Home Air Quality Issues? Check On These Three Things
When people think about air pollution, they usually think that it is something that is outside – ozone, smog, or haze hanging in the air. These problems are true in summer. But the real truth is that the air inside offices, homes, and other buildings can actually be more polluted and unhealthy than the air outside. The air inside a building may be polluted by dust, radon, formaldehyde, and even some dangerous chemicals.
Another things that may be polluting the air inside your home are microscopic dust mites, heaps of pet dander, and mold. When it comes to pet dander, regardless of whether or not you actually own a pet, you probably have it. Pet dander is generally known as a community allergen. You can't really get away from it because people who own a pet carry it around on their clothes.
Improving the indoor air quality is not hard. Here are some simple, yet very effective things that you can do.
Keep Your Floors Fresh
Many different allergens and chemicals can accumulate in household dust. If you have a vacuum with a HEPA filter, use it because it will help you reduce concentrations of lead. It can also help you get rid of many different toxins, as well as allergens like pet dander, dust mites, and pollen. In high traffic, make sure to vacuum the same spot more than once.
Also, don't forget the areas where dust accumulates – upholstered furniture, walls, and carpet edges. And for the best possible results, clean your filter on a regular basis and vacuum more than twice each week.
Keep a Healthy Level of Humidity
Mold and dust mites just simply love moisture. Keeping a healthy level of humidity (between 30% and 50%) can help keep mold, dust, and many other allergens under control. Using a dehumidifier is a good thing to do because it can help reduce moisture as well as effectively control allergens. And when it comes to using air conditioning, it can help reduce indoor pollen count. This is a great thing if you suffer from some kind of an allergy. A clean and well-functioning AC can help a lot with air quality, while a dirty or broken AC can pollute indoor air, so keep an eye on air conditioning repair needs. To ensure your air conditioning is not negatively affecting your indoor air quality, have a professional service, such as Ron Hammes Refrigeration, come look at your unit.
Test for Radon
So, what is radon? Basically, it is a radioactive gas that comes from the natural decay of uranium. Radon can get inside your home through holes and cracks in the foundation. Testing for radon takes only a few minutes, and it is relatively inexpensive as well. If the test shows that there is a radon problem, you don't have to pay a lot of money to solve it.