Factors Affecting Your Home’s Air Quality

Did you know that the quality of the air in your home is many times worse than the air outside? A bevy of contaminants can build up, exacerbating allergies, asthma, and other problems. There are a number of potential factors which can contribute to poor air quality.

Here are a few to watch out for:

Humidity

Particularly in Florida, this is a significant issue. If your home’s humidity is too high, it can foster mold, mildew, and bacteria. However, if humidity levels get too low, it leads to dry, cracked skin, sore throats, flu viruses, and more. Invest in a whole house humidifier, to keep humidity between 40 and 60 percent, in order to limit air contaminants.

Animals

Do you have a dog, cat, or other furry friend living in your house? Pet hair or pet dander (dead skin cells) can significantly lower your indoor air quality. Even if you don’t have pets, you may have mice and other rodents, which have a similar effect. Dust mites, cockroaches, and other insects can cause problems too, spreading diseases through contaminants in the air.

Gases and Emissions

Is your garage connected to your house? Trace amounts of carbon monoxide can enter your home whenever you start your car. If you use pesticides in or around your home, they can contaminate your air as well. You may also develop a radon leak: a harmful, radioactive gas that’s difficult to detect, but which can lead to cancer.

Ventilation

Since the air outdoors is cleaner than the air in your home, it can be helpful to improve your ventilation, exchanging indoor air for outdoor air. If your home isn’t well-ventilated, though, then all the contaminants in your house will stick around, often getting cycled through your HVAC system again and again, and building up over time. Open your windows regularly and make sure your home has adequate ventilation to improve indoor air quality.

To learn more about improving indoor air quality, along with other important HVAC issues, contact us at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions. We’re Orlando’s trusted source for quality heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical service.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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