Did you know that Americans spend, on average, up to 90 percent of their time indoors? Here, pollutants can be anywhere from two to five times higher than outdoor concentrations.
Monitoring your indoor air quality is essential, but what can happen if you don’t? What solutions are there to help you do this? Luckily, we’re here to help you answer those questions and more.
Read on to learn everything you need to know.
Why Indoor Air Quality Monitoring Matters
Indoor air quality is heavily connected to your overall health and well-being. Air that’s breathable and free of potentially health-threatening pollutants can not only lower your risk of respiratory illnesses, but also different chronic health conditions. Overall, you’re likely to notice an improved quality of life.
Health Issues Associated With Air Pollution
So, what health issues are associated with air pollution? Here are a few of the most common:
Fatigue
Coughing
Headaches
Scratchy throat, other throat and nasal illnesses
Lung and heart conditions
Allergic reactions
Cancer
Carbon monoxide poisoning
This list is by no means extensive, but it’s a good starting point to let you know what can be expected. You might not have a full picture of the health risks that come with poor air quality, but you can now begin educating yourself further.
Remember, any exposure to any of these potential threats can be dangerous, and it can be made worse by pre-existing health conditions.
Common Pollutants
Whether it’s your kitchen, living room, or home office, there are plenty of environmental pollutants you can be exposed to. A few of the most common include:
Radon
Lead particles
Asbestos
VOCs
Mold
Mildew
Second-hand smoke
A lot of these pollutants are man-made, but some are organic. Mold and mildew can linger in odd places, like furniture, or humid places like the attic or the basement.
Second-hand smoke is a particularly powerful pollutant. It can be transmitted through smoking, of course, but it can also be created by appliances, vehicles, and even public transit systems. If you live in a populated area and you’re not working to monitor your indoor air quality, you’ll never know what’s lurking in the air.
It isn’t just public places that can put your air quality at risk, though. In fact, you’re likely to find risk factors that come from things like carbon compounds, VOCs, and other environmental pollutants inside your own home without even realizing it.
Products You Need for Indoor Air Quality Monitoring
Clearly, monitoring and protecting your indoor air quality is important. It can help lower potential health risks in your home, and it’s important for keeping moisture out of unwelcome areas.
So, what solutions are out there to help you monitor your indoor air quality? Here are a few of the best options you have to choose from.
Air Purifier
Air purifiers are one of the most common and popular solutions available. They work to sanitize contaminants in the air through three types of purification technologies — either ionization, UV, or active UV/PCO. They’re widely accessible and relatively easy to care for.
Once they’re placed in your home, the only maintenance they usually require is occasional cleaning and filter replacement. They’re an especially great option for homes with pets and small spaces with poor ventilation.
Indoor Air Quality Monitor
Indoor air quality monitors work to read and give you accurate analyses of contamination levels and air quality in your space. When you actively monitor the air in your home, you help ensure you and your family have a healthier space with cleaner air.
You don’t have to worry about potentially harmful pollutants or chemicals, and people aren’t as likely to get sick. What do monitors typically watch for, though?
Temperature
Airborne chemicals
Carbon monoxide
Carbon dioxide
Mold growth
Humidity
When you can better watch for these things in your home, it has the potential to save a life. At a minimum, it’s going to help prevent allergies and sickness from flaring up more often than it should.
Filtration
Your home’s air filters are its first line of defense against contaminants, debris, particles, dander, and other things that might get through. It’s important to care for these and replace them at least monthly to keep your home dust-free.
If you start to notice people in your home sneezing or coughing more and you don’t know the last time the air filter was replaced, let that be the first step you take.
Humidity Control
With the right whole-house humidity control system, you’ll find that it can do just as much to make your home comfortable as your HVAC system can. It might sound unnecessary, but dry air can damage wood floors and dry out your skin. If the air is too humid, you’re more susceptible to things like mold and mildew, which can lead to respiratory diseases.
When you work to remove moisture or add it back into your home, you’re achieving healthy humidity levels, protecting your health and also wood floors or any tech that’s in your home.
It’s also going to help prevent static electricity, which is great news if you have extensive gaming setups or desktop systems.
Don’t Neglect Your Air Quality
When it comes to indoor air quality monitoring, prevention is the best care there is. It’s best to maintain your air quality before things go awry rather than after. Not only can this help everyone in your home stay their healthiest, but it can
Luckily, we can help you through every step of the way. Contact us today to get started.
