Pet Hair
We all love our pets, but did you know that even short-haired dogs shed a few times per year? If your allergies seem to get worse in the winter and summer, it might be due to your pet.
When you talk to your HVAC technician, let them know that you would like to clear your air vents. They'll be able to do a thorough inspection and cleaning.
If you have more than two or three pets, you might also want to clean and re-paint your walls periodically. You should use zero-VOC paint, however.
That's paint that doesn't have volatile organic compounds, toxic chemicals that are slowly released into your home.
Mold
One of the most important steps in improving your indoor air quality standards is to constantly check for mold.
Mold can enter a home through the attic, basement, or walls. If you notice standing water in your home or a wall feels soft to the touch, you might have a problem with black mold.
Another symptom of a mold problem is water droplets on the ceiling. If you see that water is dripping down one of your interior walls, it's time to get an inspection.
If you're thinking of selling your home, start the mold remediation process at least six months before you list it. When your HVAC contractor does their assessment of your ducts, they'll be able to tell you if they spot any mold.
Mold allergies can make your eyes water and your chest hurt. Talk to your doctor if you suspect that you have an allergy or illness caused by mold.
Dust Mites
Another common indoor pollutant is dander from dust mites. Even if you dust regularly, you could have these intrusive little pests in your home.
Dust mites love to nest in bedding and fabric-covered furniture. They also feed on dead skin cells from humans and pets alike.
They can cause symptoms that look a lot like seasonal allergies or asthma: coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, and trouble breathing.
It's a good idea to wash your bedding in hot water and dry on high heat at least twice per month. This will cut down on the number of dust mites that nest in your pillow and blankets, robbing them of the chance to reproduce.
If you suspect that you have a dust mite problem, you should talk to your local HVAC company about getting high-power, anti-allergy air filters. You might also want to install an air filtration system that treats all of the air in your home.
Cleaning Products
No conversation about air quality would be complete without mentioning the most common indoor air pollutant: cleaning products.
You may not realize it, but many cleaning products include toxic chemicals. Using some air fresheners and furniture polishes may end up making your asthma worse.
The problem with harsh cleaning products is that their residue can get trapped in your HVAC system, impacting your breathing long after you're done using them.
Try to find "green" cleaning chemicals that get the job done without using chemicals. Surprisingly, baking soda and vinegar perform well on almost any cleaning task.
You can even wash mirrors and windows with vinegar! Check your local health food store for more eco-friendly cleaning products.
Indoor Air Quality and Your Health
While some people might be immediately bothered by air pollutants indoors, others might not have symptoms right away. While the short-term effects of poor indoor air quality might not cause long-lasting health issues, repeated exposure to concentrated pollution can potentially lead to more chronic and life-threatening diseases in the long run.
Immediate Effects
Some people might experience negative health effects right away after being exposed to a pollutant. This can include issues such as:
- Headaches
- Irritation of the nose, eyes, and throat
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
Effects that occur immediately after exposure are usually treatable and short-term. It might just mean eliminating an individual's exposure to the pollution source if you know what it is. Symptoms of conditions like asthma can be aggravated, worsen, or show up for the first time after exposure to certain indoor pollutants.
Some factors increase the likelihood of having an immediate reaction to indoor air pollutants. These include preexisting medical conditions as well as a person's age.
Some people might be more sensitive to others than pollutants. High level or repeated exposure can also make people more sensitized to chemical or biological pollutants.
Some of the effects experienced immediately after exposure are similar to those from viral diseases such as colds. For this reason, it can be hard to determine whether or not someone is experiencing symptoms from air pollution exposure. Therefore, it is important to stay conscious of both the place and time that an individual is experiencing symptoms.
For example, a person might have symptoms go away when they are no longer in a certain area. You can then try and determine pollutants in that area to figure out the cause. If there is not an adequate amount of outdoor air flowing indoors, symptoms can be made worse.
Long-Term Effects
A person might also experience long-term effects from exposure to indoor air pollutants. These can include heart disease and cancer, respiratory diseases, and other conditions. These can be both seriously debilitating and fatal.
This means that even if symptoms aren't noticeable now, it's still a good idea to stay on top of having healthy indoor air quality.
