Homes today are constructed with energy efficiency in mind. This includes added insulation and tightly sealed doors and windows to keep heating and cooling costs affordable. While this is great for your energy costs, it’s not so good for your indoor air quality.
Because air has reduced chances to escape, contaminants can increase and impact your house’s indoor air quality. In fact, your house’s air can actually be 2–5 times worse than the outdoors, according to the EPA. That’s not good for anyone, but it’s particularly detrimental for loved ones with allergies, asthma, other respiratory disorders or heart disease.
Let’s discuss some of these everyday contaminants and how you can improve your house’s indoor air quality.
When you envision pollutants, you may think about smog or tobacco smoke. But many substances that impact your air quality are common substances. These things contain chemicals called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
They involve:
Other everyday pollutants include:
Some people are more influenced by VOCs than others. The EPA says symptoms of VOC exposure entail:
In bad situations, the EPA says VOCs can cause respiratory and heart diseases.
It isn’t hard to boost your house’s air quality. Here are several ideas from Harvard Medical School:
Regularly cleaning and washing surfaces that attract allergens, like furniture, carpet and bedding, will help cut down on dust, dust mites and pet dander in your house.
This essential filter keeps your house comfy and air fresh. How often you should change your air filter depends on the kind of filter you install. Flat filters should be replaced monthly, while pleated filters should be replaced every three months. If you don’t know if your filter should be replaced, take it out and tilt it to the light. Get a new one if you can’t see light through it.
If someone in your household deals with allergies or asthma, we suggest having a filter with a better MERV rating. The bigger the number this is, the better your filter is at removing contaminants.
Keep fresh air moving by opening windows whenever the temperature allows. We also suggest running exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen frequently to get rid of pollutants and draw in more fresh air.
From whole-home air purifiers, Chief/Bauer Service Experts has a resolution to help your household breathe better. We’ll help you choose the best option during your free home comfort assessment. Reach us at 217-689-2469 to schedule yours now!
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