4 Events That Will Lower Your Indoor Air Quality

4 Events That Will Lower Your Indoor Air Quality

A healthy home is a happy home. But poor indoor air quality (IAQ) acts as a spoiler. IAQ can be adversely affected by several common events that pollute the ambient air in homes. Even things as simple as a patterned table runner can affect indoor air quality.

Home Renovation, Repair, and Painting

The very idea implies dirtying and polluting of your home. The masonry work, carpentry, and painting job release particulate matters that linger in the air for weeks. And the materials used emit gaseous contaminants and odor that create respiratory disorders and allergic reactions.

Celebrations and Gatherings

They leave behind their footprints on the IAQ. A guest may have a cold or flu. Indoor environments can spread such viruses rapidly. A cousin may walk in with an unkempt furry companion. And the array of footwear tracks in with it a host of unwelcome pollutants and dirt. Celebrations and gatherings lift your spirit but lower the IAQ.

Kids Coming Back From school

Their bubbly energy and enthusiasm are viral. And so are some of the contaminants that they bring with them. Dirt, dust, and pollutants would have settled on their clothes and hair. Even their books can contain bacteria and viruses.

Closed Homes

Who doesn’t love travel and vacations? But closed homes give time for dust and dirt to settle down in our homes. The trapped air becomes stale and contaminated. Combined with climatic conditions such as moisture, it creates breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses.

Unwrapping and Installation of White Goods

The packing material of new white goods like refrigerators or washing machines, carpets, rugs, and mattresses contain allergy-causing materials and gaseous pollutants. Some even contain formaldehyde. Moreover, their installation affects the IAQ.

Does all this mean you have to live with a below-par IAQ? Certainly not. There are several ways to keep the indoor air healthy and fresh.

The Best Ways to Maintain Good IAQ

Natural remedies offer many ways to improve IAQ. The best way to keep the indoors fresh and healthy is by bringing home indoor flora. They absorb atmospheric CO2 and release oxygen in the air. Some common species are the Kentia palm, split-leaf philodendron, and snake plant. If you have pets, be careful to opt for pet-friendly varieties. Sunlight and fresh air act like antidotes for poor IAQ. Keep your windows open for at least an hour each day. The UV rays in sunlight kill many viruses and bacteria, and ventilation recycles the ambient air.

There are some preventive measures you can take as well. Pollutants settle mostly in uninhabited areas. Pay special attention to cleaning corners, upholstery inner, ceilings, fans, and upper walls. Ventilate the area being renovated with an exhaust fan. Fumigate the home once a year. Keep your furry friends clean and hygienic. And most importantly, maintain the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems by hiring HVAC professionals. Carpets, rugs, and mattresses should also be cleaned.

After major events such as repair, service or installation of white goods and gadgets, home renovation, or painting, get your home thoroughly cleaned and disinfected by a professional HVAC service.

Americans spend 87 percent of their lives indoors,including in the workplace. The quality of our indoor life depends on the quality of IAQ. Why not have the best of both? Try these simple but effective ways to boost the IAQ.