One of the most critical aspects of your home is generally invisible to the human eye — but what could it be? Ah, yes — your indoor air quality! While you may think it’s magnificent, it could actually be in dire need of improvement. From indoor allergies to abnormal formations of dust, these are a few of the many ways you can tell that you’ll need to work on your home’s “IAQ.”
Now, before you can improve your home’s indoor air quality, you must know what actions and items can bog it down in the first place.
Things That Can Hurt Indoor Air Quality
Lighting Scented Candles
While they may be a delight to have illuminated in your home, scented candles do more harm than good. As it turns out, many of these signature scents — such as warm apple pie and freshly cut roses — bear a series of chemicals to help create those iconic fragrances. And the minute you light your candle, those artificial ingredients can go airborne.
Something else to consider: When a candle burns, it produces soot — which is then inhaled by you and your family members. If you’d like to continue to light candles in your home, opt to light more natural alternatives, such as those crafted with soy or beeswax.
Spraying Air Fresheners
We’ve all used them at one point or another (and many of us still do). What could they be? Sprayable air fresheners! While they can liven up any room with a splash of fragrance, they fall under the same category as scented candles; they’re more of a nuisance than a help.
Many of these air fresheners are packed with VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds). These compounds are released the second an air freshener is sprayed and travel through the air, bringing potential side effects with them, such as:
Nausea
Indoor allergies
Itchy eyes, throat, and nose
If you’re looking to freshen up a room’s scent in your home, consider using essential oils. Not only do they come in a variety of fabulous fragrances, but you can feel much more at ease knowing that you’re not hindering your home’s indoor air quality, as well as your well-being.
Not Replacing Your Filter Often
On average, you should replace your HVAC system’s filter about every 90 days. While it might not seem like a big deal to keep the same filter in place, doing so can come with a series of consequences, such as hindering your home’s indoor air quality.
Another thing to keep top of mind is that failure to replace the filter can shorten your HVAC system's lifespan — which no homeowner wants to endure. So, if you feel as if your home’s filter has seen better days (or you cannot recall the last time you changed it), replace it after reading this blog!