Some solvents and chemicals in paints give off VOCs as the paint dries, and these compounds could irritate your nose, eyes, and throat, or cause headaches and dizziness. One natural way to mitigate this is to looking for paints with little to no VOC, such as those from Dulux or Nippon Paint.

Also, try to keep an indoor plant that can help to filter the pollutants in the air.

Don’t get giddy on that “new furniture smell”. That’s probably the smell of VOCs and formaldehyde being released into the air, a process known as “off-gassing”. Going for natural and untreated furniture may help, but if you don’t have the budget for those, be sure to air out your home regularly to avoid breathing in those fumes. Alternatively, you could look into secondhand furniture as VOC levels dip over time.

It’s hard to avoid potentially irritating chemicals from your bed and your favourite couch, so since you spend so much time on these furniture items, try to purchase or replace with ones that are natural or as organic as possible. Alternatively, try to air out your new bed, sofa, or carpet for a week in a well-ventilated space before usage.

Be sure to clean dirty fan blades and grill at least once a month. You should also clean out your air-con filters monthly to prevent bacteria and mould from growing in the unit and causing unpleasant odours. If your AC comes with an air-purifying mode (available on the Samsung 5 Ticks Multi-Split and LG Artcool Plus), be sure to make use of it, especially during the flu and haze season, as it can remove close to 100 per cent of contaminants, dust and allergens in the air.

Plants are supposed to clean the air, but the “wrong” ones could cause all sorts of allergy problems. It could be that you’re allergic to a certain type of pollen, or that the plant traps dust on its leaves and fuzzy stems. You could also be allergic to the plant’s sap or the bugs the plant attracts.

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Invest in a new machine that comes with a HEPA filter that traps dust, pet dander, and mites more efficiently. It’s probably also going to be more powerful and less noisy than your current model.

Text: Shape Additional Reporting: Seah Pei Jun

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