The Best Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality

The air quality in your home significantly affects your daily life. Prolonged exposure to indoor air pollutants such as mold (which is common in warm areas like Ocala and Huntington, FL) can lead to recurring allergies and may worsen respiratory and cardiovascular problems. How can you fight it? Take steps to enhance the indoor air quality (IAQ) to greatly reduce the risk of negative health effects and improve the overall comfort of your home

What Are the Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air pollution is caused by both manufactured and naturally occurring compounds, including these common ones:

Natural Air Pollutants: These include pollen, pet dander, dust, mold, mildew, ozone, and radon. Radon is a naturally occurring gas that comes from the ground and can seep into homes. It is estimated to cause around 21,000 annual lung cancer deaths in the United States.
Airborne Chemical Pollutants: These include substances such as formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen dioxide. They are released from materials like furniture, paint, and cleaning products or through combustion from gas-powered appliances, fireplaces, and other sources.

These compounds are common and generally safe at low levels. However, when their concentrations rise, they can seriously harm your health.

Common Symptoms of Bad Indoor Air Quality

Health experts warn against the short- and long-term effects of poor indoor air quality. The most common signs of poor IAQ are categorized as follows:

Respiratory issues include a runny nose, sinus congestion, cough, difficulty breathing, and sneezing.
Eye, nose, and throat irritations may present as watery or dry eyes, nausea, and nosebleeds.
Mental focus issues may present as “brain fog” or high irritability.

Symptoms usually resolve once you leave the house. However, long-term exposure may exacerbate symptoms until they rarely dissipate.

Three Effective Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality on a Budget

Enhancing indoor air quality is quite straightforward. By addressing the sources of indoor air pollution, homeowners can significantly improve their breathing conditions in no time!

1. Address Primary Causes

To keep indoor dust and allergens, such as tree pollen, to a minimum, it is important to clean your home regularly. Dusting, vacuuming, and sweeping are the most effective. If you have allergies, you may need to do these tasks daily, particularly when pollen levels are high. During Central Florida’s long allergy season, consider keeping your windows closed, especially in the afternoon when pollen levels peak. Pet owners should also clean frequently.

Additionally, do not allow smoking in your home, and make sure to use your kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans to remove cooking smoke and control humidity levels.

2. Control Humidity Levels

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends maintaining indoor humidity levelsbetween 30% and 50% year-round. Optimal humidity levels mitigate mold and mildew growth, keep dust mite populations in check, and keep you more comfortable inside your home.

3. Use and Maintain Your HVAC System

Nothing supports healthy indoor air quality quite like a well-maintained HVAC system. Routinely using your heating or cooling system promotes airflow and maintains humidity at the right level. You can also run a whole-home air filtration system.

Change your air filter every 1-3 months to keep your HVAC system performing optimally. Households with underlying health conditions, or with pets, may benefit from replacing the filter more frequently. Additionally, ensure your system is inspected annually.

Can Indoor Plants Improve Air Quality?

The answer is both yes and no. Many viral blog posts and news articles have claimed that certain houseplants can improve indoor air quality. However, more recent studies show that while plants can remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air, achieving a significant impact in real-world settings would require an extraordinary number of plants. Approximately 1,000 plants would be needed per square meter of floor space to effectively clean indoor air. This means that a typical 1,500-square-foot home would require about 680 plants to see measurable results.

We’re Ocala’s Indoor Air Quality Experts

Indoor air quality is simply too important to leave unaddressed. For fast, affordable indoor air quality analysis and support, we’re here to help. You can always count on our friendly and professional technicians to make informed recommendations and complete work correctly the first time!

To schedule HVAC, electrical, or plumbing services in Ocala, Huntington, and the surrounding areas, call 352-329-3740 or contact us online.