3 Things That Ruin Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
Have you recently cleaned and dusted your house? Are you aware that you may still have dust particles, pollutants, and VOCs lurking in the air around you, making it unhealthy for you to breathe in that air? Discover the following three surprising things that can ruin your air quality.
Dust
Your daily cleaning routine may make your house look clean, but is your house free of dust? Dust lurks everywhere, from the surface of your furniture to your kitchen table and baby products. Since dust can travel through the air, you’ll find it accumulating on surfaces you may have previously cleaned.
Dust may also live in your HVAC system and dryer unit. Do you know that clothes can create dust as well? Everything you use can create dust which can get expelled into the air around you.
Researchers have identified close to 45 toxic chemicals in dust, chemicals which may be lurking since you painted your home or used cleaning agents. While dusting may be the obvious way to get rid of dust, dust can enter back into your home through air ducts and other sneaky sources.
Your HVAC System
Your HVAC system can be responsible for poor indoor air quality. A dirty air filter not only reduces the lifespan of your HVAC system, but it can also increase your energy bills. Dust can enter the blower compartment of your unit, a part that acts as the insulator for the system’s evaporator coil, fan motor, and heat exchanger.
Dust (see section above) can also enter your house through pollutants traveling through ducts, which can pose hazards to your health. Dust can impact your body’s natural oil glands and cause frequent coughing.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) Inside Your Home
VOCs are gases emitted from certain liquids or solids. VOC concentration can be higher indoors, and they can include a variety of chemicals that pose long- or short-term adverse health effects. Household materials such as varnishes, paints, organic solvents, and other cleaning agents can emit VOCs, which can ruin your home’s indoor air quality.
Do you know that materials as common as fuels, hobby supplies, and office supplies such as correction fluids and printer ink may be polluting the air with VOCs? Common health effects caused by VOCs include headaches, nausea, fatigue, allergic skin reactions, nose and throat discomfort, and conjunctival (eye) irritation. In more extreme cases, exposure to VOCs may cause damage to the liver, kidney, and nervous system.
Besides these impacts, the objects you use every day may be causing you to get sick by ruining your indoor air quality as well. From bacteria-infested showerheads and bath mats to bedsheets, hidden mold, and cleaning products, you may be facing health risks you are not aware of. Even the vacuum cleaner you use can contribute to more pollutants around you if you don’t change the bag inside the unit.
Understanding what pollutes the indoor air around you can help you to clean your home better and help you stay healthier.
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