Indoor Air Quality: The Good, The Bad & The Unhealthy

Let’s find out some important information about the causes of poor indoor air quality, how it affects us, and what we can do to achieve that oh-so-desirable outcome of good indoor air quality.

Come along with me. Let’s take a journey through the bad and the good of indoor air quality. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here with you till the very end.

Indoor air quality is the purity of the air in a specified area. It describes how inside air can affect a person’s health, comfort and ability to work. It is determined by the level of dust, suspended particles and pollutants that are present. Since we don’t have all day, here are just some of the factors that can affect indoor air quality.

One of those chemicals is paint. Paints give off gases known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that have an impact on you and your family’s health, such as eye, nose and throat irritation, breathing problems, headaches, nausea, loss of coordination, damage to organs and even cancer.

VOCs can linger for many months after being applied to a surface, and in some circumstances can last for years. That’s a scary thing to breathe. By the way, where do you store your nearly empty paint cans?

If your answer is somewhere in your home or garage, you may need to find a different place to store them that isn’t connected to your home. Also, choosing a low-VOC paint could benefit your health and cut down on air pollution.

Cleaning Products

Something else that falls under this category is cleaning products. That lemony smell of a just-cleaned house is wonderful, but many cleaning supplies are loaded with VOCs.

Don’t worry, you can still clean your home — it would just be better to clean with unscented products, or even better, to clean with natural products such as water, vinegar and baking soda.

This will reduce exposure to harmful VOCs and your body will thank you for it. Aerosol sprays fall into this category too; they’re full of VOCs and add to not only indoor but outdoor pollution.

Air Fresheners

Air fresheners are a big whammy to your health. Of course they smell good and cover up that stinky gym bag smell, but did you know that they emit over 100 different chemicals? Wow! That flowery concoction of chemicals can trigger asthma attacks, migraines and other breathing issues.

Candles

Candles are a biggie too. I know, they smell good and set the mood, but they put off chemicals that are considered to be just as dangerous as secondhand smoke. If you have to burn a candle, the wise choice would be to choose ones made from beeswax.

Suspended particles are coarse, fine and ultra-fine particles in ambient air. These are known to cause adverse health effects to respiratory and cardiovascular systems. They can come from outdoor pollution, but also from indoor pollution caused by the burning of fuels for heating and cooking.

These are things such as mold and viruses. They contribute to asthma and allergies.

Pets and pests are sources of allergens.

Low humidity causes eye irritation, dryness of skin and nose, and rashes. High humidity causes the growth of mold and dust mites.

This is one of the most important factors. If ventilation is insufficient, it could affect your health and work performance.

A temperature that’s either too high or too low can be unhealthy and just downright unpleasant.

All of these factors can cause poor indoor air quality, and as you now know, can affect your health not only in the present but also in the future. That’s a scary thought, but there is hope.

Understanding and controlling common pollutants can help reduce the risk of indoor health concerns. But let’s be honest — no matter how hard we try, there will always be something with pollutants in it that we forgot to get rid of, or were even unaware had all of that junk in it.

Fear no more! We have a solution.

What if I told you that there was a system that would clean your home’s air every time your HVAC system came on? A system with low operating costs and no replacement filters to buy. A system that’s quiet and backed by research showing it’s one of the best filtration systems on the market. A system that will take your indoor air quality from poor to poor-no-more (aka good indoor air quality).

That system is the TRANE CleanEffects™ Air Cleaner. This system uses revolutionary technology that supplies your home with a cleaner, healthier environment, allowing you to breathe easier – literally. Remove up to 99.98% of airborne particles with this air cleaner for your home and say goodbye to worrying about breathing in harmful bacteria or allergens.

So, if in your home you have symptoms like headaches (not caused by your family, of course), fatigue, fever, cough or shortness of breath that mysteriously go away when you leave your home, you may have an indoor air quality issue. And as you can see, your poor indoor air quality needs professional help.

Call us today to get the TRANE CleanEffects™ system for the indoor air quality that you deserve.

At Advanced AC, we love helping our fellow citizens stay cool and comfortable. We know how demanding local summers can be. We also know how stressful HVAC problems feel when temperatures soar.

That’s why we take pride in honest service, dependable work, and friendly care. We love making people happy by restoring comfort quickly. Nothing beats seeing relief replace frustration.

Our team proudly serves homeowners and families across Bossier, Benton, Haughton, and Shreveport.

Whether you need maintenance, repairs, or expert advice, we are ready to help. When summer starts showing off, Advanced Air Conditioning & Heating is ready to answer.