Breathe Better
Is your indoor air quality worse than outdoors? Your home may seem like a haven from frustrating outdoor allergens, but indoor challenges can be just as taxing. Quality air control will help you combat these allergens and reduce the number of health related side-effects.
Today, we’re going to talk about the importance of having clean air inside your home, then explain some steps you can take to refresh your air supply. By the end, you should have a clear game plan for your home and family. You’ll be breathing easily again in no time! Let’s get started.
Indoor Air Quality Control
Many homeowners make the mistake of thinking inside breathing problems are simply the result of outside allergens infiltrating the house. While mountain cedar, pollen, and other irritants certainly cause part of the problem, these pollutants only represent a fraction of the real problem.
Your family members, pets, furniture, and even the house itself produce many of the pollutants that you experience every day. These air pollutants can affect your health in a variety of ways depending on your personal immune system.
Your Health
How Important is Indoor Air Quality?
Air quality has serious ramifications for both your health and your budget.
How does indoor air quality affect your health? For one, poor indoor air quality and asthma flair ups often go hand in hand. Even people who don’t have asthma can be sensitive to pollutants. Homes with poor air quality often experience elevated levels of lung irritation, coughing, morning grogginess, and headaches.
What about your budget? Dust, dirt, and other particles like to clog up your air filters. This restricts the flow of conditioned air throughout the house, forcing the HVAC system to work overtime to power air throughout the house. Longer run times, in turn, lead to shorter lifetimes for your hardware. Nobody wants to replace their AC unit years ahead of schedule.
Common Pollutants
What are the Most Common Indoor Air Pollutants?
Be on the lookout for signs of declining air quality: coatings of dust, visible particles in the air, increasingly dirty carpet, and grime accumulating around the vents. These are warnings that your air quality needs some work. What other allergens should we look for?
- Dust mites (and feces)
- Pet dander
- Mold
- Mildew
- Pathogens
There are also some man-made pollutants to look out for, such as asbestos, cigarette smoke, lead, and radon. One of the most dangerous air hazards is carbon monoxide, which can cause people to lose consciousness and suffocate. If you experience any sudden difficulty with breathing and lightheartedness, your HVAC system may have a carbon monoxide leak. Talk with an HVAC professional immediately.
Indoor Air Quality Checklist
First, we have to ask “What causes poor indoor air quality?” If we can answer this question, we’re well on our way to developing a solution. The man-made pollutants can be confirmed or ruled out very quickly. If you still have any asbestos or lead materials in the house, or if you have a leaking furnace, you can deal with that problem very quickly.
However, if you want to deal eliminate any allergens that are taxing your health, you’re going to have to examine several parts of your home. Fixing your air quality typically starts with replacing your air filter and cleaning our the ducts. If you find yourself having to dust the house multiple times a week, a dirty filter is likely to blame. You’d be amazed how quickly the environment will change once the air circulating throughout your house is cleaned. You’ll also need to target the particles that have settled on the ground and furniture.
How Can We Reduce Indoor Air Pollutants?
If you’re the go-getting type that enjoys quick to-do lists, the following should speed you on your way.
Steps for Improving Air Quality
- Check the air filter. Replace if needed.
- Clean your air ducts.
- Clean the vents.
- Make sure the windows are properly sealed.
- Dust around the house.
- Vacuum, especially the carpet.
- Brush your pets (outside).
As we mentioned above starting with the HVAC system should have an immediate effect on your air quality. Once the circulating air has been purified, you can continue by cleaning out the allergens that sit inside the carpet and on the hard floor surfaces. You’d be amazed how fresh the air can feel after a weekly vacuuming! Properly sealed windows conserve energy and prevent outside contaminants from sneaking into your home.
Looking for HVAC System Repair?
Our team at Rocky HVAC would love to do whatever we can to improve your indoor air quality in Severn and Baltimore, MD. Whether that’s through air duct repair or whole home humidifier installation, you can count on our knowledgeable professionals to help! For more information, call us at (410) 921-1277.
