The Best Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
The air quality in your home has a noticeable impact on how you feel. Long-term exposure to indoor air pollutants can lead to recurring allergic or asthmatic reactions. And if you have respiratory and cardiovascular issues, they can be made worse by low-quality air.
Luckily, there are simple steps you can take to improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home near Montgomery, AL. Use these tips to reduce the risk of adverse health outcomes and improve the comfort of your space.
Three Effective Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality on a Budget
Improving indoor air quality is relatively simple. By mitigating the causes of indoor air pollution, homeowners can breathe better!
Here’s how to improve indoor air quality:
1. Address the Root Causes
Regular dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning will keep indoor dust and allergens low. If you have allergies, you may need to clean at a higher frequency, especially during seasons when pollen or airborne dust are heaviest (summer and winter, respectively). If you’re allergic to pollen, consider keeping your windows shut during allergy season.
Lifestyle choices matter too. For example, purchase products with low VOCs. Don’t allow smoking in your home. When you use your kitchen and bathroom, turn on the exhaust fans to remove smoke and keep humidity levels in check.
2. Maintain Healthy Humidity Levels
The Environmental Protection Agency recommends maintaining indoor humidity levels between 30% and 50% year-round. Optimal humidity levels will slow down or prevent mold and mildew growth, keep dust in check, and keep you more comfortable indoors.
3. Use Your HVAC System
Nothing supports healthy indoor air quality as well as a well-maintained HVAC system. Using your HVAC circulates air and manages humidity. Ensure your HVAC system is up to the task by replacing your air filter every 1-3 months. Households with underlying health conditions, or those with pets, may benefit from filter replacement every month. Don’t forget to have your system inspected annually and get professional air duct cleaning.
What Are the Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor air pollution results from manufactured and naturally occurring compounds. The most common causes of indoor air pollution are:
- Natural air pollutants include pollen, pet dander, dust, mold, mildew, and radon. Radon is a natural gas emitted from the soil that sometimes seeps into homes through cracks. It is estimated to cause an estimated21,000 lung cancer deaths in the US annually.
- Airborne chemical pollutants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide. These are often emitted from furniture, paint, cleaning chemicals, or combustion from appliances like gas stoves or fireplaces.
These compounds are very common. When concentrations are low, they are less likely to impact your health negatively. When concentrations increase, they pose significant risks, so it’s important to monitor for potential symptoms.
Common Symptoms of Bad Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality causes both short- and long-term effects. The most common signs of poor IAQ that humans exhibit include:
- Respiratory issues like congestion, coughing and sneezing, and breathing difficulty
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation such as dryness and nosebleeds
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea
- Irritability
In most cases, these symptoms will come and go as people leave the house and come back. But daily, long-term exposure may exacerbate symptoms. Eventually, they will rarely dissipate.
Read more: How AC Repair Supports Indoor Air Quality
Can Indoor Plants Improve Air Quality?
Yes, a little bit, but it’s not exactly practical or effective. Several news articles previously claimed that certain types of houseplants can improve indoor air quality—to a point. More recent studies have found that, while plants can remove trace amounts of VOCs from the air, it would take roughly 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to clean indoor air effectively – that’s approximately 680 plants in a 1,500-square-foot home.
Contact Montgomery’s Indoor Air Quality Experts
When it comes to cost-effective indoor air quality upgrades, Montgomery families turn to the professionals at AirNow Home Services. Our trained, reliable technicians will ensure your HVAC system is doing its part in maintaining clean, healthy air for your family.
Call 334-384-6050 orcontact us online to schedule HVAC, electrical, or plumbing services in Montgomery, Millbrook, Prattville, and the surrounding areas of Alabama.