Indoor air quality is just as important as outdoor air quality, but many people don’t realize it. Poor air quality can have major effects on your family’s health, particularly if you live in an older home that may not have been built to modern-day standards. To protect your family from potentially harmful pollutants, you need to learn how to monitor your home’s indoor air quality and what steps you can take to mitigate poor conditions. Indoor air pollution can come from things like mold, dust mites, bacteria, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by household products and furniture. Fortunately, there are ways to monitor the air in your home so you can catch any problems before they become severe health risks.
What Should I Be Monitoring?
For homeowners, indoor air quality is often an afterthought. However, it should really be a primary consideration. Keeping your indoor air clean and clear of contaminants ensures that you are breathing safe air that isn’t likely to cause health problems. At some point in time, most people will suffer from allergies or sensitivity toward certain chemicals. Before determining what kind of contaminants are inside your home, it’s important to consider how many pets you have and how many plants you own. In addition, keep track of new purchases made around your home including furniture, paintings, and cleaning products.
What Are The Benefits Of Monitoring?
Perhaps one of the biggest health crises in our country is environmental pollution. Pollution inside and outside your home can have a serious impact on your health and quality of life. There are multiple types of pollutants that can pose a risk to you and your family’s well-being. When it comes to air quality monitoring in your home, there are various ways to do so. The easiest way is to get an air purifier or similar system to help filter out contaminants. You can also have a professional come inspect your home for a more detailed overview.
Indoor Air Purifiers
If you live in an old house where you suspect there might be mold growth or other air quality issues, we recommend installing a whole-house air purifier. Unlike an air conditioner, indoor air purifiers work by actively removing harmful pollutants such as smoke, dust, and pet dander from your indoor air. Some remove common allergens like pollen and mold spores as well. Even if you don’t suffer from allergies or asthma, it may be worth it to invest in a high-quality air purifier to reduce illness and for peace of mind. One final thing to consider: make sure the company that you’re buying from has a support team for air purifier troubleshooting in case anything goes wrong with your system.
Air Fresheners
You may also want to consider using personalized air fresheners and deodorizers to add an extra clean feel to your space. With so many brands and scents available, you have lots of options for freshening up your indoor air. But make sure that whatever you choose is healthy for your space. It’s a good idea to avoid products that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are harmful pollutants known to cause respiratory issues. Look for safer alternatives that don’t contribute chemicals or allergens back into your environment.
Home Performance
A home’s indoor air quality is a huge factor in overall comfort and well-being. Pollutants that aren’t necessarily seen can still be dangerous, especially for those with allergies or asthma. While there are ways to detect some of these pollutants, you may not realize how much dust, mold, or pollen is building up in your home or apartment. Luckily, there are plenty of options when it comes to measuring indoor air quality in your home.
Conducting a home energy audit is a good first step in ensuring good air quality in your home. Cracks in windows and door frames can allow contaminants to enter or can cause clean air to be lost. Making sure that everything is sealed properly can save you money and improve your overall health in the long run. Another good step is hiring a home performance contractor to come and inspect your space to give you recommendations on how to improve your indoor air quality. When your home performance is at the highest level possible, you can breathe easy knowing that your air safety is under control.
BPI Certified Professionals
As you research indoor air quality for your home, consider hiring a BPI Certified Professional. These building professionals have been trained and tested by Building Performance Institute, Inc. on how to evaluate and correct indoor air quality problems in homes. They are knowledgeable about mold as well as many other types of pollutants that can threaten your family’s health. A BPI Certified Professional will be able to examine your home and make recommendations on what types of ventilation system would be best for you and your family, whether that’s a simple solution like turning on a fan or complex changes that require new windows or ventilation ductwork modifications.
The holiday season is upon us and we all know what that means, a time for all the friends and families to come together and enjoy the Christmas and New Years festivities.
And the best part, with the holiday sales around the corner, you can do a whole lot of home upgrades with fewer funds.Here are the top 8 home upgrades to consider before the holiday season.Underfloor Heating (Especially the Bathroom)Its winter, no one wants to step barefoot on to a cold floor.
Additional benefits of underfloor heating are improved energy efficiency, thermal comfort and indoor air quality as compared to the forced-air heating systems.Smart ThermostatWhile you’re busy tending to your house guests, a smart thermostat will tend to your heating needs.
A smart thermostat will automatically adjust its setting based on the indoor space occupancy, which means you longer have to recall if you adjusted the thermostat.
Looking at the current emergency situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is extremely important that your home can provide a healthy indoor air quality while ensuring harmful air pollutants, including COVID-19, are eliminated.HVAC UpgradesYou’ve been meaning to upgrade your HVAC system but haven’t done it yet?
Fall is like the sweet spot since its not too hot or too cold, which should be the perfect time for you prepare for the ‘winter is here’ days.
What's Home Improvement?Why You Need to Just Conduct Business with a Certified ContractorKinds of ContractorsWhat's Home Improvement?Home improvement is the repair, maintenance, restoration, or improvement of real property that is residential.
To get a permit, a contractor must:Have two years trade experience;provide evidence of financial solvency;make payments into the Home Improvement Guaranty Fund; andpass an examination on home enhancement law and standard business proficiency.Contractors are screened for criminal convictions.Doing business with a certified contractor offers you protection against the Maryland Home Improvement Commission's Guaranty Fund for reductions up to $20,000 per lien which result from inferior workmanship along with additional offenses of the Home Improvement Law.
Kinds of ContractorsContractors little and Big differ in their methods of performance, but usually fall into one of four classes:Chain Stores National, regional, and local chain stores that have their very own home improvement sections.
They have a permanent address, stand by their own warranties, and might be expected to stay in business in years ahead, although their costs might be on the side of this scale.Commercial Places Businesses that specialize in home improvement work and function from a stationary business office at a commercial site.
They provide the materials and the job is done by their workers.
The majority stand by their own warranties, competitive in cost, and are dependable.Home-Based Companies Contractors Working from their houses.
