People with pets may have a whole new reason to maintain their indoor air quality, according to one recent newspaper report.

An article in the Washington Post says that fleas tend to thrive in warmer weather, bringing with them the potential to transmit diseases and to be an overall nuisance.

With that in mind, the Post offers some tips for avoiding fleas in the home, including frequently washing pet bedding, steam cleaning carpets, and regularly combing a dog or cat's fur with a metal comb. Keeping the pets indoors also tends to reduce their likelihood of getting fleas.

However, another suggestion offered by the newspaper is to use a dehumidifier to keep a home's humidity below 50 percent, making the indoor climate less hospitable to fleas. The products can also be used to make conditions less favorable to mold and mildew.

While this is one use for a dehumidifier, other types of air purifying products help maintain indoor air quality by removing pet dander and other potential allergens from the air.