Forget clean eating, the quest for clean breathing is paramount. Nowadays a face-mask is our most precious accessory, in addition to surgical gloves, yet many travellers have worn anti-pollution masks since the noughties. Don’t think just because you’re staying home and aren’t globe-trotting gives you immunity from the air quality conversation – stats from a World Health Organisation report (2018) reveal otherwise.

It estimates that around 90 per cent of people worldwide breathe polluted air, with indoor pollution causing 4.3 million deaths annually. Research reveals air quality in homes, offices or restaurants, can be five times worse than outside. As a result, sales of air purifiers have risen with the global market expected to be worth €7.48bn by 2024.

So, air quality is now a competitive benchmark. Pre-corona, Stella McCartney’s flagship store had the cleanest air in London apparently, obtained by installing an indoor rockery along with nano-carbon filter technology to remove 95 per cent of air pollutants. “We could have done anything, but for me to be able to have a garden inside a building in Bond Street just feels so luxurious,” declared McCartney, smugly. Hotel groups have also offered the extra perk of rooms and spas with air purification systems. For future reference, guests who check in to The Cordis Hotel in Shanghai, The Four Seasons Los Angeles, the InterContinental San Francisco and the Oberoi in Delhi have the assurance that the air they breathe is five star. At The K Club, Co Kildare, a Natura Bissé pure air bubble pop-up was in residence last summer. Luxe treatments were carried out in the inflatable dome where the air was 99.995 per cent pure. The benefit? This sort of environment rejuvenates skin, detoxifies the body and even lifts the mood.

Bang up to date is BetterAir’s Biotica 800, the first probiotic air purifier, using healthy bacteria known as bacillus subtilis to create a “protective shield of microflora”. Also popular is the Dyson Pure Cool filtration system providing two levels of protection. After filtering out pollutants, it projects clean air throughout a room. Simpler (and more economical) solutions include opening windows every day, using extractor fans when cooking, (check out

The Guardian’s editorial on how cooking the Sunday roast causes indoor pollution worse than Delhi) and buying houseplants. Aloe vera, which can improve sleep, and Ceylon creeper or Devil’s Ivy, which removes formaldehyde and benzene from the air, are some popular choices.

Or it could be as simple as changing the curtains. Ikea’s new “Gunrid” air-purifying curtains (in light grey or light pink, €25) aim to reduce indoor air pollution. The mineral-based surface treatment of the curtains is activated by outdoor and indoor light and breaks down indoor pollutants, odours and chemicals. Lena Pripp-Kovac, head of sustainability for Ikea Group, hopes these curtains will not only enable people to breathe better but “increase people’s awareness of indoor air pollution, inspiring behavioural changes that contribute to a world of clean air.” Mission accomplished.

Going home and “lighting up” is no longer a daily ritual to embrace without due consideration. (By lighting up I mean a scented candle, rather than the occasional Marlboro Light). Paraffin wax candles produce minuscule particulates that enter the bloodstream, potentially causing short and long-term conditions such as asthma and cardiovascular disease. To create healthier candle-burning conditions, choose natural wax soy candles, with a short wick to reduce soot and only burn in well-ventilated areas for two hours. The same consideration should apply to perfumes and household cleaning products that pollute the air in our homes: use sparingly and read the label.

NEW BROOMS

Cleaning with the wrong vacuum can actually contribute to allergic reactions and asthma. Most vacuum cleaners exhaust the very dust that was just collected back into the air, making the area more contaminated than before. HEPA is an acronym for High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance, a particular type of filter that removes fine dust. Cleaning regularly with a certified sealed HEPA vacuum dramatically improves air quality by reducing the amount of airborne allergens, dust, and harmful chemicals in your home. Check out the new Triflex, Miele’s first cordless vacuum which has the highest HEPA rating, just €499, at Harvey Norman.

CLEAN-BURN CANDLES

Candles should be free from parabens, petrochemicals and other synthetics that pollute the air. Some Irish non-toxic candles to try: Max Benjamin candles use 100 per cent natural wax (a blend of soy and other renewable plant-based waxes), are slow burning and burn cleanly with no soot. The Irish company has just launched a range of refills, available exclusively at Avoca. Co Galway-based artisan perfumer Cloon Keen Atelier candles are made the old-fashioned way. Chemical-free, unbleached Italian cotton wicks are placed into each piece of hand-silvered glass and filled with natural mineral wax. According to Rachel McCann, her Eau Lovely candles (see www.eaulovely.com for stockists) are made from natural waxes for “a nice clean burn” and her reed diffusers use coconut oil. Irish company The Handmade Soap Company use only 100 per cent natural GMO-free soy wax so their candles are clean, safe and long lasting. Dublin’s longest established candlemaker Rathbornes make their range of luxury candles from beeswax from their own hives, blending them with essential oils.

HOUSEPLANT HYPE

Houseplants have much to recommend them. They’re rewarding to look after, they look good on Instagram, and they express environmental awareness through interior design. But they are also brilliant at filtering the air: or are they? According to research by National Geographic, this is a myth and one you probably wish hadn’t been busted. Houseplants, say the scientists, though charming, do little to purify the air in a room. Opening the windows daily as our grandparents used do to probably has more effect. From a quick internet search, you wouldn’t guess this is the case. Popular home décor websites have lists of plants that promise to remove toxins and pollutants from the air. But we should continue to bring the garden indoors: studies have conclusively shown that indoor plants provide a number of health benefits including reducing stress by calming the sympathetic nervous system, and making people feel happier.