5 Tips For Keeping Your Office Air Clean

If you work in an office, you spend an awful lot of your day there. More and more people are becoming aware of the importance of fresh and high-quality air, but how can you do this if you’re in an office?

There are quite a few things you can do to improve the quality of the air in your office, including keeping the humidity levels up, adding office plants, prioritizing a clean space, doing maintenance on air ducts, and opening windows. All of these things should improve the air quality and make it easier for you to breathe.

It’s very easy to forget about the importance of air quality, since breathing is so instinctive for many of us, but the quality of your air can make a big difference to your mood and your health. With that in mind, let’s look at 5 tips for keeping your office air clean!

Tip 1: Keep The Humidity Up

A lot of offices are dry. Running heating and air conditioning can suck the moisture out of the air, and this has several negative effects, including making your skin dry and exacerbating coughs. Low humidity levels often increase allergic reactions and can leave you feeling uncomfortable and itchy.

On the other end of the scale, a wet office with too many people breathing in it can also be a problem. Mold breeds extremely well in damp conditions, and becomes a major hazard.

You ideally want an office’s humidity levels to fall between 30 and 50 percent. Above 50 will allow mold to breed much more quickly, while below 30 will be itchy and uncomfortable, and may make any allergies worse.

You may therefore wish to use either a humidifier or a dehumidifier in the space to increase or decrease the humidity levels, depending on which you are struggling with. Most offices tend to be too dry, but dampness can be an issue as well.

Tip 2: Add Lots Of Plants

Plants offer a whole range of benefits in an office, elevating your mood and giving you something to look after, but air quality is another big advantage that they provide. Plants are known for their ability to produce oxygen, making sure you aren’t working in a stuffy environment.

Low levels of oxygen are often hard to notice, but they can make you feel tired and lethargic, and may result in excessive yawning. Plants use carbon dioxide to breathe and turn it into oxygen (during the day, at least, when you are at work), and therefore adding them to your office can be a great way to increase the oxygen levels.

Some studies have also shown that plants can suck toxins out of the air, leaving it cleaner – although it should be noted that you would need a lot of plants to make a significant difference. However, there’s certainly no harm in adding a few to your office, even if the difference will be limited.

Spider plants and aloe vera are both excellent options, because they purify the air well and they are extremely easy to look after. They will tolerate infrequent watering, and can cope with the low light conditions offered by many offices.

Tip 3: Keep Your Space Clean

Keeping your space clean and free from food and waste will also improve the quality of the air. Remember, waste gives off tiny particles into the air, and these particles will go into your lungs when you breathe in.

If you’ve got a lot of waste lying around, your office is likely to smell bad (especially if it’s food waste), and you’re also likely to be inhaling tiny mold spores and other unpleasant substances. Regular cleaning makes a big difference to the air quality.

You should dust, vacuum, and take out the rubbish every few days or once per week. You should also regularly clean surfaces like door handles and desks that get frequently touched.

This is particularly important if you share your office with others. They will be bringing in contaminants from their own homes, so clean on a regular basis for the best possible air quality.

Tip 4: Regularly Maintain Your Air Ducts

It’s easy to overlook the air ducts when you’re thinking about tips for keeping your office air clean, but you mustn’t do so. Air ducts are a key part of air circulation, and keeping them clean and efficient is critical. Without functional air ducts, dirty air will linger in the office, and the oxygen levels will also drop.

This potentially puts everyone at risk, so it’s a good idea to regularly get your air ducts inspected by experts. Ensure that routine maintenance is carried out, and check that the ducts are functioning as they should be. If something goes wrong, prioritize getting it fixed.

Tip 5: Open The Windows

It can be difficult to open the windows if it’s really hot or really cold out, but a breath of fresh air can do wonders in an office. It makes everyone feel brighter, and will let stale air out of the office much more effectively than any of the other tricks.

Not all offices have windows that open, but if yours does, even a small gap will encourage air circulation that will make a big difference to the office’s air quality. Letting in some fresh air for a few hours each day can massively improve how the office feels, and will get rid of unwanted smells, toxins, mold spores, and more.

Don’t neglect this simple trick; it will solve a lot of the issues that people run into with poor air in the office!

Conclusion

There are lots of things you can do to make your office smell and feel better, and most involve improving air circulation. Having a clean space, a few plants, and the right level of humidity will also make a big difference to the air quality, so follow each of these tips for a clean, fresh office space.