Have you ever considered the quality of the air that we inhale into our bodies? In the outdoors, it can be difficult to control the air quality with so much environmental pollution from cars, factories, and power plants across our cities. When we are safely indoors, it is much easier to manage the quality of the air. With the help of certain indoor air quality products, you can turn your residence into a little oasis that smells and feels rejuvenating.
The indoor air quality is so important because it can greatly affect your mood, your health, and the overall feel of your home. If you have noticed more headaches, dizzy spells, or other inexplicable health problems, this may be due to the poor air quality inside your living quarters. Without realizing it, you may have breathed in harmful airborne toxins that are detrimental to your well-being. In these instances, you should have the air in your residence tested carefully and inspected thoroughly.
The test may reveal certain items around your house that contribute to the poor air quality. Below are the six common causes of poor indoor air quality with a detailed explanation to describe each culprit:
1. Mold
Just the thought of mold growing in your home is probably enough to send shivers down your spine. Nobody wants mold growing under their bathroom tiles or beneath the drywall in the kitchen. It may seem unavoidable, based on the amount of damp air in those locations. Mold can be tricky to get rid of, since it takes very little to for the spores to grow back quickly. It gets worse when you realize these mold spores can float through the air, bringing on a whole myriad of respiratory, skin, and digestive problems.
If you think mold is lowering the indoor air quality in your home, it’s best to call in trusted professionals who can remove the problem for you. You can perform a quick test by checking the wood and carpeting in your home, particularly in moist areas like the kitchen or bathroom, where mold is likelier to grow.
2. Air fresheners
Air fresheners are unexpected culprits for poor indoor air quality, since many homeowners use them to make their rooms smell better. However, they do contribute to the low-quality air found in your home. This is because most air fresheners send toxic chemicals floating into your house’s atmosphere.
If you want to improve your home’s air quality, do yourself a favour and throw away all scented air fresheners. There are other ways to make your home smell great without impacting the indoor air quality. One perfect alternative is scented candles, which come in thousands of variations. Find one that you love and make it your signature scent instead of those harmful air fresheners.
3. Poor ventilation
Ventilation has an important role in the indoor air quality. Without the proper ventilation systems, there is no room for the air to circulate or escape from your house. As a result, the air will always feel very stuffy and musky.
To combat this, make sure you have proper ventilation installed throughout the house, particularly in the bathroom and kitchen areas. Most bathrooms already come with an overhead vent to suck the moisture out of a room, particularly after a shower. Turning on the overhead vent will help keep your bathroom dry and free of mold. Similarly, kitchens also come with their own ventilation systems. Remember to use the kitchen vents to remove steam as you cook, bake, and run hot water.
4. Cigarette smoke
There is a reason why hotels and business establishments often prohibit smoking indoors. This is because smoking contaminates the indoor air and it can be tough to remove the contamination. Not only is the smell bad, but the leftover smoke is harmful in other ways as well. For regular smokers, it may be tough to make your home a smoke-free area. However, you will enjoy the benefits of cleaner and fresher air to breathe, which will help you towards better health.
5. Common household appliances
Certain household appliances are notorious causes of poor indoor air quality. Appliances like gas ranges, stoves, and water heaters may wreak havoc on the quality of air in your home. When these appliances are not installed properly, gas can leak and seep into the air. Poorly ventilated kitchens or basements only exacerbate the problem.
To avoid this, make sure that all appliances are properly installed by the HVAC professional. If you are still worried, there is always the option to get your home’s indoor air quality tested.
6. Furniture
Surprisingly, even your furniture may lower the quality of breathable air in your home. When your chairs, sofas, and couches come from factories and moved into your home, they may emit noxious gases and vapours. This is because a lot of furniture are treated with flame resistant chemicals for safety purposes, except these chemicals also contribute to the toxic air quality in your home.
Fortunately, there are eco-friendly furniture alternatives available on the market that do not contain these chemicals. You just need to be smart and do the proper research with your furniture choices.