Researchers aren't certain about how long exposure has to happen or what concentration of pollutants is in order to produce these negative health outcomes. Everyone is different, and one person might have no issue with certain air quality while someone else might react very negatively to it.
At this point, there is a need for more research about the long-term effects of exposure to indoor air pollutants.
The Role of Outdoor and Indoor Pollutants
While wildfire smoke and outdoor air pollutants like fossil fuels or climate change-induced emissions contribute to poor air quality, many air quality issues start inside. Chemical pollutants, cigarette smoke, secondhand smoke, and even some building materials can worsen home’s air quality.
These substances often remain trapped due to inadequate ventilation systems, especially in homes lacking natural ventilation or an updated HVAC control system.
How You Can Improve Home Air Quality
With this in mind, you might look around your home for these new, hidden dangers. So, what can you do to reduce the risks and improve air quality indoors? It's your home and sanctuary, and you deserve to breathe clean air, so check out these tips.
Change Your HVAC Filter
Your heating and cooling system works to keep your home at the perfect temperature. Chances are, it's always running year-round.
But while they cycle through the air, their filters take out many common pollutants. If you don't change those filters, though, they won't be able to do their job right at some point. Not only does this bring the quality of your indoor air down, but it could cause wear and tear on your HVAC unit.
If that remains ignored, you're looking at costly repairs. Make sure you're changing your AC filters regularly as per the manual. It's also worth signing up for an HVAC service plan with a reputable HVAC technician who usually includes filter changes if you're uncertain how to do it.
Check & Clean Air Ducts
Air ducts take hot and cold air and distribute it through your home. It's what helps keep each room at a stable, comfortable temperature. But ducts you don't maintain well can distribute contaminants from room to room.
This issue is even worse when you pair it with dirty filters that aren't removing the pollutants. Over time, the dander, dust, and even mold can build up in the ducts.
As this mixes with circulating air, it will reduce your air quality. Cleaning out your ducts may not be included in the HVAC maintenance plan - but worth the investment.
Use a Cooking Vent
Many indoor pollutants come from the kitchen. Gas stoves are notorious for harmful pollutants like nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Even electric burners give off those pollutants, only in lower amounts. The particles both cookers give off are easy for your bloodstream to absorb.
But you can combat this by using your kitchen vent or opening the window if you don't have one. This will help cycle some of those pollutants out and make them less concentrated.
Keep Carpets & Rugs Clean
Carpets and rugs increase how comfortable your home looks and feels. But they also act as a filter as dust, and other particles get trapped in their fibers. Clean your rugs and carpets each week, and you can use this to your advantage.
They'll improve your indoor air quality by existing, but you have to take care of them.
Control Humidity
Humidity and moisture are the fuel for mildew and mold. It can trigger and irritate conditions like asthma and allergies if left unchecked.
You might experience extreme humidity in the summer, depending on where you live. Use a few dehumidifiers that will lower those moisture levels in the air.
Controlling your home's humidity will also help stop mold growth, making your home safer for you and your family.
Use Indoor Plants to Filter the Air
Plants are nature's air filters, and they're a solid strategy for getting clean air. Getting a few indoor plants will do wonders for boosting indoor air quality. They'll also boost your home's decor style. Choose small plants like lilies and ferns (which will bloom and thrive indoors).
Large palm trees are also a great option if you have the space for larger pots. But if you have pets, make sure you choose options that aren't toxic to your furry friends, as many plants can be.
Open Your Windows
Yes - even just opening windows regularly can help replace stale indoor air with outside air, which reduces chemical pollutants and supports a healthy environment.
This one might seem obvious, but it's easy too, open your windows to let fresh air circulate into your home. It might sound counter-productive to open them in winter, especially when you want to be warm and not spend too much on heating. But it's essential to let oxygen get into your home and let all those nasty pollutants out. It also helps to reduce humidity levels which pests like dust mites thrive on—when decorating or cleaning chemicals, keeping them open is even more critical.
Choose Second-Hand Furniture, Not New
That new sofa may look luxurious, but it could let chemicals into your indoor air. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases that come from many paints, glues, and fabrics. They have a reaction to sunlight and other chemicals in the atmosphere.
