How to Improve Your Home Air Quality & Reduce Indoor Allergies
September 16, 2019
Categories: General HVACHow does Indoor Air Quality affect you?
According to the EPA, indoor air quality is the air in and around buildings. Air in these areas directly impacts health and comfort level of the occupants in a building. Indoor air quality can greatly affect your health from short amounts of exposure, depending on the air quality.
There are several major indoor air pollutants that impact indoor air quality, including gases, such as radon and carbon monoxide; household cleaners and pesticides; mold and pollen; tobacco smoke; and materials like formaldehyde, asbestos and lead.
Indoor Air Quality Allergy Factors and Symptoms
Greenfacts found that the main factors affecting indoor air quality include humidity, temperature, ventilation, pets, microbes, chemicals and particles.
Since humans breathe anywhere between fifteen and thirty thousand times a day, indoor air quality is important. The following are common symptoms of poor air quality and may be a sign of an allergic reaction:
- Irritated eyes, nose and throat
- Headaches, dizziness and fatigue
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, other things that can trigger allergy and asthma symptoms and increase indoor air pollution include:
- New furniture
- New mattresses
- New carpet
- New building materials
- Paint and varnish
- Cleaning supplies
- An attached garage that stores vehicles
- Air fresheners
- Smoke from candles, cooking or fireplaces
- Fuel-burning heat sources (like wood-burning stoves or kerosene heaters)
- Radon (a ground gas that can enter a home and rise to dangerous levels)
- Bad air conditioner filters
How to Reduce Allergens in Your Home
Here are some ways to help reduce the allergens in your home and decrease indoor pollution, many through Martinov’s wide selection of air quality systems.
- Keep your floors clean. Sweeping your floors often will remove the dust, dirt, animal dander and allergens that are brought into your home. This can also help with pet allergies.
- Mop up dust. Mopping after you’re done sweeping will remove the dust that the vacuum left behind. Make sure to use hot water when mopping.
- Dry air in the home can irritate your sinuses and increase your chances of getting ill and can worsen allergies. Introducing moisture into the air can soothe your throat and stop dry eye.
- Air Purification Systems. Our air purifiers reduce and eliminate bacteria, mold, pollen and more, improving the air quality in your home.
- UV Lights. While these systems don’t filter any air, they can be beneficial to reducing allergens. Our UV light systems help remove pollutants like mold spores in damp areas.
- Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). ERV systems are ducted, whole-house solutions that remove excess humidity from your home. If you have an extra-damp home, ERV systems prevent mold and improve allergic rhinitis symptoms.
In many cases, poor indoor air quality can take years to affect your health. Taking steps to improve your indoor air quality may lower your risk for lung cancer and help with allergic rhinitis. These side effects can be avoided by improving the air quality of your home. If you’re ready to improve your indoor air quality, contact us for more information or to request a free estimate.