The Importance of Healthy Indoor Air Quality in the Home

The average American spends about 90 percent of their time indoors. 

Generally, the level of pollutants indoors is typically multiple times higher than the usual outdoor concentrations. Taking appropriate measures to enhance indoor air quality should only come naturally.

But exactly what is indoor air quality? Why should you keep your home air quality high at all times? How can you do that?

This guide provides answers to these questions. Read on to learn more.

What Is Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality refers to the quality of air within and around a building or structure. It depicts the concentrations of contaminants and thermal conditions that may impact the comfort, health, and performance of occupants in a building.

Many things affect home air quality, including:

• Gases such as carbon monoxide and radon
• Particulates such as dust and pollen
• Microbial contaminants such as mold and bacteria

Poor indoor air quality has been associated with lung diseases such as asthma and lung cancer. It’s also linked to a heightened risk of stroke and heart disease.

Who Does Poor Indoor Air Quality Affect Most?

Poor air quality can affect anyone. However, people living with lung conditions are especially vulnerable since their lungs tend to be more sensitive to dirt, dust, gases, mold, smoke, and other contaminants.

Children are also quite vulnerable to polluted indoor air as their lungs are still in the developmental stages. Their airways are smaller and thus narrow a lot more easily when exposed to pollution. Parents with small children at home should put even more effort into improving air quality at home.

What Are the Benefits of Good Home Air Quality?

Investing in better air quality in your home can have many benefits for you and your loved ones. Let’s take a closer look at five of them.

You Get to Breathe Easier

Many people take breathing well for granted until something happens that interferes with their ability to do so. Contaminated air can lead to allergies and illnesses. Even a seemingly amount of pollutants in your indoor air can raise your stress levels.

That’s why you need to invest in an air quality monitor to find out when your indoor air quality is compromised. The moment you find that out, you can take prompt action to rectify things.

Good Air Quality Helps You Sleep Better

Experts recommend that you get ample sleep every day. That means sleeping anywhere between 7 and 9 hours per day. 

Contaminated air can make it difficult to sleep. The illnesses caused by indoor air contaminants mean that it’s significantly more difficult to sleep better. 

But with clean, cool air, your stress levels are low, and your body is completely relaxed. That helps you sleep much better.

You Don’t Need to Worry About Allergens

Few things are more irritating than allergies. Unfortunately, most people develop some type of inhalant allergy at some point.

Unhealthy indoor air is one of the top triggers of allergies. The best way to keep these allergies at bay is to ensure that there are no airborne allergens in your indoor air.

You Get to Eliminate Unpleasant Odors

Unpleasant odors in your home are a sure sign of bad indoor air quality, and you cannot afford to ignore them. These odors may be caused by anything from cigarette smoke to mold in your home. Regardless of the cause, bad odors can make it uncomfortable to stay indoors. 

By taking the right steps to improve your indoor air quality, you can rid your home of odors and breathe more comfortably. An air filtration system can help in this regard.

How Can You Enhance Indoor Air Quality?

Boosting your indoor air quality is thankfully easy. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Ensure Adequate Ventilation

One of the surest ways to keep indoor air quality high is to ensure that there’s ample air circulation in your home. Without this, pollutants accumulate inside your home, contaminating your air.

Generally, fresh outdoor air can enter your house through natural ventilation, infiltration, and mechanical ventilation. Natural ventilation is when you allow air into your home through open windows and doors. Infiltration entails air getting into your home through cracks, joints, and openings in and around your ceiling, walls, and floors.

You can also invest in mechanical ventilation, which involves using air handling systems, outdoor vented fans, and so on.

Keep Your Home Clean

Keeping your home clean is another practical way to maintain good indoor air quality. Cleaning your home removes dust, pet dander, and other contaminants from surfaces in your house. 

Regularly clean your bedding, drapes, and other items that tend to attract allergens. Vacuum the carpet and rugs at least once a week. Try to keep your home as clutter-free as possible to minimize areas where dust and other contaminants can get trapped.

Another excellent idea is to hire professional cleaning services from time to time to give your home a deep cleaning. 

Replace Your Air Filters

Your HVAC’s air filters are responsible for ensuring that airborne contaminants don’t get into the system and get redistributed into your house. But these filters can wear off with time. That’s why you need to replace them as necessary to help them keep performing at high levels and avoid indoor air pollution.

It also helps to clean the air ducts, so air pollutants don’t get circulated in your home.

Keep Your Home Air Quality Healthy at all Times

Your home air quality has a huge impact not just on your comfort but also on your health. It’s the reason you need to take the necessary steps to keep it healthy at any given time.

The good news is that it doesn’t take too much time or effort to enhance indoor air quality. The simple tips we’ve suggested here should help you and your loved ones breathe easier.

If you’ve noticed that your indoor air quality is deteriorating, it may be time to have your air ducts, AC, and dryer inspected and cleaned. Please, contact us today for professional help.