This reaction forms particles that get into the lungs, causing irritation and damage. But you can combat this by searching for second-hand furniture instead. After a few years, affected furniture will stop giving off VOCs.
The same applies to flooring too. It might be worth swapping the carpet out for a hardwood floor or concrete. Both are easy to clean and won't trap dander, dust, and dirt. If you've moved into a new build, there are things you can do to absorb some of those VOCs.
Ikea, for example, has air-purifying curtains. They have a mineral coating that reacts with sunlight which breaks down pollutants.
Dust, Dust, Dust!
A good quality vacuum may be costly, but they're worth the investment for indoor air quality and will help combat things like:
- Pet hair
- Dander
- Dust
- Pollen
These are all pollutants that can build up fast, soon irritating your lungs and nose. When you're vacuuming, don't only focus on carpets and rugs. Get your hardwood and tile flooring, and get under the sofa and bed too.
Take cushions, throws, and rugs outside and beat them to get even more dust out.
You should change your bedding each week and wash it at 60 degrees to kill off any germs they hold, dust mites, and eggs. If dust is a persistent problem, try to reduce the clutter on your surfaces.
And use a damp cloth, not a dry one, to trap the particles, making it easier to remove them.
Choose Non-Toxic Paints
If you're redecorating, look for paints with low VOC levels and don't have the new paint smell. Paint brands stating they're non-toxic should show the ingredient on the tin, or you can ask them. You want to avoid paints with plastic in them as it forms a barrier on the wall that will trap air and could cause mold to set in, growing beneath this layer, and you might not see it immediately.
Also, avoid petrochemicals that come from acrylics, ammonia, oil, and formaldehyde. You want to avoid synthetic dyes too.
Choose water-based paints instead of oil-based.
Stop Using Air Freshener
Air fresheners cover up bad smells, but they're still synthetic chemicals. Swap that fake vanilla smell for a natural product instead. If you do want to scent your home, an organic room diffuser is a good alternative. Or you could use an essential oil burner, but be careful with pets as this can cause harm to them.
For robust cooking smells, leave a bowl of white vinegar in your kitchen overnight. Or you can microwave lemon slices soaking in water.
You can make an air freshener with baking soda, hot water, and lemon juice.
Pour that mixture into a spray bottle, and you're good to go.
Consider an iWave Air Purifier
We are continuously surrounded and affected by pollen and mold, whether from trees, grasses, weeds, or damp basements, bathrooms, and window sills.
No matter how clean your home is, if you use a microscope, you may find those little nasty dust mites hiding in your carpet, bedding, and furniture.
Even though a finely tuned air conditioner will help, the most effective way to have the best indoor air quality is to install a whole-home air purifier.
With an iWave Air Purifier, a patented process called needle-pint bipolar ionization creates equal amounts of positive and negative ions.
As a result, these ions break down the pollutants in your home's airstream into harmless compounds such as oxygen, nitrogen, water, and carbon dioxide.
One of the primary differences between the iWave air purifier system and nature is that the iWave air purifier does it without creating harmful ozone!
That is excellent news if you live near St. Louis.
Lastly, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality
Staying on top of your indoor air quality starts with data. Use tools like an Indoor Air Quality Monitor or Air quality sensors to track air quality index, real-time measurements, and pollutant sources. Monitoring systems like these are critical for facility managers, public buildings, and anyone managing HVAC in international health or Health Security cont.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality Made Easy
So, there you have it! Now you know the best tips to improve indoor air quality in your home. You deserve to be safe and healthy in your own home, and the issue is the air isn't something you can see. But if you keep a clean house, keep up with maintenance, and use natural products and materials, you'll be able to improve the air quality. Additionally, scheduling regular duct cleaning in St. Louis ensures that dust, allergens, and pollutants don’t circulate through your HVAC system, helping you breathe easier.
An experienced HVAC contractor can also perform indoor air quality monitoring and assess ventilation systems for hidden pollutants. Whether you're dealing with heating systems, outdated control systems, or need to reduce energy use, for guaranteed better Environmental Health: call the pros.
An HVAC maintenance service is vital, and if you want to book one, schedule a service today.
At Crystal Heating and Cooling, we've got the experience to help with all your HVAC needs.
