4 Simple Tips to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Do you suffer from indoor allergies or respiratory irritation? Improving your indoor air quality can make a massive difference in the severity of your symptoms. According to the EPA, the quality of the air we breathe indoors is up to 10 times worse than outdoor air, which means we’re living in polluted homes — even if we don’t realize it.

If you’re ready to improve the air you breathe inside your home, read on to learn four easy-to-implement tips for reducing indoor air pollution from the experts at Dust Doctors.

Reduce or Eliminate Indoor Irritants

The first thing you must do to improve your indoor air quality is identify the substances that negatively affect your indoor air. They include:

●        Chemicals. Carbon monoxide, radon, and residues from chemical-based cleaning products can seriously contaminate your indoor air. You’ll need to test your home for these substances.

●        Volatile organic compounds. These types of irritants are super common anywhere you go, and they can cause respiratory irritation even if they don’t trigger an immune response. Several common household items, including woods stains and finishes, formaldehyde, acetone, glue, paint, candles, smoke, mothballs, chlorinated tap water, and many others contain VOCs that can harm your health.

●        Allergens. Pet dander, pollen, pests, rodents, and a variety of other allergens exist inside your home. If you have allergies, these things likely trigger an immune response, which can result in respiratory issues, congestion, and other bothersome symptoms.

Once you’ve identified sources of indoor air pollution, do your best to reduce or eliminate them to improve the quality of your indoor air.

Ensure Proper Household Ventilation

The Environmental Protection Agency has found that one of the most effective (and easiest!) things you can do to reduce indoor air pollution is to properly ventilate your home. If you’re struggling with irritating symptoms caused by poor indoor air quality, try these tips:

●        Open windows. Keeping several windows open for as little as 15-20 minutes can significantly improve indoor air quality. Ideally, you should open them during the coolest part of the day.

●        Use exhaust fans. If it’s not breezy enough to allow for good airflow with your windows open, try opening the doors too. Place exhaust fans near open doors to direct indoor air outside.

●        Use window fans or air conditioners. Periodically running a window air conditioner or window fans can help circulate indoor air out of your home and bring an influx of fresh air in from the outdoors. 

Schedule Professional Duct Cleaning

If you’ve never had your household ductwork cleaned, there’s no time like the present to have it done. Though you may not realize it, your ducts collect a substantial amount of dust and other debris over time because your HVAC system continually re-circulates your indoor air.

As that air continually travels through the ductwork and into your living spaces, it carries with it particulate matter, which negatively impacts your indoor air quality. Things like dust mites, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, and a variety of other microscopic substances can cause respiratory irritation and other bothersome symptoms.

Fortunately, routine, professional duct cleaning can help mitigate that buildup and significantly reduce indoor air pollution. To maintain clean indoor air, most households should schedule duct cleaning at two-year intervals. If you have pets or allergies, annual cleanings are typically recommended.

Rethink Your Flooring

You might not realize it, but if your home features wall-to-wall carpet, it’s harboring hundreds of thousands (probably millions) of dust mites and other allergens. If you whipped out a microscope, you’d find nearly 100,000 dust mites in just a single square yard of carpeting — gross.

If you currently have carpeted rooms or large area rugs around your home, it may be time to consider new flooring options. Because any type of carpet-like material can accumulate a substantial amount of microscopic debris, these types of flooring can seriously diminish your indoor air quality. It’s best to opt for hard flooring, such as tile, wood, or laminate, if you suffer from indoor allergies or simply want to breathe cleaner indoor air.

If you suffer from indoor allergies or any type of indoor respiratory irritation, get in touch with our team at Dust Doctors today. We specialize in helping Twin Cities residents improve the quality of their indoor air through advanced duct cleaning techniques, furnace cleaning, a/c cleaning, and air purification system installation. To schedule an appointment, get a free quote, or learn more about our services, contact our Little Canada, MN office today at 651-319-9777 or message us on our contact page.