatives like:

• Warm water and soap for most cleaning
• Baking soda for scrubbing
• Mix of vinegar and water for cleaning glass

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References

• WHO
• PubMed Central
• EPA’s Safer Choice Standards
• American Lung Association