Your home is clean. But what about the air inside your home?

As autumn arrives and we start closing the windows, turning up the heating and spending more time indoors, it's time to think about indoor air pollution.

We spend a lot of time thinking about what we're bringing into our homes.

The food in the fridge. The clothes on our bodies. The products we use on our children's skin.

But what about the air?

According to the UK Health Security Agency, we spend around 90% of our time indoors. And our homes have their own sources of air pollution — from cooking and heating to furniture, building materials and the household products we use every day.

Cleaning products are recognised by the UK government as a source of indoor volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. VOCs are also released by products such as air fresheners, perfumes and other household products.

So while we're busy making our homes clean, it's worth asking:

Are our cleaning products contributing to indoor air pollution?

What are VOCs?

VOCs are a large group of chemicals that can evaporate into the air at room temperature. They're found in everything from paints and furniture to personal care and cleaning products.

Not all VOCs are harmful, and the health effects depend on the particular compound and level of exposure. Some VOCs can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, headaches and dizziness, while certain VOCs are associated with more serious health effects.

And here's the interesting bit: indoor VOC levels can be higher than outdoor levels.

Researchers measuring VOCs in 60 homes found indoor concentrations were higher than outdoor concentrations in 84% of homes during summer — and 100% during winter.

When it's cold outside, we naturally tend to open our windows less and spend more time indoors.

Which makes autumn a pretty good time for an indoor air audit.

Why fragrance matters

If we're looking at ways to reduce unnecessary sources of VOCs in our homes, there's one ingredient category worth thinking about:

Fragrance.

Many fragrance ingredients are volatile (we smell them when they evaporate into the air). When we use a fragranced product, some of those fragrance ingredients can become airborne and contribute to the mixture of VOCs in indoor air.

The UK government's indoor-air guidance identifies fragrances as a source of VOC emissions and has highlighted unperfumed cleaning products as one practical way to reduce indoor VOC exposure.

Fragrance isn't what makes a surface clean. It doesn't remove dirt, grease or grime. It's there to give a product — and ultimately your home — a particular smell.

So if you're looking for simple ways to reduce potential VOC exposure at home, cutting unnecessary fragrance is a good place to start.

Research comparing cleaning products has also found that fragrance-free cleaning products can produce lower VOC emissions than fragranced alternatives. In one study of 30 cleaning products, researchers concluded that fragrance-free products may reduce exposure to VOC emissions.

If fragrance isn't helping to clean, do we really need it?

Practical tips to reduce potential VOC exposure without a total life overhaul

The good news? You don't need to panic. A few simple changes can make an impact:

Question unnecessary fragrance. If fragrance isn't doing any cleaning, you might decide you don't need it, especially if anyone in your home is particularly sensitive.

Ventilate when you can. Open windows where appropriate and use extractor fans.

Look at your everyday products. Think about the things you're using every day, rather than just the occasional heavy-duty cleaner.

Use products as directed. More product doesn't necessarily mean more clean.

Asses non-cleaning sources of VOCs in your home. Candles, incense, air fresheners and cooking can all contribute to indoor air pollution too. Focus on what you use most often and limit potential VOC exposure by ventilating, using less often or swapping for lower VOC products.

You don't have to eliminate every potential VOC source. Small changes can add up.

Worried that your house won't smell clean if you switch to fragrance-free cleaning products?

Remember: Clean doesn't have a scent. And fragrance has no impact on the performance of a cleaning product. That's why Good Sense Multi-Purpose Cleaning Concentrate is fragrance-free by design. Just great cleaning results. No 'tropical breeze' required.

Sources

UK Health Security Agency — Indoor air quality and ventilation
How to improve air quality in your home while making it more energy efficient

GOV.UK — Health matters: air pollution
Health matters: air pollution

UK Government / Defra — Non-methane volatile organic compounds
Emissions of air pollutants in the UK: NMVOCs

UK Government — Indoor Air Quality Report
Indoor Air Quality: Report to the Chief Medical Officer

Indoor VOC study — 60 homes, summer and winter
Frequency of use of household products containing VOCs and indoor atmospheric concentrations in homes

Fragrance-free vs fragranced cleaning products
Volatile organic compound emissions from green cleaning products

Fragrance sensitivity study
International prevalence of fragrance sensitivity

Cleaning and indoor air chemistry study
Influence of Cleaning on Indoor Air Concentrations of Volatile and Semivolatile Organic Compounds in Residences