What comes to mind when you think about air pollution? Big city smog? Factories belching black smoke into the air? Car exhaust? While all of these can contribute to outdoor atmospheric pollution, there’s another type of pollution you should be thinking about: indoor air pollution. They say we spend about 87% of our lives indoors. From The National Human Activity Pattern Survey1:
NHAPS respondents reported spending an average of 87% of their time in enclosed buildings and about 6% of their time in enclosed vehicles.
Given that we were trapped indoors even more in 2020, and probably continuing into 2021 (thanks to COVID-19 pandemic), you would think we would consider the quality of air in our homes and offices more often. Thankfully, the knowledgeable experts at Dor-Mar Heating & Air Conditioning have compiled a list of things you can do to improve your home’s indoor air quality.
Typical Indoor Air Pollutants
Indoor air pollutants are considered any type of contaminant brought indoors. They can range from relatively harmless contaminants like pollen or dirt brought into your home (by pets or humans) to deadly contaminants like asbestos (in older homes) to deadly carbon monoxide gas. Mold and mildew can because a nuisance where moisture levels are higher than the rest of the house, like kitchens, bathrooms and basements.
Following are seven things you can do right now to improve your home’s indoor air quality.
HVAC Filter Change
Heating and air conditioning systems are working round the clock most of the year to keep your home at the ideal comfortable temperature for your family. While that air is circulating around in your home’s HVAC system, it gets filtered. If filters get clogged, they won’t work as well, and can cause major problems with your heating and cooling system. We recommend checking your filters monthly, and replacing as frequently as necessary. Want to learn more about HVAC filters? Read it here.
Other Filters That Protect the Air
The air filters in your home HVAC system aren’t the only ones that work hard to keep the air clean in your home. An additional step is to check the filters in your other household appliances:
- Be sure to keep your clothes dryer lint trap cleaned on every load
- Clean or replace your range hood filters frequently
- Replace the filters in your vacuum cleaner
All of these filters do additional work of helping remove foreign particles from your home’s air.
Inspect Air Ducts
Your home’s heating and air conditioning system has ductwork that runs throughout the structure to distribute warm or cool air, the return it to the furnace’s blower motor. Ducts that are not properly installed, have leaks, or cleaned from time to time can distribute contaminants throughout the house. Mold, dust and dander can accumulate in your ducts, reducing the overall air quality and causing your HVAC filters to clog faster. Consider getting your ducts checked and cleaned by a professional HVAC contractor like Dor-Mar. See details on duct cleaning here.
Ventilation in the Kitchen
Gas stoves can release harmful contaminants that include nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. Electric burners on a stove produce those same pollutants at lower levels. The range hood fan may or may not move the air outside the home, but if it’s installed correctly it will filter out contaminants. When cooking, be sure to run a filtered range hood fan, and if possible, open a window to draw fresh air. And keep that filter clean.
Carpets and Rug Maintenance
Carpets and rugs in your actually do more than just soften the walking experience in your home. The also work as air filters, trapping dust and other particles in their fibers. Carpets should be vacuumed weekly, and shampooed from time to time to remove excess dust, dirt and dander.
Humidity Control is Key
Mold and mildew breed from humid and moist conditions in the bathroom, kitchen, basement and crawlspaces of your home. They can trigger sometimes severe respiratory problems like asthma and allergies. In southern states, the summer months are especially humid. And if you’ve been in Ohio for any length of time, you know there are those dog days that are incredibly muggy. Fortunately, a well-maintained air conditioner removes moisture from the air while cooling. A whole-house humidifier and/or de-humidifier allows you to control your home’s moisture level year round. See our article on humidity control for complete details.
Oxygen from Live Plants
Did you know that houseplants are like a natural air filter? A reasonable number of indoor plants can do wonders to improve the indoor air quality of your home. And they are also known to add to a sense of wellbeing by releasing oxygen into the air and removing carbon dioxide. Larger palms, and smaller plants like ferns and lilies are some of the best known options to help remove indoor air contaminants.
Dor-Mar to the Rescue!
Schedule an appointment for HVAC system troubleshooting or maintenance with us today by using our online contact form, or call one of our seven neighborhood offices listed below. We pride ourselves on our customer-focused service, and our reviews show it.
NEWARK 740.345.6639 • COLUMBUS 614.238.6689 • DUBLIN 614.545.8939 • REYNOLDSBURG 614.365.1579 • WESTERVILLE 614.381.1540 • GROVE CITY 614.595.3098 • ZANESVILLE 740.454.2420
Dor-Mar…Your Climate Hero!
*Please note: neither the Centers for Disease Control(CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), nor the manufacturer of our UV-C Devices have officially announced whether UV-C kills the current strain of Corona Virus (COVID-19). We urge you to err on the side of caution until we have a definitive answer, and take other measures to prevent the acquisition or spread of this virus.
