Many Kansas homeowners often overlook the indoor air quality in their homes. We all want our homes to be safe, clean & comfortable for our families, even down to the air we breathe. Lamunyon Mold wants to educate homeowners on the importance of improving the air quality inside their homes. There are many indoor air pollutants that could be present in your home that you are unaware of. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to minimize these air pollutants & improve indoor air quality in your home.
Signs You Need To Improve Your Home’s Air Quality
What a lot of Kansas residents don’t realize is that indoor air pollution is one of the largest environmental health risks that we can face. It directly affects the air we breathe, and it is important for homeowners to take note of the things that could be affecting our home’s indoor air quality. Every home is subject to a variety of indoor air pollutants that contain elevated levels of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. When VOCs enter into our homes, they react with the other compounds found in the air, resulting in the formation of particulate matter. This particulate matter could potentially pose health risks for people who experience allergies or sensitivities. Keep in mind that symptoms will be different for everyone, but they may present as follows:
- Itchy eyes & throat
- Trouble breathing
- Coughing, sore throat
- Sneezing, runny nose
- Irritated skin, rashes
What Impacts the Air Quality In Your Home?
Several factors can affect your home’s indoor air quality, such as indoor pollutants, mold and mildew, dust, poor ventilation, and humidity. Basic appliances like a gas stove and heaters emit carbon monoxide and impact the air quality as well. Proper ventilation is necessary to protect air quality in enclosed spaces. Sometimes, even outdoor pollutants like excessive dust and vehicle exhaust affect the air quality of your home. To protect yourself and your family from bad indoor air quality, you should consider cleaning your home regularly, installing proper ventilation, using air purifiers, and controlling the humidity levels.
Household items that you may not realize are putting VOCs into your home’s atmosphere include:
1. Smoke: Smoke from your fireplace, candles, cigarettes & even cooking has the potential to give off VOCs. Ensure that you are employing the use of sufficient ventilation when smoke is present so that it doesn’t become trapped in your home.
2. Cleaning Supplies & Fragrances: The chemicals found in household cleaning products, fragrances & air freshening products can give off VOCs. Using more natural, organic products in your home can minimize the amount of particulate matter in the air.
3. Mold: Elevated levels of moisture & humidity within your home can lead to a huge potential for fungal growth. Condensation, humidity, leaks or floods can cause water damage to build up in porous building materials. Mold is able to form in almost any indoor environment as long as there is a present moisture source.
There may be underlying signs of mold growth in your Kansas home that you need to be aware of. Mold can appear in a variety of colors, including white, black, grey, brown, green, blue and even orange to name a few. Be aware of any suspicious odors, fuzzy or chalky looking substances settled on surfaces, or dark staining on walls & ceilings.
These are some telltale signs of a mold issue developing in your home. If you are worried about a possible mold issue within your Kansas home, contact a local professional mold remediation company in your area to assess the damage.
Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality
One of the quickest, easiest ways to improve indoor air quality within your Kansas home is to employ the use of proper ventilation. It is important to keep fresh air circulating throughout the home to ensure that particulate matter is not settling & becoming stagnant. Whenever you are cooking, cleaning, showering, running the dishwasher, or possibly smoking indoors, you need to have some form of ventilation. Even if it is just an open window or a fan running, this will improve the indoor air quality. Not only do these activities give off excess heat and moisture that can not become trapped, they also have the potential to give off VOCs into your home.
Keep Your Home Clean
A clean and well-maintained home is a healthy home! That’s why you should consider cleaning your home regularly to reduce dust, dirt, and other allergens that affect its air quality. Make sure to regularly vacuum, wash bedsheets and curtains, and wipe glass, windows, and furniture. This keeps your home dirt and dust-free and enhances the air quality.
Clean and Maintain Air Ducts, Filters, Vents, and Fans
Heating, cooling, and ventilation systems in your home help you enhance air quality only if they are working properly. To ensure that they are running smoothly, you should clean the air ducts and remove dirt from the system regularly. This removes pollutants from the air and prevents dust from circulating back into your home.
Use Air Purifiers
If your home is exposed to high levels of dust or outdoor pollution, air purifiers are a great solution. These air purifiers capture pollutants such as dust, pollen, and even mold and enhance your indoor air quality. If you want the best option, we recommend you buy air purifiers with a HEPA filter to create an allergen-free living space in your home.
Monitor Humidity and Ventilation
Proper humidity levels in your home help prevent mold, mildew, and pest infestations. Consider using dehumidifiers to keep your home’s humidity levels at 30 to 50% and reduce moisture. A proper ventilation system is also important to remove indoor dust and pollutants and bring fresh air into your home. However, even after installing dehumidifiers and a proper ventilation system, you should use an exhaust fan and open doors and windows to enhance your home’s airflow.
Regular Air Quality Testing
You may not always be able to tell if your air quality has deteriorated. That’s why you should consider testing indoor air quality to detect radon, pollutants, and carbon monoxide. Regular indoor air quality testing and cleaning are a proactive way to keep your living space clean, safe, and healthy.
Get Your Indoor Air Quality Improved
If someone in your household is experiencing mild symptoms or allergic reactions to particulate matter from VOCs, you may want to consider employing the use of an air purifier. Air purifiers can help you to circulate air around your home more efficiently while also drawing out pollutants to make the air cleaner & safer to breathe. Ensure that your air purifier’s filter is being regularly changed to keep things running smoothly. Now more than ever, it is important to ensure that you and your family are breathing clean, safe air. Keeping your home clean, safe & comfortable shouldn’t be a chore. Just a few simple adjustments to your maintenance routine can make a huge impact on the indoor air quality of your home.
