Want to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality? Avoid These 3 Things

Would you believe it if we told you the air inside your home is likely more polluted than the air outdoors? According to the EPA, it’s true, and that stands even if you live in a bustling metropolitan area like the Twin Cities where outdoor pollution levels can get fairly bad. In fact, the EPA says indoor pollution levels are typically up to five times higher than outdoor levels. Yikes.

What is it that makes indoor air quality so much worse than outdoor air quality? Lots of things, but some culprits have a bigger impact than others. And if you want to clean up your indoor air, you’ll definitely want to avoid those things. What are they? Read on to find out.

Inadequate Ventilation

Does your home get plenty of fresh air flowing through it? Because if it doesn’t get enough, indoor pollutants can easily build to levels that may pose health risks. To allow enough fresh air into your home to keep indoor pollution levels from rising, you’ll want to avoid keeping your windows closed all the time. For more simple ways to improve indoor ventilation, check out cdc.gov.

Did you know plants can add more clean air to your home? If you have a green thumb, try adding these plants to home to improve your indoor air quality.

Dirty Air Filters

Are you inconsistent about swapping out your HVAC filters? If so, you’ll want to change your ways stat. Keeping your air filters clean is the simplest thing you can do to boost your indoor air quality, and changing out those filters takes less than a minute of your time. If you want clean air circulating into your living spaces, you can’t have filthy filters hanging out in your HVAC system.

For more simple ways to clean up your indoor air, check out these 4 Easy Indoor Air Quality Hacks.

Volatile Organic Compounds

According to the EPA, concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be up to 10 times higher indoors than outdoors. Where do VOCs come from? A wide variety of products, and there’s a good chance you use or are exposed to several of them every day. VOCs are found in:

●        Paints and varnishes

●        Cosmetic products (aerosols, nail products, etc.)

●        Hygiene products

●        Household cleaning products and disinfectants

●        Plastics

●        Hobby products

●        Pesticides

●        Air fresheners

The above is by no means a comprehensive list. There are thousands of everyday products that emit these harmful compounds, and if you want to improve your indoor air quality, it’s in your best interest to stop keeping them/using them around the house. For more information about the health risks of VOC exposure, check out EPA.gov.

Dust Doctors Provides Indoor Air Quality Solutions for Twin Cities Homes

At Dust Doctors, we can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your indoor air quality high, especially throughout winter when you spend more time at home. So if you’re ready to clean up your indoor air, we’re ready to help you do it! To learn more about our services and how we can help, please call our Little Canada, MN office today at 651-319-9777 or contact us online, and we’ll be in touch with more info!