You may constantly hear about new subjects that should bother you and your family. Don’t buy products containing BPA. Don’t use the microwave. Only keep your cooking in glass containers, not plastic.
Now your neighbors are telling you about indoor air quality (or IAQ) in Dayton. Don’t use harsh chemicals to wipe down your counters. You should install an air purification system. You have to use essential oils and not air fresheners.
And on and on it goes.
So you start to turn a deaf ear to all the noise and just try and live your life. We feel you - why worry about one issue if you will have to constantly worry about everything else?
But, of everything, indoor air quality is definitely something you should focus on, and here’s why.
It affects your health
We’ve outlined how to fight sickness and stay healthy with indoor air quality; and, we’ve shown you how to Stop the Sneezes and help ease the symptoms of allergies and asthma with recommendations to improve indoor air quality; we’ve even provided information about the APCO Whole-House Air Purifier to help keep your indoor air quality top notch. So now, we’ll put it bluntly: bad indoor air quality is bad for your health . We spend nearly 90% of our life inside and with indoor air impurities, including pet dander, dust, fibers, and virus-causing germs, lurking around our homes, it’s essential to have an air purification system that can filter our air and help eliminate the germs that cause diseases.
It affects your home
Not only could bad air quality affect your lungs, it can also affect the workings of your home. Indoor air with elevated levels of contaminants floating around is much harder on your home’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system. Pollutants clog the components of the blower system and the home’s air filters more quickly, causing your HVAC system to work harder to keep your home comfortable. Your ducts can also become dirty more quickly, resulting in inefficient airflow.
It affects your workplace
Multiple studies have proven that poor indoor air quality can have a very real effect on workplace productivity. Not only can it worsen the symptoms of allergies and asthma, but the contaminants released by copying machines, cleaning supplies, poorly maintained heating and AC equipment, and electrical equipment can cause headaches (even migraines), tearing eyes, and itchy throats. While these symptoms may be temporary, long-term exposure to poor indoor air quality (after all, you do spend at least 40 hours a week at the office) can result in skin rashes, respiratory illness, and other chronic sicknesses. On the more drastic side, radon or asbestos sneaking in through damaged foundations or ceilings can lead to cancer and other terminal conditions and an excessive concentration of carbon monoxide can lead to sudden death.
So next time your friend starts telling you about indoor air quality, listen intently because it could be important for your health and for your home. If you don’t know if your home’s indoor air quality is healthy or struggling, call Stevenson Service Experts for a no-charge in-home analysis and we’ll confirm your indoor air quality levels and go over whole-home air cleaning options with you.