How to fix an indoor air quality problem
There are a lot of easy methods to quickly improve the air quality of your home, with one of the best ones being to prevent air quality from becoming an issue in the first place. The preventative measures comprise of AC maintenance and regular inspection, ventilation system maintenance, and living in a good location.
A/C cleaning and maintenance
Cleaning of AC units and routine inspection have to be carried out once or twice annually at least. This can be done by a homeowner or a professional. Maintenance and cleaning include vacuuming the internal parts of the AC unit or vacuuming its blowers if it’s a window unit. You will also need to clean the coils of the AC unit since they often collect dirt and debris.
Additionally, the condensate drains need to be cleaned and inspected when necessary. Accumulation in the drain usually causes a rise in humidity, which can cause the development of mildew and mold. You can combat this by trimming away grass or plants that get too near the air conditioning unit. In general, this means you need to trim back everything that’s within a two-foot radius around your AC unit. apart from reducing potential air pollutants, this will also make the AC unit more efficient.
Ventilation system inspection and maintenance
Look for visible accumulation and see the air come out. Debris accumulation around the register or debris coming from the ventilation system could be an indication of bigger problems. If you find visible signs after this preliminary check-up, try unscrewing the register and use a flashlight to look into the duct. As an alternative, you can use a flash camera to take a picture for the examination of the duct.
Check for excessive animal droppings, mold, debris, and other types of accumulation inside the duct. If you find a large accumulation, you may need to call a professional. If the build-up or debris is minimal, though, you can use a vacuum to clean it by yourself. Besides, look at the furnace to ensure the filter doesn’t need to be changed. Generally, furnace filters have to be changed every three months. If upon examination, however, you find a noticeable layer of dirt or dust in the filter, it will have to be changed.
As a safety measure, examine the filter once every month to have an idea of the speed at which it’s getting dirty. You can also care for the furnace by cleaning the fan, heat exchange, and pilot light. When cleaning the furnace, a vacuum with a long attachment ought to be enough. Besides, check the duct seals and seal the cracks with duct tape. These will make sure the furnace works properly and remains at optimum efficiency.
Location
You also need to take a look at the air quality guide so that you would know if air pollution is an issue in your region. If air pollution is a big issue around your home, then you probably need to think about moving. However, a less severe solution may be more suitable if the air pollution around your home is of slight to modest concern. Examples of such less severe solutions include buying a home air purifier or cleaning your home, furnace, ventilation system, and AC unit more frequently.
Indoor Air Purifiers
One of the most effective ways of combating poor air quality in your home is purchasing a home air purifier. According to numerous studies and researches, the use of home air purifiers actually lessens the risk of cancer from excessive exposure to VOCs.
Features to consider when choosing a home air quality test
When choosing a home air quality test kits, reading the reviews of the best products may be insufficient if you don’t know the features and factors that actually separate these models. To help you on that front, we have put together some of the most important features you need to take into consideration when buying a home air quality test.
If it’s a DIY kit or an electronic device
The first consideration you need to make is if you want a DIY kit or an actual electronic device. Of course, these are the two most popular types of home air quality test kits, and choosing between them may be down to some factors. Personally, we feel electronic devices are much better options since they give you instant results and are a lot easier to use as you don’t need to send any results to any lab. However, they are usually much more expensive than the DIY kits, so your pocket may also have a say in this.
What exactly it measures
As you probably know already, different home air quality test kits tests for different air pollutants, so you must remember this as you filter through the different options on the market. While some kits are designed to only test for formaldehyde or mold, some models like the Awair 2nd Edition Air Quality Monitor are built to test for all types of air pollutants, which include TVOCs, CO2, PM 2.5, humidity and temperature.
Power source (for electronic models)
You’ve also got to consider the power source as well, if you are choosing an electronic home air quality monitor. While most electronic devices used to be designed to be powered only when plugged to an outlet, things have changed, and more models are being battery-powered as well in recent days. Your decision will depend on how you want to be using the air quality monitor, of course.
If you are likely to be leaving it at home at all times, then you may be better off with a model that can only be plugged to a power outlet. If you intend to be taking it with you on trips, however, then a battery-powered model will be more suitable for you.
If the lab test fee included in the purchase (for DIY kits)
Since you can’t interpret the results you get from DIY kits yourself, then you need to send your results to accredited laboratories for testing. They would then send the results to you after a given period of time. However, the issue here is that some models don’t include lab test fees in their initial costs, so would have to pay a separate fee for the test. If you are not fine with this arrangement, then you need to choose a model whose initial costs already include the lab fees, such as the Home Air Check Indoor Air Quality Test and the Mold Inspection Network DIY Mold Test.
Other features
Other features you may need to look for include Alexa/Google Home compatibility, the number of tests included in the pack, the design, the ease of use, and more. While these extra features are usually convenience-aiding features, they usually don’t have any impact on the operation of the device. Besides, the more they are on a device, the more expensive the device will be. If you have deep pockets, you may look for them. If you are on a limited budget, however, you may be better off without these features, to be honest.
Warranty
One of the most unwise things anything can ever do is buying a product that has no sort of warranty whatsoever, especially if it’s an electronic device. Just like every other thing that is man-made, air quality test kits are also vulnerable to faults and manufacturing defects, so you need to make sure the model you are buying is at least covered in case anything goes wrong. And as we have seen many times in the past, things usually go wrong with electronic devices, whether they are new or not.
Benefits of Better Indoor Air Quality
A lot of people usually don’t pay much attention to the quality of the air they inhale or the implications of the air on their health. While many people know how harmful air pollution can be, most believe air pollution only affects outdoor air. Like the air you inhale outdoors, indoor air quality can also have a big impact. Below are the benefits of having good air quality in your home.
Improved Breathing – If you have good indoor air quality, the body will receive higher amount of oxygen with every breath, and the air will have lower quantity of air contaminants. These factors can improve breathing, thereby putting less strain on your heart, lungs, and every part of the body. Getting exposed to fewer air pollutants can result in improved breathing, which can subsequently make the inhabitants of a building to feel more energetic. It can also help in the prevention of respiratory problems later.
Better Sleep Quality – Breathing rates usually change all through the sleep cycle, which means home air quality is as vital while sleeping as it is while awake. Reduced oxygen percentages and VOCs in the air can disrupt sleep cycles and impact your sleep quality negatively. Meanwhile, good air quality is capable of promoting a pleasant sleep and can protect against the rise of sleep-related conditions like sleep apnea.
Better Moisture Control – Good moisture control is capable of preventing the development of bacteria and mold and up your comfort levels. Dry air can result in nosebleed and skin irritation, while moist air can lead to extreme stuffiness and is capable of damaging home structures and furnishings. The appropriate home relative humidity is between 45 percent and 55 percent, but this may differ between the times in various regions.
Decrease of Allergens – Most people usually have allergic reactions to allergens, which can include coughing, irritated eyes, sneezing, congestion, and other physical issues. Common allergens that usually reside in indoor air are dust mites, dust, mold spores, pollen, cockroach debris, and animal dander. Having an effective system to guarantee good air quality in your home will lessen the number of airborne allergens, which helps to lessen allergy symptoms for the inhabitants of a house.
Reduced Energy Expenses – When you take proper steps to enhance the air quality of your home, the strain on the air conditioning and heat units of the home will be certainly reduced. Since these units don’t need to work as hard to be effective, less energy is expended, and that will result in longer lives for the unit. Both in the short and long terms, this can save homeowners some money.
