Spring has arrived in South Georgia, and pollen is heavy in the air. Ensuring that you monitor your indoor air quality (IAQ) around this time is imperative to maintaining your health and well-being as well as the well-being of your family.
Pollen is just one of the many outdoor air pollutants that can cause severe health issues in the event of poor IAQ. Other potential pollutants (indoor and outdoor) include dust mites, excess moisture, emissions from fuel-burning appliances, and radon. All of these can decrease your residence’s air quality if not kept in check.
IAQ is, as one can guess from the name, the air quality of a building and how it impacts the health and safety of its occupants. High levels of pollutants can cause the residents to grow sick. In the worst-case scenario, poor indoor air quality could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning or otherwise fatal conditions.
Other conditions that can be caused by poor indoor air quality include, but are not limited to:
- Allergic Reactions
- Scratchy Throat
- Runny Nose
- Complications for Heart and Lung Conditions
- Coughing
- Headaches
- Complications for Asthma
- Cancer
- Eye Irritation
- Dizziness
Prolonged exposure can be especially dangerous, as it could cause lasting damage to your body. Keeping up with key preventative maintenance checks on your home’s appliances can ensure you keep exposure to those harmful pollutants to a minimum.
Some indications of poor air quality are unexplainable odors or condensation. Other indications are harder to spot. An indoor air quality monitoring device can be useful in these situations. They can detect if there are high levels of pollutants in an indoor environment so you can take the necessary steps to improve indoor air quality in your home.
How Do I Improve Indoor Air Quality?
There are many different methods for improving the indoor air quality inside your home. Some may seem obvious, while others may come as a surprise.
Clean, clean, clean
Cleaning your house can be key to ridding your house of nasty allergens and dust mites. Rugs, couches, and carpets can all trap indoor air pollutants inside and cause health issues. Make sure to clean the dust that collects on your fan!
Let Fresh Air In
You may worry that this will risk letting outdoor pollutants into your home, but allowing fresh air to circulate inside your home can actually help improve indoor air quality. You can do this by opening windows or doors on nice days.
Change Air Filters
To keep your air clean, it’s important to routinely change your air filter! A dirty air filter can reduce indoor air quality and increase your energy bill. Make sure to change at least every three months so you can have higher indoor air quality and lower energy bills.
Keep Up With HVAC Maintenance
Your HVAC system is your number one defense against air pollutants. It helps keep fresh air circulating throughout your air. Keeping up with regularly scheduled HVAC maintenance keeps those systems working at peak performance, and allows them to be checked for and cleaned of anything that might be decreasing the indoor air quality in your home.
Turn to the Pros for HVAC Solutions
If you’re looking for a heating and air company to help you improve the air quality of your home, call Deal’s Heating and Air today. Family-owned and operated since 1975, our company philosophy is to provide honest, dependable services along with flat-rate pricing, 24/7 emergency services, and a one-year guarantee with 100% satisfaction on all work that we perform.
Our HVAC services are available to homeowners and business owners in Statesboro, Brooklet, Sylvania, Claxton, Metter, Millen, Pembroke, Portal, Register, Rock Ford, Twin City, GA, and nearby areas.
