No matter how diligently or how often you clean every room in your home, you can still be living with dirty indoor air. Everyday contaminants like pet dander, cooking smoke, excess humidity, and even household cleaning products can negatively impact the air you breathe, exacerbating allergy and asthma symptoms, or causing illness.
Read on to uncover the reasons that your indoor may not be as pure as you think and what you can do about it.
Cleaning Products
You may be getting more than you bargained for with those household cleaners. Many cleansers are laced with unregulated chemicals that can release toxic fumes into the air in the form of VOCs (volatile organic compounds). Regular exposure to these chemicals may cause headaches, nausea, or other ailments. Instead, switch to all-natural cleansers or make your own with a few pantry staples.
Air Fresheners
Everyone loves a great-smelling home, but many air fresheners and scented candles contain harmful carcinogens. Consider switching to homemade potpourri or natural, unscented candles. If you can’t part with artificial fragrances quite yet, be sure to crack a window open to allow fumes out and fresh air into your home.
Excess Humidity
Damp conditions allow dust mites, mold, and mildew to breed and multiply. What’s more, excess moisture can cause hardwood floor boards to release formaldehyde into the air, exposure to which can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Run the dehumidifier to remove moisture from the air or invest in a whole-house system.
Energy-Efficient Homes
Today’s tightly sealed homes are great for conserving heating and cooling and reducing utility bills. The downside is that they often suffer from a lack of airflow, which allows contaminants to circulate, causing allergies and discomfort. To help combat this, crack a window open whenever you can.
Bedding
Dust mites replicate in the cozy environment a warm bed provides, causing discomfort for allergy sufferers. Wash your bedding regularly and invest in dust mite and allergy-proof mattress and pillow covers.
There are plenty of other causes of indoor air pollution. To put an end to them and the troubles they cause, contact Zach Heating & Cooling to learn about the various indoor air quality solutions we have available, including whole-house air filtration systems, UV air cleaners, and more.