Houses today are constructed with energy efficiency in mind. This entails extra insulation and tightly sealed doors and windows to keep energy bills reasonable. While this is good for your utility bill, it’s not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Because air has fewer chances to escape, pollutants can accumulate and affect your home’s indoor air quality. In reality, your residence’s air can actually be 2–5 times more unhealthy than the outdoors, according to the EPA. That’s not good for anyone, but it’s especially detrimental for loved ones with allergies, asthma, other respiratory conditions or heart disease.
Let’s discuss some of these everyday pollutants and how you can improve your residence’s indoor air quality.
6 Everyday Pollutants that Impact Indoor Air Quality
When you visualize pollutants, you could think about smog or tobacco smoke. But a lot of substances that decrease your air quality are common substances. These things have chemicals called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
They entail:
- Cleaning products, such as aerosol sprays, bleach and window cleaner.
- Personal care products, like hairspray, perfume and nail products.
- Candles and air fresheners.
- Formaldehyde, which is frequently used in plastic, foam and particleboard products.
- Furniture, window treatments and carpet, specifically when they’re brand new.
- Paints and stains.
Other everyday pollutants include:
- Dust
- Pet dander
- Pollen
- Mold
Symptoms of VOC Exposure
Some people are more influenced by VOCs than others. The EPA says symptoms of VOC exposure entail:
- Irritated eyes, nose or throat
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
In extreme cases, the EPA says VOCs are linked to respiratory and heart diseases.
4 Ways to Boost Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
It isn’t hard to boost your home’s air quality. Here are a few recommendations from Harvard Medical School:
1. Clean Your Residence Frequently
Frequently cleaning and washing surfaces that attract allergens, such as furniture, carpet and bedding, will help reduce on dust, dust mites and pet dander in your residence.
2. Frequently Change Your Air Filter
This critical filter keeps your residence comfy and air healthy. How often you should change your air filter depends on the type of filter you install. Flat filters should be swapped monthly, while pleated filters should be swapped every three months. If you’re unsure if your filter should be changed, pull it out and angle it to the light. Install a new one if you can’t see light through it.
If someone in your household deals with allergies or asthma, we advise choosing a filter with a higher MERV rating. The higher the number this is, the better your filter is at removing contaminants.
3. Improve Natural Ventilation
Keep fresh air circulating by opening windows whenever the temperature allows. We also advise running exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen regularly to eliminate pollutants and bring in more fresh air.
4. Call Our Indoor Air Quality Pros
From whole-home air purifiers, Air Engineers Service Experts has a fix to help your family breathe better. We’ll help you find the ideal option during your free home comfort assessment. Give us a call at 904-450-5672 to request yours now!