Three important strategies for improving indoor air quality are use of air cleaners, ventilation improvements, and source control.

You can lower the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home by increasing the amount of outdoor air coming indoors. Most home heating and cooling systems, including forced air heating systems, do not mechanically bring fresh air into the house.

You can increase the outdoor ventilation rate by opening windows and doors, operating window or attic fans, when the weather permits, or running a window air conditioner with the vent control open.

Local bathroom or kitchen fans that exhaust outdoors can remove contaminants directly from the room where the fan is located and also increase the outdoor air ventilation rate.

It is particularly important to take as many of these steps as possible while you are involved in short-term activities that can generate high levels of pollutants -- for example, painting, paint stripping, heating with kerosene heaters, cooking, or engaging in maintenance and hobby activities such as welding, soldering, or sanding.

You might also choose to do some of these activities outdoors, if you can and if weather permits.

In many cases, source control is a more cost-efficient approach to protecting indoor air quality than increasing ventilation.

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