There are few places we spend as much time as we do in our homes. Because of this fact, we need our homes to be comfortable and safe. One area of our home’s safety that can sometimes be overlooked is its indoor air quality.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside your home could be potentially more polluted than the air outside. Studies have shown that indoor air can be 10 times more toxic than outdoor air. If you’re spending even an average amount of time at home, for your safety, and that of anyone else you share your home with, you need to ensure the air in your home isn’t dangerous to breathe and remains as clean as possible moving forward.
What Causes Unhealthy Indoor Air Quality?
There are a wide variety of dangerous chemicals and contaminants that can lead to your home’s air quality becoming unsafe. The following are four of the most common causes of unhealthy indoor air quality:
- Organic compounds from household cleaners and fragrances
- Mites that live off dust and mold
- Formaldehyde from synthetic products in your home
- Pet dander and other allergens that cling to surfaces in the home
Tainted air in your home can cause a host of problems, contributing to cancer, asthma, and other breathing difficulties. Those who suffer from seasonal or year-round allergies will experience worse symptoms if the air inside the home isn’t clean.
5 Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Fortunately, there are things you can do as a homeowner to prevent your home’s air quality from becoming unsafe or make it safe again if it has become unhealthy. To prevent any health concerns or HVAC issues, here are the top five ways you can improve your home’s indoor air quality:
1. Keep Your Home Clean
As we enter and exit our houses, allergens can make their way inside our homes. In addition, as you sit on your furniture, dust, dust mites, and other allergens get stirred up and recirculate in the air. The more indoor air allergens there are in your home, the more debris clogging your HVAC unit.
To combat this, use a vacuum and air purifier with a HEPA filter to take those toxins out of circulation. A HEPA filter forces air through a fine mesh that traps harmful particles and is the most efficient way to make sure your home is truly clean.
2. Use Your AC and Dehumidifiers
Dust mites and mold most commonly breed in humid conditions. By keeping the humidity levels in your home low, you can discourage their reproduction. In addition to helping keep your home cool, your dehumidifier will also work to ensure that no harmful particles start to grow in your home.
3. Be Mindful of the Products You Use
Don't add to the toxins in your air by using chemical cleaners, or smoking cigarettes indoors. By limiting the number of pollutants you are purposefully bringing into your home, you can do your best to keep your indoor air as healthy as possible for your family.
4. Let in Some Fresh Air
Open your windows and doors from time to time to allow fresh air into your home. Not only will this save on your utility bill, but it will give your air conditioner a well-deserved break. If you keep your house shut up all the time, the air can become stale and toxic. An open window can freshen your home quickly. However, be sure your HVAC system isn’t running when your windows are open!
5. Maintain Your HVAC Unit
As we’ve mentioned, your heating and cooling unit circulates air throughout your home, which means any particles in the air can easily travel from room to room until they’ve made their way throughout your home. Ensuring that your system is working properly and has clean air filters will help protect your indoor air quality.
Let Our Experienced HVAC Specialists Help You Solve Your Indoor Air Quality Problems Today
Meyer’s has been helping homeowners and businesses in South Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana with their HVAC needs and indoor air quality problems since 1951. There are few HVAC and indoor air quality issues that our licensed and trained HVAC technicians haven’t come across before. We deal with these types of problems daily, and we can make sure the air in your home is safe and healthy to breathe before you know it.
In many cases, your home’s indoor air quality falls off because your HVAC system isn’t running properly. In some instances, all it can take to improve your home’s air quality is an HVAC inspection and tune-up.
To learn more about Meyer’s, and why we’re one of the premiere HVAC and indoor air quality specialists in the area, check out our customers’ reviews.
Call us at (219) 240-0610 or contact us online today to speak with our HVAC and indoor air quality experts about your situation. Ask about our financing options and specials!