Simply put, indoor air quality refers to the quality of the air inside your home. While it sounds like a simple concept, the process involved with measuring and caring for your air is quite complicated. We'll go into what acceptable indoor air quality is in a moment, but let's first look at some of the risks involved with poor indoor air quality.
In the Short Term
In the immediate short term, you're likely to experience physical issues if you have poor indoor air quality. These effects are because of pollen, dirt, debris, hair, bacteria, and other things that are constantly floating in your air. They can cause you to have trouble breathing, experience coughing fits, sneeze excessively, cause irritation to your eyes, and give you headaches.
Air pollution and poor indoor air quality can cause or exacerbate asthma, lung issues, and other problems with your respiratory system.
In the Long Term
While the short-term effects of poor indoor air quality are irritating and inconvenient, the long-term effects are potentially fatal. Breathing in impure air for long periods of time can lead to lung conditions, respiratory problems, and even death. For this reason, it's vital that you contact us to measure your indoor air quality and take corrective measures.
What is Acceptable Indoor Air Quality?
To achieve acceptable indoor air quality, it's necessary to exchange the indoor air .35 times per hour. This means that all the air inside a home or building has to be removed and exchanged with fresh air every two or three hours. There are lots of ways to go about doing this, and 1-800-Plumber +Air knows a few of the best ones.
What are the Five Main Factors That Affect Indoor Air Quality?
There are a number of things that can affect your indoor air quality and here are the five main ones.
Humidity
High humidity levels aren't just uncomfortable, they're also dangerous. High humidity inside your home can cause mold, mildew, and discomfort. High humidity can also cause the development of spores and bacteria that could potentially be harmful.
Dust
If you have asthma or any type of respiratory condition, there are few things that will irritate it more than dust and pollen. They also happen to be an ever-present threat no matter where you live in the world.
Ventilation
If your house or place of work has poor ventilation, the air won't exchange often enough to meet ASHRAE standards. As a result, the air you breathe in every day could be toxic and cause the development of respiratory and lung conditions.
Compounds
In addition to dirt and pollen, organic compounds are the next most dangerous thing when it comes to indoor air quality. These compounds include things like paint, stain, cleaning products, and many other things. Once again, you won't be able to see these things, but you'll certainly feel them in your lungs.
Pets
While you may love and adore your dog or cat, there's no doubt that they are potential oxygen hazards. This is especially true if you don't have a hypoallergenic pet and one that sheds frequently.
How Can I Improve My Indoor Air Quality?
Luckily, as we said at the beginning of this article, indoor air quality is within your ability to control. Let's take a look at a few of the things you can do to keep you and your family safe.
Change Your Air Filters
One of the best and easiest ways to boost your indoor air quality is by changing out your air filters. The main filter will be the one on your furnace or air conditioner, but take care of any other filters you have in your home.
Get Your Air Ducts Cleaned
If you have a traditional heating and cooling system with air ducts, it's important to keep them clean. The amount of dirt, debris, and pollen you have sitting in your ducts is mind-boggling, especially if you have an older home.
Have Ventilation While You're Cooking
If you do a lot of cooking, it's important that you have vents going and windows open in your kitchen. Cooking releases mist, steam, smoke, and food particles into the air and they'll remain there unless you send them outside your home.
Invest in a Dehumidifier or Humidifier
Your air conditioner will help reduce humidity, but it may be necessary to invest in a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers are the best way to remove humidity from your home and reduce the chance of mold and mildew growth. However, during the winter months, having a humidifier might be necessary to protect your air during the dry winter months.
Call the Pros for Help
While each of the things we just looked at is a good start, the best way to protect your indoor air quality is to contact us at 1-800-Plumber + Air. We can accurately measure the quality of your air and recommend things to do to make it better. Whether you need a new, better air filter installed on your HVAC system or a thorough duct cleaning, we're the team for the job.
Another thing we can do to improve your indoor air quality is installing a fresh air intake in your HVAC system. A fresh air intake is the best way to remove stagnant air from your home and bring fresh air in from the outside. No matter what's necessary, we can get it done and keep the air in your home clean and your family safe.
