Bleach

Heavy-duty disinfectants like chlorine, bleach, and ammonia can irritate people who suffer from lung diseases like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. And they can also cause asthma in individuals who didn’t previously have it.

You can often substitute these household lung hazards with some simple soap and water. People usually assume germs around the house need to be disinfected. But the reality is that soap and water remove most bacteria and viruses.

If you’re trying to kill a specific type of infection, like if a family member has the flu, dilute your cleaning solution so that it’s somewhere between one part bleach and ten parts water. The bottom line is that most people unnecessarily use too strong of a solution.

Flour

People who work as bakers wheeze, cough, and struggle to breathe more than others. And it may very well be from breathing in all that flour. It’s so common that it has its name: baker’s asthma.

Over time, this household lung hazard can worsen any current lung conditions like asthma, and it can damage your lungs. In fact, it affects the baker AND their family. That’s probably because of the dust carried home on skin, clothes, and hair.