After days of cooking, burning candles, and extra company, the air inside your home is more polluted than you might realize. That's why experts are urging homeowners to perform a ‘Great Air Reset’ on December 27 – a simple, three-step air clean-up.
Whether you’ve spent the holidays entertaining or simply keeping cozy with scented candles and a roaring fire, your air quality has likely taken a hit. Fine particles, smoke, and chemicals build up indoors, lingering long after guests have left.
Luckily, restoring air quality and freshness indoors doesn’t take much effort – and one of the best air purifiers can make all the difference. Our pros reveal how to quickly restore air quality before the new year.
Why Indoor Air Quality Worsens After Christmas Hosting
Dr. Lyndsey Darrow, professor of public health at the University of Nevada, Reno. explains, ‘Holiday activities including increased cooking, woodburning, burning candles or using other fragrance-emitting substances, such as essential oil diffusers, release particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other harmful air pollutants into our indoor environments.
‘These pollutants are known to be associated with both respiratory and cardiovascular problems like asthma and heart attacks, so doing what we can to minimize exposures to these pollutants is worthwhile.'
All the things we love about Christmas hosting can also add to indoor air pollution, explains Sam Simon, COO at ServiceMaster Restoration by Simons. From candles to cooking fumes, many of these pollutants are among the secret things polluting your air quality.
Sam says, 'Cooking a big meal releases fine particles, candles produce soot, and decorations that have been sitting in storage can kick up dust and allergens. Add a full house of guests and pets into the mix, and your indoor air can get pretty stale and heavy fast.’
In winter, the issue becomes worse because we ventilate less, and keeping windows closed traps contaminants inside. ‘It’s not only more chemicals and scents indoors, but also the fact that people rarely ventilate their homes, being afraid of losing heat,’ adds Megan Doser, owner and CEO at Doctor Fix It Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric.
Even seemingly harmless habits, such as using air fresheners or burning incense, can worsen things. As Josh Locker of AUX AIR USA notes, ‘Homes may smell festive, but the air can actually be more polluted than before.’
If you’re using plug-ins or sprays, you could be making one of the classic mistakes, compromising air quality. Here are the three easy fixes you can action today for an easy air reset.
1. Ventilate with open windows
It might seem counterintuitive in winter, but opening your windows briefly each day is one of the easiest ways to improve indoor air. ‘A quick air exchange brings in fresh air and pushes out stale air,’ says Sam. Even a few minutes can help – just be strategic about timing, opening windows when outdoor pollution is low and the room is receiving sunshine to reduce heat loss.
Opening the windows is something you should do in winter, and shock ventilation, when it's only done for a few minutes, will preserve overall room temperature and help keep your house warm without turning up the heat, whilst crucially circulating fresh air inside rapidly.
If you live in an urban area, balancing warmth and ventilation can be tricky, but improving air quality when living in a city is essential. To stay warm, a portable heater like this Dreo Space Heater at Walmart will allow you to open the windows without feeling too icy.
When ventilating your home after Christmas, keeping a small space heater nearby will keep you warm wherever you're sat.
2. Clean or Replace HVAC Filters
After weeks of cooking, entertaining, and decorating, your HVAC system has likely been working overtime. ‘That old filter is probably clogged,’ says Arthur. ‘Change it immediately – or even better, upgrade to a higher-efficiency filter like a MERV 11 or higher.’
You can find MERV 11 HVAC filters for different AC units at Home Depot.
Dirty filters not only reduce airflow but can also recirculate particles. ‘If you’re still taking down decorations and cleaning, you’re at a critical point for controlling pollutants,’ Arthur continues. Run your HVAC fan continuously during this time to pull more air through the filter.
It’s also smart to schedule a professional HVAC inspection. As Josh notes, winter is a great time since filters, ducts, and coils tend to collect more debris. A clean system helps prevent the common household items polluting your air from lingering longer than they should, and forgetting to do so is one of many home maintenance mistakes never to make in winter.
3. Use an Air Purifier
Once you’ve ventilated and changed filters, finish with an air purifier to capture residual pollutants. Air purifiers actively remove particulate matter, VOCs, and other harmful air pollutants from your home.
‘Run an air purifier if you have it,’ says Josh. ‘The good news is that it doesn’t require too much effort to reset your home’s air quality,’ he adds. It won't hurt to clean the air purifier, too, to make sure that it's running at maximum efficiency.
Look for ones with HEPA filters as they can remove fine particles, or activated carbon filters to deal with gases, smoke and odors.
What to Shop
Air purifiers are the single most effective solution to cleanse your indoor air quality, and in this sweet after-Christmas period, prices are often lower than usual, too.
I've been using this air purifier in my home for a year, and it's powerful enough that it can purify multiple rooms at once – and quickly.
Read more in my full Shark NeverChange MAX review.
It won't cover as much air space as the Shark, but this compact Coway purifier works rapidly, and is perfect for a living room, kitchen, or bedroom.
Read more in our full Coway Airmega Mighty review.
For under $100, this tiny purifier is great for focusing your air purification in certain areas, perfect when taking down decorations.
Read more in our full Coway Airmega Aim review.
Next, learn how to reset your home after Christmas with our expert cleaning checklist.
