If you’re questioning whether your Litchfield Park house has bad indoor air quality (IAQ), it probably does.

We are indoors a lot. In fact, we’re inside up to 90% of the time, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And the air inside houses could be 2–5 times worse than outdoors, which can create long-term health problems.

Most Common Sources of Bad IAQ

We’ve compiled a list of the most frequent causes of bad IAQ, the issues they create and how you can fix these indoor air pollutants. If you’re worried about the air inside your home, we advise talking with a professional like Cooler Tymes LLC about which products are a good fit for your house.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are vapors emitted from everyday household items.

They’re found in paint and stains as well as:

• Furniture
• Carpet
• Building materials
• Cleaning products
• Cosmetics
• Air fresheners
• Candles

When these chemicals accumulate inside, they might irritate your eyes, nose and throat. They might also result in headaches and nausea. Regardless of whether your residence is in a rural or industrial space, an EPA study found indoor levels of these chemicals can be 2–5 times worse than the air outside your home.

Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when applying paint or spraying cleaning products. Unlatching a window can help chemicals disappear faster.

Air purification systems can also help. This equipment partners with your heating and cooling equipment to enhance indoor air. When looking for a system, ensure it’s specifically created to eradicate VOCs.

Dust and Pet Dander

Dust and pet dander can aggravate health problems like asthma and allergies, especially when it constantly gets moved by your house’s comfort unit. While you can vacuum more routinely and buy an improved air filter, an air filtration system might be a better fit.

This equipment hooks to your heating and cooling equipment to provide mighty filtration. Some kinds provide hospital-level filtration for eliminating particles and bioaerosols.

Persistent Odors

Newer homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is fantastic for your heating and cooling bill, it’s not so good for your IAQ.

Musty odors can hang around for a greater amount of time since your house is pulling in reduced fresh air. Since keeping your windows open all year-round isn’t doable, here are two methods you can make your indoor air smell cleaner.

An air purification system is placed in your ducts to eliminate odors before they recirculate. Find one with a carbon filter and the ability to break down damaging VOCs. These systems can also help keep your household healthy by eliminating most bacteria and common allergy triggers like pollen and mold spores.

A ventilation system removes stale indoor air and substitutes it with crisp outdoor air. There are two types of systems (heat recovery and energy recovery), so check with our professionals for more info on which solution is right for your home.

Uneven Humidity

It’s critical your home’s humidity stays even. Air that’s too humid can create mold, while dry air can cause respiratory symptoms.

Our specialists suggest 40–50% for top comfort. To keep yours steady, think about getting a whole-home humidifier or whole-home dehumidifier with your comfort unit.

Rather than having to lug a humidifier from room to room, this product delivers balanced humidity around your house.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is colorless gas you can’t smell. It’s caused by insufficient combustion in fuel-burning units, like gas heating systems, water heaters or fireplaces.

It presents a severe health risk. In small levels, it can create flu-like sickness like headaches and nausea. It may be fatal in heavy amounts.

We suggest yearly furnace maintenance to ensure your unit is working like it should. This work allows our technicians to find issues before they start, including malfunctions that can cause carbon monoxide leaks.

The best approach to keep your residence free of carbon monoxide is to put in detectors. These alarms should be on all floors near bedrooms and living spaces.

Enhance Your House’s Air Quality with the Cooler Tymes LLC Experts

Informed that your house has inferior air quality but not sure how to make it better? Or unsure which solution is best for you? Give our kind HVAC pros a call at 623-208-6444 or contact us online now. With free estimates and pro support, we’ll help you locate the right option for your needs and budget.