Why Kitchen Air Quality Matters and How to Improve It

How do you feel at home? Are you relaxed? Do you believe that the environment helps you feel well, even healthier? A focus on wellness has become very important in today’s world, which is why most of us are paying a lot of attention to aspects of home interior design that can positively impact wellness.

Air quality is obviously among the most important ones.

Various approaches can be employed to improve air quality at home. Some of the key ones should focus on the kitchen.

The kitchen is the room where we prepare food – a process that’s linked to heat and moisture. Cooking can also bring grease particles into the air and these can easily stick to walls and furniture. Proper ventilation in the kitchen is absolutely vital to protect these pieces and to experience overall air quality improvements.

If you’re wondering about the best ways to ensure proper ventilation in the kitchen, we have you covered. Here are some of the interior design practices that are bound to deliver excellent results, even if you do some heavy duty food preparation at home.

Why Kitchen Air Quality Matters

While we’ve already mentioned the fact that cooking can impact air quality, let’s dig a little bit deeper to understand why proper ventilation is especially important in the kitchen.

It’s not just about the air you breathe and whether it’s dry or filled with grease particles. The humidity generated through cooking and food preparation can contribute to other problems, as well.

Moisture, especially if you do nothing about it, creates the perfect conditions for mould and mildew. Inhaling mould has been linked to various health problems – allergic reactions and asthma attacks being the most common ones. If you have children in the household or some of the family members experience respiratory problems, mould and mildew can be even more serious issues.

Depending on the heating method you choose for food preparation, you’re also releasing various kinds of emissions into the air. Gas stoves can produce carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and even formaldehyde as a part of their normal operation. Electric stoves don’t produce such serious emissions but they can still emit harmful particles into the air. If you have a self-cleaning oven, be aware of the fact that it’s the kitchen appliance known to produce the most emissions out of all.

Breathing in such gases and chemicals over a prolonged period of time can have negative effects, particularly on the respiratory system. That’s why you need high quality ventilation, preferably positioned directly above the food preparation appliances.

Best Ways to Improve Kitchen Air Quality

A couple of simple steps can enhance kitchen ventilation and get rid of most dangerous emissions mentioned above.

Before talking about ventilation per se, we do need to discuss appliances. If you’re using gas countertops or a stove, consider buying an alternative model. This is an especially good idea if the particular appliance is long overdue for change.

Induction stoves and countertops rely on electromagnetic energy, which is why they’re deemed safest. In addition, induction appliances work really effectively and contribute to quite fast food preparation. These ones tend to be quite expensive, however, which is something to keep in mind when doing the renovation budget.

Apart from paying attention to appliances, you can do a few more things to make sure kitchen ventilation is stellar.

Range hoods are of vital importance for the prevention of kitchen air quality deterioration. And it’s not just about choosing the right brand. You also need to employ proper exploitation and you need to do range hood maintenance.

It’s essential to turn the fan on before you start cooking, not in the middle of the process. That’s how you’re going to trap most of the fumes and grease particles.

Regular filter changes are also required to ensure maximum efficiency. The frequency of maintenance depends on manufacturer recommendations and how often you cook in the kitchen.

As far as grease is concerned, there is one more (fairly simple) thing you can do to get great results. A splatter screen is the perfect little addition to your kitchen, especially if you do lots of frying. Splatter screens are very inexpensive and some of them could come with extra functionalities like odour control. Most often, splatter screens can be cleaned in the dishwasher and their thin design makes them perfect for installation in small kitchens.

Finally, consider the placement of kitchen windows and make sure they’re open often enough to allow fresh air inside. That’s a simple, very inexpensive and highly effective solution to the air quality problem. If you’re planning a renovation in the near future, the strategic opening of new windows could contribute to even less of a problem when you cook.

To help you plan out the renovation of your your BTO or condo, we will employ our knowledge and experience. Combined with a tailored approach to every single project, that know-how will result in kitchen renovation choices that are perfectly in sync with your lifestyle. Contact Home Guide today for the perfect home renovation that positively impacts your mental and physical well-being.