Improving air quality at home
These tips for improving your air quality at home will be applicable and useful wherever in the world you live, but they are especially important in Malta, where we frequently suffer from the worst air quality in Europe. There has been a definite improvement since the restrictions imposed during the pandemic but this is unlikely to last. For the most part, Malta usually registers as “very poor”, the second to worst rating.
There do not seem to be any plans from the government to improve the air quality in the country so, apart from petitioning and vocalising our discontent, we are left to do what we can around our homes to improve the air quality. These tips will help you keep the air at home as free of pollution, dust and allergens as possible. You’ll breath more easily, feel better and, if you suffer from allergies, can see a big improvement in symptoms.
The effect of poor air quality in Malta
Do you feel like you always have a cold? Are you coughing almost constantly? Symptoms such as:
blocked nose
dry cough
shortness of breath
headaches
sinus ache
can all be attributed to the poor air quality in Malta. If these symptoms are persistent, you must go to a doctor to get all other options ruled out, but in many cases it will be down to the air. It’s so bad here in Malta that even in your 20s, 30s, 40s and higher you can suddenly develop issues with breathing, allergies and/or asthma, despite never having had them before. The poor air quality in Malta is damaging to our health and we are really seeing the results of that.
Top tips for improving the air quality in your home
Use an air purifier
Fill your home with plants
Super-charge your clean routine
1. Literally clean the air around you with an air purifier
Not a gimmick! Whilst not a life changing quick fix, this will have the biggest impact on improving your home air quality. Air purifiers literally suck in the air from the room and clean it through filters to minimise pollutants like pollen, dust, smoke, hair, bacteria, mould, dander and more.
How much will an air purifier cost with shipping to Malta?
Around six months after getting my beautiful Kinnie, I discovered I am allergic to cats so I did many hours of research into ways to reduce the symptoms. Air purifiers had been praised by many as helping almost eliminate their blocked noses so I looked into different brands and features and read lots of reviews to make sure I got the most for my money.
I discovered that you absolutely have to go for ones with HEPA filters as this is the only filter type that is recognised and approved by the EU as genuinely filtering out the most pollutants and allergens. Once I knew what I was looking for I checked out loads of different brands and settled on Levoit as they had the best selection and the best reviews vs value for money.
In order to cover as much of the apartment as possible, I went for:
a small Levoit air purifier for the bedroom: £79.99
a large, smart Levoit air purifier for the living space: £159.99 (not currently available, but you can find the non-smart version a little cheaper at £149.99)
online shipping generally ranging from €15 - €25.
The larger one was a bit of an expense, but I wanted one that would actually make an impact in the open space layout for the living room, kitchen and dining area. I went for the smart option, which was only £10 more expensive than the non-smart option but it gives you an indication of the air quality in the room and can be controlled from an app on your phone and Google Home or Alexa.
Tips for selecting the right air purifier
Size matters- the bigger the space, the bigger the purifier
HEPA filter- always check for HEPA filters as these will give best results, filtering allergens as well as pollutants
Buy online from retailers like Amazon for more choice and better prices
2. Create your own garden oasis at home
When the public expressed upset at the government deciding to cut down more beautiful, ancient trees in order to widen roads and encourage more traffic, Melanie Abela, wife of the Foreign Minister (I hate describing women just by who it is they are married to but I cannot find any information on anything she has ever actually done) helpfully told us to basically shut up complaining and plant our own trees at home if we love greenery so much (I’m paraphrasing).
Which plants will really make a difference in the air in my home?
Whilst an absolutely moronic comment to make, given what was actually at stake, creating your own little jungle at home is a good idea in general. Whilst a lot of people claim that plants can purify the air around you, you’re unlikely to be able to fit the amount of plants you’d need to make a real difference into a normal household. But, whilst the effect wont be as strong as getting an actual air purifier, adding elements of nature into your home wont hurt.
NASA released a study on the plants that can have the biggest cleaning effect on your air, so have a read, see which you like the best and slowly add to your collection as many as you can reasonably handle.
3. Super clean living
This last one will not be for everyone but there are plenty of gadgets and tools you can treat yourself to, to make the experience less like work. It’s super important to keep a clean house, especially once you are already experiencing symptoms due to the poor air quality. This doesn’t mean you have to become a clean freak or let it take over your life, but make sure you have a solid and regular routine set up and see how you can supercharge the tasks you’re already doing.
I recommend cleaning a little but often, making sure to complete a few small cleaning tasks each day, so that the dirt and dust don’t get the chance to build up, but you don’t waste every weekend on exhausting cleaning rituals. Then, less regularly, say once a month focusing on a deep clean of the bits you don’t do daily.
My top cleaning tips for a clean home with less effort
dusting: I try and dust at least one room every few days to make sure I keep on top of it. It only takes a few moments and means that dust never builds up.
automatic vacuuming: sweeping in Malta is not enough. Even with hard tiled floors you need to be getting rid of the dust and dirt by vacuuming. But this doesn’t have to be a chore! Invest in a robot vacuum that you can set and leave running whilst you go out or relax. They are small and nifty and will get to spots like under the bed or the sofa that are otherwise often forgotten.
super suction: maybe also add a Dyson super-sucker to your collection, to really get the dirt out of all the floor cracks or any rugs. I prefer a wireless model so I can zip around the apartment at top speed without having to constantly switch plug outlets. I use the Dyson 1-3 times a week and it only takes me 15 mins to run around the whole apartment, but it’s amazing how much crap it fills up with. Depending on the brand or model this can be a little pricey but it’s a price I’m happy to pay to help me be able to breath freely when I’m at home.
remove dust collectors: don’t build up collections of things you don’t need and don’t fill your home with soft furnishings that’ll collect dust. Blinds instead of curtains- so much easier to clean. Fewer rugs- if you need them, go for heavy bottom ones you can properly hoover. Don’t have lots of knick knacks on display all over the place- they will collect dirt and just add to your cleaning jobs through the week.
clean cleaners: I much prefer using more natural, eco friendly cleaning tools and products when wiping down the apartment. Filling the space with too many chemicals irritates my nose even more, so I’m always looking for natural products to buy or recipes to make my own at home.
