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Easy Ways to Combat Poor Indoor Air Quality

Air Quality
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The Best Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality

The air quality in your home has a noticeable impact on daily life. Long-term exposure to indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde or mold can lead to recurring allergic or asthmatic reactions and may cause or exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular issues.

There are steps you can take to improve the indoor air quality (IAQ) inside your Atlanta home, dramatically reducing the risk of adverse health outcomes and improving the comfort of your space.

Three Effective Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality on a Budget

Improving indoor air quality is relatively simple, but does require a little planning and consideration. By focusing on the methods below for mitigating the causes of indoor air pollution, homeowners can breathe better in no time at all!

1. Address the Root Causes

Regular dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning will keep indoor dust and allergens like tree pollen low. If you have allergies, you may need to dust and sweep daily when pollen levels are high. Consider keeping your windows shut during allergy season, especially in the afternoon when pollen levels peak.

Also, don’t allow smoking in your home, and use your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to remove smoke and keep humidity levels in check.

2. Maintain Healthy Humidity Levels

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends maintaining indoor humidity levelsbetween 30% and 50% year-round. Optimal humidity levels will prevent mold and mildew growth, keep dust mite populations in check, and keep you more comfortable inside your home.

3. Use Your HVAC System

Nothing supports healthy indoor air quality like a well-maintained HVAC system. Using your heating or cooling system helps to promote airflow, maintain humidity, and remove airborne particulates via filtration.

To keep your HVAC system running efficiently, replace your air filter every 1 to 3 months. Households with pets or family members who have underlying health conditions may benefit from replacing the filter even more frequently. Additionally, have your HVAC system inspected on an annual basis.

Can Indoor Plants Improve Air Quality?

Yes and no. Viral blog posts and news articles previously claimed that certain types of houseplants can improve indoor air quality—to a point. More recent studies have found that while plants can remove VOCs from the air, it would take an incredible number of plants to have a measurable impact in real-world conditions. A meta-analysis of these studies found it would take roughly 1,000 plants per square meter of floor space to clean indoor air – that’s approximately680 plants in a 1,500-square-foot home.

Read more: Cleaning Air Ducts in Your Home

What Are the Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air pollution results from manufactured and naturally occurring compounds. The most common causes of indoor air pollution are:

  • Natural air pollutants including pollen, pet dander, dust, mold, mildew, and radon. Radon is a natural gas emitted from the soil that sometimes seeps into homes through cracks. It is estimated to cause an estimated21,000 lung cancer deaths in the US annually.
  • Airborne chemical pollutants like formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen dioxide. These chemicals are often emitted from furniture, paint, cleaning chemicals, or combustion (gas-powered appliances, fireplaces, and more).

These compounds are very common, and at low levels, they are less likely to have a negative impact on your health. However, when concentrations of these particles increase, they pose significant risks to human health.

Common Symptoms of Bad Indoor Air Quality

Health experts warn against the short and long-term effects of poor indoor air quality. The most common signs of poor IAQ include:

  • Respiratory issues, including runny nose, sinus congestion, cough, difficulty breathing, and sneezing.
  • Eye, nose, and throat irritation, including watery or dry eyes
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Nausea
  • Irritability
  • Nosebleeds

Most of the time, these symptoms will go away when you leave home. But daily, long-term exposure may exacerbate symptoms so that they rarely completely dissipate.

We’re Atlanta’s Indoor Air Quality Experts!

Improving indoor air quality is just one way the professionals at Cunningham Associates make your home life a little easier. We provide a range of home services to make your household run smoothly year-round so you can focus on what matters most to you.

To schedule HVAC, electrical, or plumbing services in Atlanta, Sandy Springs, and the surrounding areas, call 770-343-7565 or contact us online.