How to Improve Air Quality in Your Home
Indoor Air Quality & Home Comfort Seasonal HVAC Tips
Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality In Every Room of Your Home
Many homeowners today have made the choice to go green by lowering their energy usage. As a result, homes are more airtight than ever before. While this is an effective way to conserve energy, it also means more pollutants are locked inside the home since the natural drafts created by air leaks no longer exist. To avoid creating an unhealthy living space, you should work toward improving indoor quality by following some relatively simple and inexpensive steps. Here, we’ll take a look at exactly why poor indoor air quality is something you should be addressing, and exactly how you can do that with help from Airtron.
Why Indoor Air Pollution is Harmful
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the average American spends around 90% of his/her time inside. That’s pretty shocking on its own, but what’s even more disturbing is that the EPA also reports that indoor air pollutants can be anywhere from two to five times higher than what’s found in the outdoor air.
Why does this matter? It matters because indoor air pollution can have detrimental effects on your home and on the people who reside in it. These can include:
- Allergy-like symptoms of sneezing, itchy eyes, throat, and lung irritation
- Unexplained headaches
- Fatigue, dizziness, and weakness
- Long-term exposure to carcinogens that can cause cancer and other health issues
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Asthma attacks
Indoor air quality is critical to your health and the health of your family. If you want fresh air, you’re first going to have to understand what’s contaminating your environment.
Common Types of Indoor Air Pollutants
There are many sources of pollution in your indoor environment — in fact, there are literally hundreds of different types of pollutants in any given home. Check out the lists below to see what may be lurking inside your four walls.
Chemical Pollutants
There are many types of chemical pollutants that are typically released as gases inside your home. These can include:
- Volatile organic compounds or VOCs: Gases emitted by chemical substances like house paint, cleaning products, or adhesives
- Asbestos: A natural mineral once widely used as a building material that releases fibers into the air that can cause lung cancer
- Formaldehyde: A carcinogen often found in disinfectants, fabric, flooring, and plywood
- Radon: A naturally occurring gas that rises from the ground and can cause cancer or death
Allergens and Biological Pollutants
Biological pollutants occur naturally, but certain conditions in your indoor environment can promote their growth. These types of indoor air pollutants include:
- Pet dander: Collects on surfaces in any home with furry friends
- Pollen: Outdoor air pollutant that can infiltrate the home through open windows or leaky areas
- Mold and mildew: Substances that grow in places with excess moisture leading to bad odors, damage to the home, and possible sickness for residents
- Dust mites: Tiny, invisible arachnids that like to live in fabrics and other textiles like bedding or carpeting
- Germs: Both viruses and bacteria can live on surfaces and in the air, where they can spread to people living inside the home
Combustion Byproducts
These pollutants infiltrate the home specifically through your HVAC system, and are generated by the combustion of gases that occur when your HVAC is running. They include:
- Particulate matter: Small particles of liquid or solids that may be visible in large quantities, like smoke or soot
- Carbon monoxide: A potentially deadly gas emitted while burning fuel
- Nitrogen dioxide: Another gas released when burning fuel that can cause respiratory irritation and illness
Steps to Creating a Cleaner Living Space
It can be discouraging to realize there may be so much indoor air pollution inside your home. Fortunately, there are many actions you can take to make a positive change and clear the air, both on your own and with the help of a qualified HVAC technician.
Install an Air Purifier
An air purifier will remove a number of biological pollutants from your indoor environment, including dust and pet dander. They can also help clean the air of viruses and bacteria, which could help prevent their spread.
Use Cleaning Products Responsibly
Be sure to always read the labels on your cleaning products to better understand what types of VOCs they may contain. When cleaning with harsh chemicals, opening the windows can release some harmful airborne irritants. You should also safely store paints, solvents, and pesticides in your garage or in an outdoor storage unit or shed.
Test the Air for Harmful Pollutants
When it comes to chemical pollutants and combustion byproducts, it’s critical to know if you have a dangerous level of buildup inside your home.
You should plan on testing for radon every two years, while carbon monoxide levels should be monitored on an ongoing basis with a carbon monoxide detector. Be sure to test your detector once a month to make sure it’s working properly to protect your indoor spaces.
Use a Dehumidifier
A dehumidifier can keep the humidity levels in your home under control, which is especially important to those living in hot, damp climates where mildew and mold are likely to grow.
Mildew can cause some respiratory issues that can be easily mitigated with a dehumidifier. It can also prevent mold from growing and releasing mold spores into the air, which can cause serious illnesses and infections.
Install an Energy-Efficient HVAC System
A more efficient heating and cooling system will reduce your overall carbon dioxide emissions and can keep your air cleaner. As a bonus, it will also help keep your energy costs low while providing tremendous positive health effects.
Be sure that you’re changing your air filter regularly to keep your HVAC system efficient. Use a HEPA filter designed to keep particles and pollutants from entering your home.
Gather a Collection of Air-Cleaning Houseplants
Here’s an easy and fun DIY: buy indoor plants! There are several houseplants that are known for their air-cleansing properties, like spider plants, pothos, Boston fern, and snake plants.
While you would need a significant amount of plants to truly purify your indoor air, they still offer many benefits in smaller quantities. They can also help improve the humidity levels in your home, which will keep the air cleaner.
Install a Whole-House Ventilation System
Work with an HVAC professional to install a whole-house ventilation system. This will improve air flow and ensure as many pollutants are cleared out of your air as possible.
While you’re at it, evaluate your home’s existing ventilation around hearths, wood stoves, and fireplaces to ensure everything is properly ventilated. You can also make it a practice to use mechanical ventilation when needed, like turning on exhaust fans while you cook, shower, or wash the laundry.
Trust Airtron to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality so You Can Breathe Easier
Clean air is just a breath away. Follow the DIY tips listed here, and for the rest, trust Airtron to install high-quality products that keep your home comfortable and your family safe. For more tips on improving indoor air quality, contact us at Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning.
