Why Should I Care About Indoor Air Quality?

Today, outdoor air pollution is a primary environmental concern, but you should be more concerned about the air you breathe indoors. Allergens like dust, pet dander, and mold can be found in indoor air. Dust mite populations may rise as a result of humidity. Furnaces, wood-burning flames, and candles all emit airborne particles. Oil and fat particles are released into the air during cooking. Chemicals can be released from newly installed furniture and floors. 

To consider that indoor air might be substantially more contaminated than outdoor air. The best part is that you can improve your air quality by taking practical action. A home inspection of air quality can help you decide how safe and healthy your indoor air quality is, and it can also guide your efforts to make it safer. But let’s find more ways to enhance your indoor air quality.

Reasons You Should Care About Indoor Air Quality

The term “indoor air quality” describes how clean and healthy the air is inside any structure, including your house. You and your family may experience some genuine and obvious issues when the indoor air quality in your house is low. Here are just a few reasonings why you should make bettering your air quality a top priority.

• Even from your lungs, certain minute particles may enter your circulation, which can travel to almost every organ in your body. Tiny particles could quickly enter your bloodstream and your lungs. Once you know how easily microscopic airborne particles can settle in your lungs after just a few breaths, it becomes clear just how dangerous they may be to your health.
• Pollutants in indoor air might produce painful symptoms after just one encounter. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that even exposure to extremely poor indoor air quality can result in some unpleasant symptoms, including headaches, nausea, and dizziness. Leaving this setting should rapidly relieve these symptoms.
• Numerous fatalities are caused by indoor air pollution each year. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to indoor air pollution in people’s homes directly causes 4.3 million deaths worldwide each year. Most of these folks pass away from heart disease, lung disease, and stroke. If they are not adequately treated and actions are not taken to reduce indoor air quality, these chronic diseases can result in death.
• Chronic illness can result from prolonged exposure. The EPA also lists many serious illnesses that may develop with repeated exposure to specific indoor air contaminants. You may get heart disease and even cancer if you do nothing to enhance your home’s air quality over time.
• Pollutants can accelerate attacks of allergies and asthma. While the long-term effects of lung disease are undeniably significant, you might be more worried about the well-being of relatives who suffer from allergies or asthma. Many people who have asthma are more likely to experience an attack.
• Your HVAC system can readily circulate allergens and pollutants throughout your home. The HVAC system in your home can transport indoor air pollutants from one area to another, exacerbating symptoms from various sources.
• You can feel better right away by eliminating the source of pollution. The advantages of purifying your interior air may be equally significant, even while the adverse effects of inadequate ventilation can sometimes be felt right away in some people.

How to Improve Air Quality 

• Use plywood during construction rather than OSB when building or remodeling a home; the modest extra expense is worthwhile. Check the attic’s ventilation and the integrity of the walls, floors, and seals. By opening the windows and doors, adding exhaust fans, and using them, you may improve the ventilation in your home. You may improve ventilation in your home (s) by opening windows and doors and adding exhaust fans. OSB will release less formaldehyde as it becomes older.
• Before purchasing floor coverings, furniture, or cabinetry, inquire about the formaldehyde concentration. Several pressed-wood product varieties generate less formaldehyde, like those made with phenol resin. Additionally, laminates and goods coated in polyurethane may lessen formaldehyde emissions. Open the windows after installation. Keep the humidity and temperature in check.
• Purchase carpets and pads made of natural fibers; they are more expensive but healthier. You shall have your old carpets steam cleaned by professionals who will remove as much moisture as possible with the help of powerful vacuums installed on their trucks. A water-damaged rug should be cleaned and dried very away or removed. If you require adhesives, request low-emitting ones. Use window fans or room air conditioners when installing, and open doors and windows. Regularly vacuum. Instead of using wall-to-wall carpet, think about area rugs. The floor beneath rugs can also be cleaned, and rugs are also simpler to remove and clean.
• Periodically check for deterioration or damage with the Best Home Inspection Company in Orlando. Avoid removing, sanding, cutting, or ripping any asbestos-containing materials. Contact a professional for repair or removal if you intend to make alterations that could disturb the asbestos or if the materials are more than mildly damaged. 
• Unvented gas fireplaces and wall heaters should not be utilized as the primary heat source but as a backup. When buying gas appliances, choose vented models because they are safer, and yes, they do cost more. Never use a generator inside a house, garage, basement, porch, or any other structure attached to the house. Never use gas or kerosene space heaters without a vent. Open the door to the rest of the house, turn on an exhaust fan, and slightly open a window to let fresh air get in the room where the heater is.

Pollutant levels can rise in a home with insufficient outdoor airflow, negatively affecting comfort and health. Pollutants can accumulate even in homes that are typically considered “leaky” since certain weather conditions can significantly restrict the amount of outdoor air entering a residence. Homes built to limit the quantity of external air that can “leak” into and out of place may have greater pollution levels than other homes unless they have unique mechanical ventilation systems. Your health will benefit for years to come if you choose to enhance the air quality in your house, whether you choose a few do-it-yourself fixes or seek professional assistance.