According to research, the average American spends upwards of 90 percent of their day indoors. So the quality of the air inside the home matters considerably. After all, you’re breathing it in all day. Unfortunately, a lot of people live in unhealthy atmospheres, even while inside. The air is full of allergenic particles that can trigger autoimmune conditions, hay fever, and even asthma. Plus, the outside air, rich in diesel fumes, eventually gets in, harming your health and wellbeing. In this post, we take a look at some of the air purification methods that you can make yourself at home. Don’t worry: they’re dead simple. Here are our favorite DIY air purifiers you can take action on immediately!
Add Plants
Perhaps the easiest way to purify the air in your home is to add plants. Place indoor-growing species all around your home and in strategic places, such as close to the door. Make sure that you choose species that both purify the air and can grow indoors. The best plants are orchids, money trees, and cacti. Other species will require substantially more management. This is the easiest of all DIY air purifiers for sure!
Add Filters To Your Vents
Another simple solution you can try is just adding filters to all the vents in your home.
To do this, first find an air-permeable filter, similar to what you might find on a regular HVAC system. Then gently remove the vents in your home, place the filter behind them strategically (either gluing or taping it into position) and then replace the grille.
Be sure to install filters that still allow air to percolate in and out of your rooms freely. Just be sure to choose a filter that blocks out the types of particles likely to cause pollution in your home. Stopping pollen from entering is easy, so coarse meshes will suffice. However, if you plan on preventing diesel particles from entering, you’ll need much finer filter paper.
Use The Power Of Water
If the air in your home is still a problem, you can look for ways to incorporate an indoor water feature. Running, moving water is fantastic for grabbing the particles from the air and absorbing them. These particles then get trapped in the filter on the interior water feature, ready for you to dispose of, as and when you please.
The best indoor water features are those that create mist as these provide more opportunities for capturing particles from the air. Fine particles of water latch onto dust in the air, causing it to drop back into the water.
Make A HEPA DIY Filter
Finally, you can make your own DIY filter from a fan with a HEPA filter fitted to the rear.
Start by making four puncture holes in the filter and use these to screw or fit it into a solid frame. Then attach the frame to the back of a flat fan – something with relatively straightforward construction. As the fan pulls air into itself, it will pass through the HEPA filter which will collect all the fine particles you don’t want, purifying the interior air. Just replace the filter paper every couple of months or so.