IAQ Concerns for At-Home Gyms

Your exercise room or home gym offers an ideal way to get in shape for better health. To maximize your benefits, you probably took a lot of care choosing equipment, and make regular workouts a priority. Another top concern should be the air quality in your home gym, since it can directly affect your health and well-being.

Causes of IAQ Concerns in Home Gyms

There are two main reasons why IAQ is often a concern in home gyms. First, workout spaces are typically tucked away in infrequently-used areas like a basement, garage or spare room. Second, the body instinctively breaths deeper to get extra oxygen when working out. This combination can heighten your exposure to airborne allergens and potentially harmful contaminants like:

• Mold and mildew that thrive in hot, humid conditions.
• Microscopic dust mites that feast on shed skin cells.
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) off-gassed from some rubber mats and weights, carpeting, and various stored items like cleaning supplies, solvents and paints.
• Gasoline fumes from vehicles and other gas-powered equipment.
• Droppings from insects, rodents and other pests.

Tips for Improving Home Gym IAQ

If you’re concerned about poor air quality in your exercise room or home gym, here are some measures you can take to improve it:

• Clean your equipment and dust/vacuum your workout area frequently to minimize exposure to bacteria and allergens.
• Run a dehumidifier to remove airborne moisture and keep mold and mildew growth under control.
• If carpeting becomes musty, have it cleaned. If areas of mold/mildew develop on walls or other color-safe surfaces, remove them promptly using a bleach/water solution.
• Open the windows when possible to introduce fresher air from outdoors.
• Consider having a whole-home air purifier added to the HVAC system to get rid of VOCs, bacteria and allergens like dust mites and mold spores.
• Relocate your gym setup if necessary so it’s within your home’s conditioned living space.
• Keep your HVAC system well maintained and replace the air filter regularly to ensure optimal air circulation.

If you have any IAQ concerns in your Orlando-area home, contact us at Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions for personalized, effective solutions.

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