On average, Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors. And the majority of this time is spent not only indoors but in the comfort of our own homes. 

Because your home is a place where you’re comfortable, you probably don’t often consider the invisible particles around you. There’s a saying: What you can’t see won’t hurt you. 

Well…this isn’t exactly true. The truth is that air pollution is a common problem in many indoor spaces. So it’s never too early to start prioritizing healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home. 

If you’re a homeowner, then this article is for you. Read on to learn how to improve your indoor air quality. We’ll also cover how proper air condition service and repair (i.e., air duct cleaning service) can make a huge difference in your home’s air quality.

What Causes Air Pollution?

Before moving into solutions for air quality, it’s important to cover what causes air pollution. Many factors contribute to this problem. As a homeowner, you must be vigilant when looking out for these common causes. 

Allergens

An allergen is any substance that causes an allergic reaction. The most typical allergens are dust, pet dander, and mold.

Allergens interfere with good indoor air quality because they can make it difficult to breathe. This has both immediate and long-term health effects.

Outdoor Air

Even when you’re indoors, outdoor air can negatively affect your indoor air quality. Whenever you enter/exit your home, you’re letting in pollen and unknown gasses. These substances are changing the air quality of your home even if you don’t realize it.

Humidity

Humidity is a huge factor when it comes to healthy indoor air quality. If you have humidity in your home, it exacerbates other negative factors at play—for example, humidity results in higher dust mite levels.

Inconsistent Home Temperatures

A common frustration for homeowners is to have some rooms in the house that are hotter or colder than others. These inconsistent home temperatures are annoying, but they’re also detrimental to your air quality.

This is because inconsistent temperatures mean that some rooms have more dust build-up than others. When you clean, you typically dedicate the same energy to every room. But if some of your rooms have more allergens than others, your air quality won’t improve.

Pests

It goes without saying that pests aren’t great for air quality. Pests are attracted to dirt, crumbs, and damp/moldy areas of your house. Dirt and mold are bad for air quality on their own, but once pests get involved, it only gets worse.

Common pests include ants, cockroaches, mice, and spiders. 

Carpets

Having lots of fabric in the home can increase the number of dust mites and pet dander. This is because fabric acts as a perfect shelter for these substances.

Therefore, carpets are a huge culprit for bad air quality in the home. Pets lay on them, people walk on them, and they retain most of whatever lands on them. And, unlike a blanket, you can’t just throw your carpet in the washer.

Active/Recent Leaks

If left unchecked, active or recent leaks result in mold. Mold can be an invisible problem for a long time before it reveals itself to you. As an allergen, mold is very bad for air quality.

Why Should You Monitor Your Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?

There are two key reasons why monitoring IAQ is important as a homeowner. Here’s a brief rundown of each.

Health Complications

There are many health complications associated with poor air quality. They can be divided into two categories: Immediate and long-term.

Immediate

Immediate health complications can include:

• Headache
• Cough
• Itchiness of throat, eyes, nose
• Sneezing
• Fatigue/insomnia
• Dizziness

All of these symptoms might seem harmless, but over time they can become detrimental. You can buy allergy medicine to control them. But if your air quality doesn’t improve, the symptoms won’t go away.

Long-Term

Being in a home with poor air quality for an extended period of time can result in worse long-term complications:

• Respiratory diseases/infections (ex. pneumonia)
• Cancer
• Heart disease

These types of diseases can remain hidden for a while before symptoms arise. So, even if you don’t have short-term symptoms, it’s a good idea to prioritize air quality in your home.

Preserving Your Home

As a homeowner, you might not realize the toll that poor air quality can take on your home. It can have foundational consequences if moisture/humidity is building up. This could compromise the stability of your home.

Over time, this will put your safety at risk. It will also cause your home to depreciate if you ever decide to sell it.

Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Luckily, there are several ways to improve your indoor air quality. Making an effort to take care of the air around you can save you from experiencing health or foundational complications.

Regular Cleaning

There’s nothing a good deep-clean can’t fix. But you need to make sure that you clean regularly. This includes vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, and reducing clutter. 

Everyone has clutter. But clutter and carpets are the two biggest culprits for hiding dust. Keeping things tidy and vacuumed will make a huge difference in your air quality.

Invest in Air Condition Service and Repair

Having a well-installed, high-quality air conditioner is a priority when it comes to air quality. Investing in one will help ensure that all of your rooms are temperature controlled. This will help reduce moisture, humidity, and the overall amount of allergens in your home.

Pay Attention to Irregularities

Catching irregularities in your house early will save you a lot of trouble. This means you should constantly be on the lookout for mold, leaks, and pests.

One place that people forget to look for mold is in their plants. Mold grows in your plants when you overwater them. Keep an eye on your plants and only water them when the soil is dry. 

Find an Air Duct Cleaning Service

Comprehensive maintenance for your air ducts is key. A lot of dust build-up happens in your air ducts. Having a professional clean them is an effective way to improve air quality.

Additionally, it functions as indoor air quality testing. A professional can let you know if the dust build-up in your air ducts is normal or not. 

Keep Your Home Healthy With Minnick’s Services

Now that you know the importance of having healthy indoor air quality, you might be wondering where you can find the best professionals to help you. If you’re in the state of Maryland, look no further. Minnick’s has you covered.

We offer air condition service and repair. This includes maintenance like air duct cleaning service to help keep your home air fresh. We understand that your indoor air quality (IAQ) can be 4-5 times more polluted than outside.

We make it our priority to keep you healthy in your home. Contact us today to schedule an in-person or virtual appointment!