To maintain a healthy and safe environment, it's important to ensure that the air in your home is clean and free from pollutants. Unfortunately, indoor air quality can be compromised by a variety of sources such as pet dander, dust, smoke, and other factors.
Inhaling these pollutants can lead to serious health issues, making it crucial to take steps to eliminate them, prevent their entry into your home, and implement effective air purification. In this article, we will explore the risks that come with polluted indoor air and offer tips on how to improve air quality.
How to Know if Your Indoor Air Quality Is Bad?
Your home should be a sanctuary where you can find respite and protection from harmful elements. However, there are situations when your house can ill affect your health. Despite maintaining cleanliness, substandard indoor air quality, and dirty ductwork can cause health problems. The atmosphere at home may contain high levels of particulates, posing a risk to your respiratory system, triggering allergies, and leading to diseases. Nevertheless, you can reduce the effects of poor air quality by identifying the source.
Keep an eye out for indicators of poor air quality. Here are warning signs that can help you prevent potential complications. Take immediate action upon detecting these cues and enhance the quality of your indoor environment.
1. Difficulty in Breathing
Difficulty breathing, including coughing, can be one of the most common symptoms of poor indoor air quality. These issues are often caused by a concentration of particles in the air due to inadequate ventilation. When there is a lack of proper air circulation, the fresh oxygen supply in the room diminishes, leading to complications and other respiratory problems when breathing in dirty air filled with carbon dioxide. If left untreated, these problems can be fatal as they can affect the lungs. Therefore, it is essential to take immediate action to address poor air quality.
2. Allergies
Allergic reactions are a common sign of poor air quality. Sneezing may come with watery eyes and irritation in the nose and throat. If you experience allergies even after the fever season has ended, it may not be due to the weather. Pollutants in the air at home can trigger your body's response and cause these issues.
3. Headache
If you're suffering from persistent headaches and can't identify the cause, it's possible that something in the air at home is to blame. Pollutants such as cleaning products and garbage can contribute to poor air quality and trigger headaches. Fumes and carbon monoxide can also adversely affect your health, resulting in symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. Ignoring these warning signs can have severe consequences for your well-being.
4. Difficulty in Sleeping
Poor indoor air quality can significantly impact your ability to achieve restful sleep. High levels of air pollution can reduce sleep efficiency by up to 60%, leading to a lack of sleep and impaired senses.
Temperature and humidity are additional factors that can affect your ability to sleep. The body typically sleeps best in cooler temperatures, between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit, as the brain tries to match the body's temperature. A cooler room temperature can help facilitate better sleep by allowing the body to relax and unwind. Internal organs such as the liver require adequate sleep to carry out essential functions according to the body's natural clock.
How to Get Rid of Pollutants and Improve Indoor Air Quality
Here are tips to get rid of air contaminants at home and improve your indoor air quality.
1. Improve Ventilation
Poor ventilation can cause polluted air to become trapped indoors. Opening windows and doors regularly ensures you have adequate ventilation in your home. This allows fresh air to enter and polluted air to escape.
2. Install High-Performance Filtration System
A whole-house air filtration system can effectively clean indoor air by reducing or even eliminating contaminants like viruses, bacteria, smoke, harmful gases, dust mites, pet dander, mold, and mildew. This filtration system is vital in keeping the air you breathe clean, reducing the likelihood of respiratory diseases and allergies.
3. Use Air Purifiers
Air purifiers can help reduce pollutant levels in your home. They work by trapping particles in their filters, which can be removed or replaced regularly. Some HVAC systems also come with built-in air purifiers. This makes it easier to control the levels of pollutants in your home.
4. Clean Your House Regularly
Dust and other particles can quickly build up indoors, especially in rooms you frequent, such as kitchens and bathrooms. So when you don't clean regularly, these particles can become airborne and pollute the air. Make sure you dust and mop your floors regularly.
5. Avoid Smoking Indoors
Smoking indoors adds even more pollutants to the air. If you smoke, do it outside or in a well-ventilated area. This will help keep the air in your home clean.
6. Hire a Professional
Getting air purification services from a trusted professional can help ensure that the air in your home is clean and safe. A reliable HVAC contractor from Tri-County Heating and Air can inspect and maintain your system and recommend ways to improve your indoor air quality.
Expert Air Purification You Can Trust at Tri-County Heating and Air
At Tri-County Heating and Air, we offer a variety of air purification solutions so that your indoor air is clean and safe. Our experts can help you select the right system for your needs and install it in your home. We service North Georgia and surrounding communities. To know more about our services and get started with improving the air quality in your home, call us today at 770-735-1994.
