As a follow up to our most recent blog post on improving the air quality inside your home, here are a few more tips we’d like to share with you. As always, we highly recommend consulting with a professional prior to any major indoor air quality improvements in order to maximize your efforts and budget. Now for the tips!
· Keep your floors and surfaces clean. While this may seem like a no-brainer in the context of this article, many don’t automatically associate dirty floors and surfaces to poor indoor air quality. By properly cleaning these surfaces (yes, mopping included), you’ll give the air less of a chance to pick up dust, dirt and allergen particles and help keep your inside air fresh and easy to breathe. This also includes vacuuming carpets!
· Maintain a healthy humidity level in your home. Dust mites and mold love moisture. Keeping humidity around 30%-50% helps keep them and other allergens under control. You can use a dehumidifier to effectively lower your humidity levels. Fixing faulty plumbing is another great way to reduce the humidity levels or your home. Many HVAC units also have humidity settings—learn these settings and adjust according to your home’s needs. Doing some simple things such as opening windows is also a great way to keep humidity down in most cases.
· Test for harmful chemicals and gases. While harmful gases and chemicals such as carbon monoxide and radon are byproducts of poor indoor air quality, not causes, they are extremely important to point out in this post. Regularly testing (or testing constantly in the case of a CO monitor) can help keep you and your family safe in your home.
· Have ultraviolet air treatment performed. Home contractors and industry professionals can perform ultraviolet air treatment to help you go the extra mile to eliminate airborne contaminants. Ultraviolet coil lamps and ultraviolet catalytic air purifiers can provide the ultimate in clean air, these devices convert odors, fumes and toxic chemicals into harmless water and carbon dioxide by-products with no ozone generation.
As mentioned above and in the previous post, it’s always best to have a professional assess your home’s unique situation when it comes to indoor air quality. We hope you enjoyed this series and picked up a few tips to help you improve your indoor air quality and breathe a little easier.
