What You Need To Know About The Quality Of Your Indoor Air
It’s not uncommon to hear alarming reports about air quality and the effects of environmental pollution on your health. While you might feel overwhelmed by the problems related to outdoor air pollution, you can take action in your home to improve indoor air quality.
Two main classifications of pollutants impact indoor air quality: particulates and gases. Particulate pollutants include things like smoke, pet dander, dust mites and mold. Gaseous pollutants stem from the combustion process, from a gas stove or fireplace, or from cleaning solutions or paint.
There are actually some pretty simple steps any homeowner can take to manage indoor air quality, without costing you a small fortune.
- Get to the heart of the matter. The most effective solution is to ensure that pollutants don’t enter your home in the first place. This step costs nothing. If you have to paint, do it outside or make sure you leave windows open and fans running until the paint dries. When selecting furniture or other home products, choose organic materials, such as real wood, instead of artificially produced materials, which can contain chemicals such as formaldehyde.
- Get that air moving. Ensuring good ventilation is another solution that won’t make a big impact on your wallet. Run exhaust fans when cooking to release combustible gases outside. When the climate allows, open windows and doors to circulate air. Whole-house mechanical ventilation systems, like an energy recovery ventilator, are also helpful to ensure the flow of fresh air.
- Enact the last line of defense. If you want to cover all your bases, or if someone in your home suffers from respiratory problems, consider purchasing an air cleaner. There are a variety of air cleaners on the market that target specific classes of pollutants, and some models use combined air-cleaning technology to rid the air of several different kinds of pollutants.
If you’re worried about indoor air quality, don’t let it get the best of you. Use source control, ventilation and an air cleaner to create ideal conditions. Contact the professionals at All Year. The Greater Sacremento experts can get you on the road to better air.
All Year services the Greater Sacramento area. To get started, check out our website.