When many people think about air quality, things like car exhaust and billowing smoke from industrial plants come to mind. Outdoor air pollution is concerning, but even the air inside your home can be polluted. In fact, indoor air is typically far more polluted than outdoor air. This pollution can harm your health and your belongings in many alarming ways.
Understanding Poor Indoor Air Quality
If you keep your doors and windows closed, you might assume that it’s protected from outdoor pollutants. However, by sealing off your home, you’re trapping pollutants inside and allowing them to accumulate in denser quantities than you find outdoors. Smoking, cleaning with chemical products, cooking, and even bringing certain items inside your home introduce pollutants. Some of the most common pollutants in homes today are carbon monoxide, mold, dust, dander, mildew, and dust mites.
Poor Indoor Air Quality and Your Health
Lower indoor air quality can make your home smell musty or dirty, but that shouldn’t be your primary concern. When exposed to polluted air at home, many people will suffer from symptoms like fatigue, dizziness, headaches, irritated eyes, sore throats, stuffy noses, and more. Poor indoor air quality is also linked to serious health problems, including some types of cancer, heart disease, and chronic respiratory issues. It even plays a role in mental health and cognition.
The Impact of Poor Air Quality on Your Belongings
Poor indoor air quality can indicate lurking risks. For example, if your home’s air quality is negatively impacted by mold spores, you should look for mold growth on drywall, underneath cabinets, on furniture, underneath flooring, and more. Mold can stain and even destroy the surfaces it grows on. Significant amounts of dust, dander, and other tiny particles in your air could harm your HVAC system. A dirty HVAC system often works harder than it should, which leads to repair problems and even the premature need for a full replacement. Dust and dirt affect all of your electronics and appliances in the same way.
What You Can Do to Improve Indoor Air Quality
The best way to learn about your home’s air quality is through professional testing. After completing the test, your HVAC technician will offer tailored recommendations to improve air quality. Some of the solutions may include cleaning air ducts, improving ventilation, tackling mold growth, and more.
As a rule of thumb, your home’s air quality should be tested every one to two years. Schedule an appointment with Waccamaw Cooling in Myrtle Beach, SC for all of your indoor air quality needs.
