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What Should I Know About Indoor Air Quality?
One of the most essential features of a home is invisible; meet your indoor air quality! While the air may seem perfectly fine, there’s a chance it could require some improvement.
If you’re looking to help level up your home’s indoor air quality, here are a few important topics of discussion to keep top of mind.
What are the Signs of Poor Indoor Air Quality?
Indoor Allergies
Believe it or not, one of the most common signs that your home’s indoor air quality has seen better days is if you notice that you have indoor allergies. Now, if you’re not sure whether or not you are suffering from non-seasonal allergens, some common signs and symptoms include:
Frequent sneezing
Stuffy nose
Coughing
Bloodshot eyes
Dry throat, and more
Replacing Your HVAC Filter More Often than Usual
Another common sign of poor indoor air quality is replacing your central HVAC system’s filter more often than usual. On average, depending on how often you rely on your unit, filters should be replaced every 90 days. This will help keep your system in tip-top shape and improve your unit's efficiency.
However, if there’s an uptick in indoor allergens, you may find that you’ll be swapping out your filters even sooner than 90 days.
Unpleasant Odors
If you feel as if there’s an unpleasant smell lingering around your home but unsure where it could be stemming from, that could indicate that less-than-stellar indoor air quality is present. As a result, that unpleasant smell could be coming from:
Mold growth
Lingering dust or dirt
The presence of pests, and more.
Now that you understand what some of the signs are, it’s time to dive into some of the most common ways you can hurt your indoor air quality.
What Can Hurt Indoor Air Quality?
Lighting Scented Candles + Using Room Sprays
Two of the most popular home essentials can be hurting your indoor air quality (rather than helping it). Whether it’s a candle that smells like a cupcake or a room spray that bears the fragrance of fresh coconut, they provided long-term effects in exchange for their short-term benefits.
For instance, scented candles are crafted with a series of chemicals to mimic popular scents. The minute you light it, not only are those ingredients going airborne, but the candle will also produce soot — which isn’t something to look forward to.
In terms of a room air freshener, those, too, are manufactured with an array of harmful ingredients to replicate specific fragrances. And since most are manufactured to be held within an aerosol can, the second you spray, you’ll be releasing VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) into the air.
Neglecting to Replace your Filter
Remember how we spoke about replacing your filter too often as a result of poor indoor air quality? Well, if you’ve been putting off the task and not replacing it at all, that can also spell trouble. Your HVAC unit’s filter acts as a defender to ward off any airborne contaminants from making their way into the ducts and being spread throughout your home.
When a filter is packed with dirt and debris, not only can some of those contaminants make it past the “blocker,” but a bogged down filter can make your system work twice as hard to produce the level of comfort you’re looking for (hello, higher energy bills).
How Do I Improve Indoor Air Quality?
Go the Natural Route
If you’re looking to freshen up your home’s fragrance, consider going the natural route with essential oils or beeswax candles. Not only are there a variety of scents to choose from, but they’re a much cleaner, safer approach to sprucing up your living space’s smell!
Additionally, consider taking things a step further and ditch the cleaning agents you’re using to scrub down your home! Instead, look for green-friendly cleaners or go the DIY route and make your own using natural ingredients found around your home!
Seek Professional Assistance to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality
Have you tried to improve your home’s indoor air quality, but it still appears to remain the same? If so, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional. Plus, with an expert’s opinion, they’ll be able to pinpoint the exact problem with your IAQ and can point you in the right direction for a solution — such as:
Have a whole-home humidifier installed
Schedule a duct cleaning service
Consider a whole-home air purification system
Air balancing, air filtration, and much more