6 Tips to Improve Indoor Air Quality at Your Home

The quality of air your breath at your home has a huge impact on your overall health and well-being. Clean and fresh indoor air improves both physical and mental productivity. In contrast, stale, poor or polluted indoor air can cause a wide range of problems. When the indoor air quality deteriorates due to a widespread problem, you may need professional help to improve it. But sometimes, the root cause is simple such as a leak in the house or negligence towards cleaning the carpets. In such a case, you can typically take care of the problem on your own.

Here are some simple and handy tips to take care of some of the key causes of indoor air pollution. By using these tips, you can overhaul the air at your home and ensure better health for you and your family.

Regulate Indoor Humidity

The indoor humidity at your home has a direct impact on the air quality. Typically, higher humidity allows the growth of pollutants like mold. Once the humidity levels drop, the particles of this mold then become airborne and are taken in during breathing. This can lead to serious health hazards. A quick fix for this is to regulate the indoor humidity. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that you maintain a 30% to 50% humidity level. You can use a humidifier to increase humidity levels when they drop too low or use good ventilation to control the humidity when it is above this recommended level.

Remove the Smoke

In a domestic setting, smoke from various sources can become accumulated within the house. The most common source of smoke is cigarette smoking. Smoking is particularly hazardous to the indoor air quality as it releases nearly 4,000 chemicals into the air. These chemicals can lead to a variety of health problems. The best remedy for this is to quit smoking. But if that’s not practical, the next best thing is to ensure that you always smoke outdoors so that the indoor air doesn’t become laden with the chemicals from the smoke.

Care for Fabrics and Textiles

Fabric and textile-based objects such as carpets and furniture upholstery are the favorite spots for different pollutants. Airborne spores, harmful particles and other substances can easily become trapped in carpet or furniture. Once they do, they will usually remain in place for a long time. This is why it is critically important to have their items cleaned on a regular basis. You can take a do-it-yourself approach to cleaning them or hire professional contractors to do the job.

Consider Using an Air Purifier

Despite the best of your efforts, pollutants from outdoors may slip into the indoor environment and impact air quality. This is particularly a problem if you have children in your home or someone who suffers from a breathing allergy like asthma. In such a case, you must considering using an air purifier. A purifier is a device that plugs into a wall socket and removes airborne impurities. There are plenty of options to choose from, so be sure to find one that best suits your needs.

Identify and Remove Mold

Mold is one of the most common indoor pollutants. If mold grows anywhere on the walls or any other surface, it will eventually begin releasing allergens and irritants into the air. Touching a surface with mold or breathing air laden with mold allergens can both lead to different allergies. Common problems include irritation in the eyes, nose and skin, and sneezing. If you find mold anywhere at your home, you can use this mold cleanup guide from EPA to take care of it. However, if you feel that you are not equipped to handle the job, be sure to get in touch with a professional Greenville heating and air expert.

Fix Any Water Leaks

Humidity or exposure to water can not only damage walls and other surfaces at your home, it also leads to the growth of various pollutants. If you have any leaks in the plumbing, make sure to have them fixed at the earliest. This will significantly improve the air quality in the immediate surroundings of the leak.

Improving Indoor Air Quality

With the tips provided above, you can significantly overhaul the quality of air your home. However, if you need professional help to take care of more serious problems such as mold or want to have a new humidifier installed, we have got you covered. Here at General Air, our Greenville heating and air experts are equipped to take care of any problems related to HVAC or indoor air quality. Call us today to hire our services or consult our experts.