Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, with most of their working hours spent in an office. Meanwhile,  studies from the EPA show that indoor air quality can be even more polluted than outdoor air. One of the most important things you can do to avoid toxic chemicals is to clean up your indoor air quality. Luckily, the best ways to clean up your indoor air quality are easy and inexpensive. Try these top five tips to improve your indoor air quality at home, at work, and in your car:

Open a window: We spend most of our time indoors, which is why cleaning up your indoor air quality is one of the most important things you can do to avoid toxic chemicals. Luckily, the best way to clean up your indoor air is also easy and free: Open a window for five minutes every day. This simple action significantly lowers levels of indoor air pollutants. Try to do this daily at home and at work. The same goes for the car: When you’re in heavy traffic, Healthy Child Healthy World recommends cracking your window slightly to reduce carbon monoxide buildup inside your car.

Skip air fresheners: Air fresheners are not the way to go when it comes to keeping your indoor air smelling fresh. While improving the indoor air scent, air fresheners also contribute to indoor air pollution and often contain phthalates, galaxolide, and tonalide. Make an easy, DIY  air freshener by adding cinnamon, herbs, or citrus to a pot of boiling water. The same rule goes for the indoor air quality in your car: How It Works has this easy solution for a homemade car air freshener using your favorite essential oil. You can also try a simple sachet: Treehugger has a simple tutorial on creating a lavender sachet.

Makeover your dry-cleaning: Perchloroethylene, a chemical prominently used in dry cleaning, has been linked to cancer as well as nervous system, kidney, liver and reproductive disorders. This pesky chemical has been labeled as a hazardous air pollutant by the EPA, and a human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. What does all of this mean? You probably don’t want this chemical on something you wear every day.

If it’s not possible for you to give up dry cleaning, there are some easy solutions. Switch from traditional dry cleaning to wetcleaning, which replaces common toxic solvents with biodegradable soap. Debra Lynn Dadd (The Queen of Green) has an outline of which solvents to look out for, and which ones are safe to use. Healthy Child, Healthy World recommends using these two directories to find local, green dry-cleaners. If you want to stick with your dry cleaner, try to dry clean less items, less frequently. Go through your dry clean only clothing and determine if any of it could be washed by hand instead of sent to the cleaners. And when you bring dry cleaning home, take it out of the plastic and let it off gas outside or in a well ventilated area.

Buy a plant (or a few):  Plants are great, natural air filters that you can add to your home and office. The houseplants that filter out the most toxic chemicals are Boston Ferns and Areca Palms according to Planet Home. This list from Care2 features 10 other plants that work well too. And if you can fit more than one, go for it: A NASA study recommends 15 to 18 houseplants for a 1800 square foot house.

Join the conversation: Learn more about clean air issues, including recent threats against the landmark 1970 Clean Air Act! Next Monday, March 19th, with Mocha Moms and the Moms Clean Airforce, MomsRising is hosting an Internet radio discussion with Lisa P. Jackson, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We’re all going to talk about how families across this country can work together for clean air. Join us! Click here for more information, and to submit your  clean air questions for the chat.