Is Your Indoor Air Quality Good?
If you’ve noticed that you or your family members are experiencing symptoms such as itchy eyes, a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, dizziness or fatigue, it’s possible that you may have an issue with your indoor air quality. Some of the main factors that affect indoor air quality are the humidity level where you live, the quality of your home’s ventilation, dust, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and pets.
To better understand the air quality inside your home, you can use an at-home mold-and-allergen indoor-air-quality testing kit. However, it may not register things like pet hair or dander. Consider reaching out to local services that do indoor-air-quality testing in your area if you’re concerned. You can also purchase an air-quality monitor for use in your home. These typically monitor mold-growth risk, VOCs, temperature and humidity. Some may measure when there’s excessive particulate in the air, but they won’t necessarily be able to distinguish what the particulate is.
4 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Even if you’re not yet experiencing any adverse symptoms as a result of your indoor air quality, constantly breathing in irritants may compromise your respiratory system and lead to a decrease in the function of your lungs. It’s especially important to consider your air quality if there are young children or individuals with preexisting respiratory conditions living in your home. Hair and dander from pets can also impact your indoor air quality, even if you aren’t allergic to them. The benefits of improving air quality include an easier, cleaner breathing experience for everyone and a decreased likelihood of future complications. We’ve listed some easy ways to improve your air quality at home.
Change Your HVAC Filters
Your HVAC system has filters made of fine mesh that allow air to pass through while catching particulates in the air, such as dust, mold and fungal spores, pet dander, and fabric fibers. The more particles the filter catches, the denser the mesh becomes, making it harder for air to pass through. There are a number of problems that can arise as a result of a dirty air filter. You could pay higher energy bills because your HVAC’s blower will have to work harder. The strain this can put on the blower may also cause it to wear out faster. When your HVAC has difficulty moving air, your living spaces might not get all of the air you need, and when air can’t move as easily, the system runs the risk of either overheating or freezing up. Also, the dirty filter can act as a place for mold and bacteria to thrive.
Ultimately, if your filters are dirty, they’re no longer able to do their job optimally, and dust and particles will begin to settle more in your home because air won’t be circulated as quickly as it should be. Changing your air filters is a quick and easy way to keep things running efficiently.
Vacuum Regularly
Take some of the pressure off your home’s air filters by vacuuming regularly, especially if your home has a lot of carpeting, which is much more prone to trapping particles. This is especially important if you have pets that shed hair. By vacuuming up dust and debris, you keep more particles out of the air, your HVAC system and your lungs. Be sure to clean or replace the filter on your vacuum cleaner regularly and empty the container that collects debris so that your vacuum is always running optimally and picking up the most debris.
Control the Humidity in Your Home
Having too much or too little humidity in your home can be a problem — and not just in terms of general comfort. If your home is too humid, it can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria, both of which negatively impact your indoor air quality. It’s also more difficult to breathe in humid air, especially for sensitive individuals. If there’s not enough humidity, your skin can become dry, and you may experience a sore throat and breathing issues.
Control the humidity in your home by using dehumidifiers or humidifiers, depending on the humidity level inside and the climate you live in. The recommended humidity level for the home is between 30% and 50%, which is something you can check for if you have a smart thermostat.
Some humidifiers include an essential-oil diffuser to add fragrance to your home.
Air Purifiers
If the main issue you’re facing when it comes to improving your indoor air quality is the amount of mold spores or particles in the air itself, you may want to look into an air purifier. To ensure your purifier is removing the greatest amount of all particulates from the air in your home, consider those with a True HEPA filter. HEPA stands for high-efficiency particulate arresting, or high-efficiency particulate air, and is the highest standard for physical air filtration used by air purifiers. To be considered a True HEPA filter, the filter must be certified to remove 99.97% of all microscopic particles as small as 0.3 microns.