When your home gets a little stuffy, the easy solution is to open the windows to let the breeze in. However, when your outdoor air quality leaves a lot to be desired, that only means you’ll be filling your home with pollution. For this reason, it’s crucial to prioritize your indoor air quality and ensure it’s clean enough. Otherwise, you’ll leave your household at risk of developing respiratory illnesses.
Not many people know that indoor air pollution can be much worse than what you can find outdoors, especially if you don’t clean your HVAC system regularly, which eventually accumulates lots of dust and debris. Here are four reasons to ensure you have good, clean indoor air:
Someone in Your Household Has Asthma
Asthma is a widespread condition with a wide variety of triggers, but when an attack occurs, and you can’t seem to pinpoint the issue, you’ll want to check your indoor air quality. Indoor air pollution is one of the significant triggers of an asthma attack, but this is something you wouldn’t notice unless you had asthma yourself.
If you noticed that your family member’s breathing has become unusually strained despite spending most of their time indoors, you’d want to have a technician check your air filters and vents. It will also help to have your air quality tested, so you’ll know what you need to do to improve it.
You Have Allergies
Like asthma, allergies can be triggered due to dust in the air. If you’ve begun to experience persistent nose and throat irritation without a clear cause, it may be due to the air you’re breathing in your house.
Stuffy, allergen-filled indoor air often results in sneezing, headaches, dizziness, congestion, and sniffling. It will also exacerbate or cause allergies. It’s important to note that pollutants like pet dander, hair, and pollen can get trapped in your ventilation systems, which get recirculated back to your home. However, with clean indoor air, this wouldn’t be a problem.
Your House May Contain Mold
Experts estimate that over half of the houses in North America contain mold, which means you may have some of the fungi lurking in vents or small, dark spaces with poor air circulation. Mold is hazardous since it can compromise your health as its toxins make their way through your body, causing symptoms like bad headaches, congestion, and skin irritation.
It’s impossible to avoid mold since it’s a natural substance that grows everywhere—the trees, the ground, and possibly your basement. They thrive in warm, dark, and wet conditions, so it will be worth it to have your home inspected for mold and remove it, thereby vastly improving your indoor air quality.
You May Be Breathing Volatile Organic Compounds
The household products you store and use release gases into the air that you can’t see, affecting your indoor air quality. These gases are called volatile organic compounds, chemicals that some organic substances like disinfectants and household cleaners emit. In contrast, “organic” sounds like a good thing, organic means derived from the earth. Organic solvents can release volatile organic compounds, which can wreak havoc on your system when you constantly breathe it.
It’s also important to note that the levels of volatile organic compounds, called VOCs, are up to five times higher indoors than outdoors. Getting an indoor air quality test will identify VOC levels and tell you what you need to do to lower them.
Conclusion
While gray, smoggy air settling over a city is much easier to identify than air pollution in your home, your indoor air quality can affect your health even without being visible. By paying attention to your indoor air quality and having it tested, you can take the necessary steps to clear it of pollutants and allergens and enjoy a healthier, safer home.
Air 1 LLC specializes in a wide variety of HVAC services in Morris County, NJ, and surrounding places. We offer in-duct UV air purifier systems that can vastly improve your indoor air quality while inspecting your air ducts and filters to enhance your comfort. Request a free estimate from us today!