In recent years it’s been proven that, despite smog and a host of outdoor pollutants, indoor air quality in homes is actually often much worse than outdoor air quality. This isn’t good news if you suffer from allergies or hay fever, since indoor air is recirculated and any indoor contaminants will tend to simply be wafted through your home again and again.
Improving indoor air quality is a challenge that involves several steps to insure improvement in allergy symptoms, overall breathing quality and reduction of symptoms like red, watery eyes and itchy skin. The American Lung Association has confirmed that indoor air pollution, especially during summer months, can increase the odds of asthma attacks, upper respiratory infections and colds.
Indoor pollutants include molds, dust mites, tobacco, smoke (from cooking), pollen, and pet dander and pet hair. How do you get rid of or reduce these in your home? There are basically three recognized ways to improve air quality in the home.
Any time you increase the amount of outdoor air that flows into your home, you’ll improve the air quality (there was a reason our grandmothers loved to throw open the windows and air out the house in the spring, they just didn’t know it). If you have an air conditioning unit that has vent controls, open these to allow air exchange when possible as well.
It’s especially important to properly ventilate the house when you are painting or cooking. It’s not just that the fumes smell bad – these are air contaminants and need to be vented outside and replaced with fresh, clean air.
In some newer homes you may be able to get air-to-air heat exchangers installed on your furnace. These actively bring air from the outdoors into the house when the furnace runs. Check into this type of mechanical system if you are building a new home, especially if someone in your home suffers from asthma or severe allergies.
Source control is just as simple as it sounds. If you want improved air quality, take better care of the air! Have your house inspected for any potential sources of contaminants or pollution, and then correct these problems. Does your chimney have creosote build-up? A chimney sweep can quickly get rid of this and dramatically improve air quality.
Check all major appliances for gas bleed-off and check for asbestos in the home. A simple adjustment usually takes care of bleed-off or emissions problems, and asbestos areas can often be sealed. (Asbestos removal should be a last resort, since it will temporarily kick up an enormous amount of asbestos dust).
There are a few obvious source controls as well – don’t smoke in your house. Tobacco smoke is a highly toxic contaminant that builds up quickly in your home and drastically reduces air quality. A few nights of shivering on your front porch in sub-zero temperatures to have that cigarette may induce you to improve your lung quality as well by quitting!
Pets are precious and most people wouldn’t dream of getting rid of them, but you should have them groomed regularly and brush them often – outside. This will get loose hair and dander off of them so that less of it is shed in the house. You’ll be surprised by how much your pets actually shed once you start brushing them on a regular basis.
There are hundreds of air purifiers and air cleaners available in all sizes and price ranges to fit a variety of needs. You can get small units that will fit easily on your desk or whole-house units that are expensive and quite sophisticated. The one thing they have in common is that their function is generally limited to removing particle pollutants such as pet dander, smoke, and pollen. In most cases they won’t remove gases from the air.
To determine how efficient an air purifier is, check two things:
The percentage efficiency rate, which indicates how well it removes pollutants
The rate at which air is drawn through or over the filter, determined in cubic feet per minute.
The best combination is one which will be relatively high in both. Mid-range on both is better than low in one and high in another.
Vacuuming your home regularly can also reduce contamination of the air from dust mites, pollen and pet dander that become imbedded in carpets and upholstery. For the best results, purchase a vacuum with a HEPA filter and completely empty the filter cup or replace the vacuum bags regularly. A HEPA filter will trap a number of pollutants and should also be replaced regularly.
Damp basements and other areas that retain and hold moisture also contribute to indoor air pollution because they encourage the growth of a variety of molds and mildews. Any time there is excessive humidity in an area, mold and mildew will tend to proliferate.
Controlling this is key to good air quality in the home, and is essentially more of a preventative problem than anything. You should always make sure you have adequate ventilation in areas like bathrooms and basement rec rooms where moisture tends to accumulate. Also clean regularly with a disinfecting cleaner that will discourage mildew growth.
Mold and mildew can also grow in heating and air conditioning ducts, and if you are having repeated respiratory problems or suspect mold because of stale smelling air, unusual odors, or reactions such as repeated colds or upper respiratory problems you should have your duct work inspected for possible mold or mildew growth.
The air ducts should be professionally cleaned if evidence is found of visible mold growth on the interior of the ductwork (on the sheet metal) or within the components of your air conditioning or heating systems. If over the course of months or years there has also been moisture leakage through to the insulation around the ductwork, you will need to remove and replace this insulation. You will also need to consult with a professional on how to prevent the mold growth from recurring.
After following all of the recommended steps mentioned, your home should have a greatly improved indoor air quality. After a few months of breathing this improved air you’ll probably notice your overall health has improved as well, included fewer allergy problems, fewer occurrences of itchy, watery eyes, fewer headaches and easier breathing.
About the Author
Lori Wilkerson is a full-time freelance writer. Right now she knows a little bit about almost everything and a lot about electrical air purifiers, ozone air purifiers, and whole house air purifiers. She has two dogs who are spoiled and one teenager who is not. They all pollute her home.