Love is in the air, but so are harmful indoor air pollutants. Make sure that the only sickness you feel this Valentine’s Day is lovesickness by learning how to improve you indoor air quality in your home. Larry & Sons is here to help you and yours breathe easy this Valentine’s Day and beyond, call us to have a licensed indoor air quality profession test your home’s air quality and provide the best solution for your home.
Indoor Air Quality Problems
As it can’t actually be seen by the human eye, we don’t often think about the quality of the air we breathe. But just because we can’t see the harmful contaminants in the air, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If you suffer from asthma, allergies, frequent headaches or nasal congestion, just to name a few consequences, odds are, you also have poor indoor air quality (IAQ).
The quality of the air we breathe is determined by our surroundings. First ask yourself, “Where am I spending most of my time?” With life being as fast paced and hectic as it is, you might be unsure of where you spend the majority of your time. The EPA reports that a person spends, on average, 90% of their time indoors, where the concentration of some pollutants are can be 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations (Wow!). It may be a more difficult task to improve, say, the indoor air quality of a corporate office building because you have little control over that; however, you CAN start by tackling your home.
Common Indoor Air Pollutants
While it may take an entire group or population to improve the quality of our outdoor air, it only takes determination, persistence and a licensed, trained IAQ expert to improve indoor air quality. Let’s start by identifying common indoor air pollutant, according to the Center for Disease Control:
- Molds
- Pollen
- Dander from pet fur
- Secondhand smoke
- Formaldehyde
- Fumes emitted by imported drywall
- Carbon monoxide that comes from burning propane, other gases and fuels, and charcoal
- Household products such as cleaners and pesticides
Pollutants vary, but this at least gives you a basic idea of what the perpetrators of poor indoor air quality are. If you have a pet, especially one that constantly sheds fur, make sure to check your air filter frequently and change the air filters every 30 days. Have plenty of backup air filters available and consider setting an alarm on your phone for the first of the month to help you remember.
What Can I Do to Improve Indoor Air Quality?
Excellent question! Breathing cleaner air takes work – hard work, but it isn’t impossible. The first step to breathing cleaner air is scheduling an appointment with a licensed and trained indoor air quality expert. By learning how to improve indoor air quality for you and your family, you’ll be able to minimize asthma attacks, headaches, and nausea while also lessening the chances of suffering from heart disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. In the meantime, here are some steps you can take before our team arrives to improve the air quality today:
- Clean your home often and with environmentally friendly products (pay special attention to dust and pet fur).
- Open windows or run air conditioning systems to let fresh air in.
- Keep mold away by repairing water leaks promptly (consider having a plumber do a thorough leak detection test).
- Minimize use of bug spray and only use outside.
- Never smoke indoors.
- When cleaning mold, use detergent and water or a mix of no more than 1 cup of bleach mixed with 1 gallon of water. Do not use mix bleach with ammonia.
- If you smell gas, leave the building immediately. Do not light any flames or sparks.
Love Your Air Quality
Larry & Sons is here to help you and yours breathe easy this Valentine’s Day and beyond. Call us to have a licensed, indoor air quality profession test your home’s air quality and provide the best solution for your home. With nearly 60 years of experience servicing customers in the tri-stat area, we are confident you will be in love with the improved air quality in your home when we’re done – give us a call today!
