Why is Indoor Air Quality Important?
Many homeowners don’t realize how bad the air quality actually is inside their homes. Though it may smell fresh and clean inside the home, there could be pollutants in the air. In fact, in most homes, the indoor air quality is far lower than it should be. Though there are ways to improve the air quality, it’s important to start by learning why the air quality is so important. From there, it’s a good idea to learn more about the various ways to improve the air quality inside the home. Read below to learn what impact this could have on you and your family as well as a few things you can do to improve the air inside your home.
Air May Have a Significant Amount of Pollutants
The air inside a home has a high chance of being significantly more polluted than the air outside, and with most people spending a huge amount of their life indoors, this can be a concern. There are more than 800 possible pollutants that can be in a home, and most are difficult to detect.
Some pollutants, like pollen, are seasonal, but there are others, such as radon gas, that occur year-round. By filtering the air conditioning in the home, the owner can see just how quickly dust and other allergens build up. Homeowners will want custom air filters to make sure the filter fits properly and does the job to filter as many pollutants as possible from the air.
Short-Term Medical Issues From Poor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality can lead to many short-term medical issues for anyone inside the home. This includes coughing, headaches, allergic reactions, fatigue, skin issues, and more. These can start whenever the air quality is poor in the home and may get worse during certain seasons if the homeowner is especially susceptible to pollutants like pollen or dust that may be in the air.
It is important to make sure the air is as clean as possible to help reduce the chance of any of these short-term medical issues happening. Those who suffer from allergies, for instance, may find they no longer have issues when they’re home if the home has a better air quality.
Poor Air Quality Can Lead to Long-Term Problems
Along with causing short-term medical issues, the poor air quality inside the home can lead to long-term problems, as well. Occupants can end up with lung and heart conditions, asthma, cancer, and other chronic or long-term illnesses as a result of living inside a home with poor air quality. These issues do usually occur if someone lives in a home with poor indoor air quality for a long period, but some can happen faster. Any amount of time with poor air quality inside the home should be avoided.
Air Issues Can Impact Sleep
Homeowners may find their sleep is interrupted due to the quality of their air, though they may not realize it at first. Many times, homeowners may try any number of remedies to get better sleep, without realizing that it could be due to the quality of air inside their home. If anyone in the home has trouble sleeping due to allergies, headaches, and other issues, the main cause could be the air quality inside the home. By improving the air quality, the occupants should be able to sleep better every night. While this might not solve all sleep-related issues, it can help, and it’s definitely worthwhile to improve the quality of the air inside the home.
Poor Air Quality Can Lead to Mold Growth
Mold spores are always in the air. If the air inside the home is not properly ventilated and becomes stagnant, mold can thrive. If the air inside the home is too humid, it’s likely the perfect condition for mold growth to occur. Mold on its own can lead to serious short-term and long-term medical issues, especially for more toxic types of mold. Homeowners can help prevent the growth of mold inside the home by focusing on the air quality and removing as many pollutants, like mold spores, as possible from the air they breathe.
What Can Improve Air Quality?
There are numerous steps homeowners can take right away to improve the air quality in their homes. As soon as they take these steps, they may find they’re breathing in fresher air and able to feel a lot better.
- Keep the Floors Clean. Carpets and rugs, especially, can trap allergens inside the home, and those allergens can end up in the air. Cleaning all floors regularly can help reduce dust and other allergens, so they don’t get in the air and cause the air quality to suffer.
- Adjust the Humidity. If the humidity is too high, mold and other contaminants will be plentiful inside the home. Instead, use a dehumidifier to make sure the humidity is reduced to around 30-50%.
- Test for Common Pollutants. Radon and other pollutants can get inside the home, and they might not be easily detectable. Instead, to prevent major health issues, it’s a good idea to have the air quality in the home tested for these pollutants.
- Change Filters Regularly. As mentioned, the right filters make a huge difference. It’s also important to change the filters regularly, so they don’t end up with a lot of dust and debris built up on them.
- Add Indoor Plants. Indoor plants can help filter many of the pollutants inside the home. They’re not the whole solution to poor indoor air quality, but they can help improve it over time.
You can’t avoid breathing, so it’s crucial to make sure you and your family are breathing in the cleanest air possible. Without realizing it, you may be inhaling air that is causing medical and other issues. By being aware of the possible issues with the air quality in your home and taking the right steps to correct them, it is possible to improve the air quality significantly and see an improvement in your health, sleep, and other areas of your life.
