(Newswire.net — January 6, 2022) —
We take about 22,000 breaths every single day. We inhale the air around us without even thinking about it. It happens automatically.
That makes it more important than ever that the air we breathe is good for us. We spend most of our time indoors and in spaces that have less ventilation and airflow. It’s crucial that we focus on good air quality for these indoor spaces to support our own health in the long run.
Keep reading to learn more about the importance of indoor air quality and why you should strive to have the best.
What’s the Deal With Indoor Air Quality?
We tend to think of air pollution as something that can only happen outdoors, but it can happen inside, too. Particles or gases that are not normally part of the air can make their way inside, just as easily as they can be found outside.
These sorts of pollutants can be more naturally occurring, such as pollen or smoke that comes in from the outdoors. Or, they can be more harmful chemicals, like particles released from wood-burning stoves or vaporized cooking oils.
Some of these chemicals are known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs. They’re substances that vaporize at room temperature.
Sometimes they have an unpleasant smell, making it easy to figure out if there’s too much in your air. This is important because too much exposure can have long-term effects on your health.
When it comes to your home, VOCs are often found in products like cleaners, paints, air fresheners, or some furnishings like mattresses or carpets. The less ventilation in your home, the more pollutants like VOCs will build up in the air and impact your indoor air quality.
Good Air Quality Protects From Certain Health Issues
This is especially important if you or someone in your family has an underlying condition, such as asthma, heart conditions, or other lung conditions. Indoor air quality can have a direct impact on your respiratory system.
The better air quality in your home, the more likely you are to prevent certain health conditions. Some of the most commonly linked to poor indoor air quality are:
- Respiratory illnesses
- Throat and nasal illnesses (scratchy throats, sinus infections)
- Worsening of existing heart or lung conditions
- Headaches
- Allergic reactions
- Skin irritations
These health risks become even more of an issue if you’re exposed to poor indoor air quality for an extended period of time. It makes sense, therefore, to seek the best air quality for your home.
If you’re worried about whether or not you have good air quality in your indoor space, there are certain ways you can test it. Some methods you can do on your own, like buying specific monitors and installing carbon monoxide detectors. If you want a more comprehensive assessment, however, it might be best to hire a professional.
Healthy Air Quality Means Fewer Pollutants
The status of your indoor air quality usually depends on how many environmental pollutants can be found in the air. There are many common pollutants in both private and public spaces such as second-hand smoke, nitrogen dioxide, particles from building materials, or mold. But just because they’re common doesn’t mean we should be breathing them.
These sorts of pollutants can be organic, like mold or mildew, or manmade, like second-hand smoke or chemical pollutants. It would be difficult to get rid of pollutants entirely, but it’s important to try to improve air quality.
Certain air filters, like Discount Filters 20x25x1, can be used in your home or office to help remove certain pollutants from your air. They tend to work the best against particles like lint, pollen, dust, pet dander, and mold.
Better Air Quality, Lower Humidity
One of the other benefits of working to improve air quality in your indoor space is often lowering the humidity levels as well. When you install a proper HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system, it not only creates a safe and comfortable indoor space, but will also help improve humidity levels.
This can simply be more comfortable since we often find it difficult to be in humid spaces. If we’re somewhere with high humidity for too long, we can start to feel our energy dropping. It’s also more difficult for us to cool off when the humidity is high since it interferes with our built-in cooling system: sweating.
Reducing the humidity in your space can have a direct and positive impact on air pollutants as well. Mold and mildew thrive in humid spaces, and so the lower the humidity in the air, the more you can prevent mold and mildew from spreading.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
Aside from installing a proper HVAC system and ensuring that it’s always running well, there are other things you can do to make sure you have good air quality in your indoor space.
The easiest is to establish regular cleaning routines. This will help prevent dust from floating around in the air and remove any possible harmful bacteria. If you have particularly strong allergies or high sensitivity to pollen, cleaning routines will help in addition to keeping windows closed during times of the year with high pollen levels.
Make sure to wash whatever you can on a regular basis: pillowcases, sheets, blankets, mattress covers, curtains, towels, etc. Fabrics can collect allergens and pollutants, but washing them will help decrease how much they release back into the air.
In rooms like your kitchen or bathroom, focus on keeping surfaces and cabinets clean and dry. Run a fan after showering, fix any leaks, and clean up excess water right away. This will help keep mold from growing.
Take Care of Your Home and Yourself
Good air quality can support our overall health, especially for our heart and lungs. That’s what makes it so important to improve air quality when we can. Now that you know the benefits of better air quality, you can work on making your indoor spaces healthy and comfortable.
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