The Importance of Indoor Air Quality

One of the most underappreciated aspects of good health is the ability to breathe clean air. While most folks recognize how nice it is to step outside for a breath of fresh air, they don’t often make the next logical leap to understand that perhaps their indoor air quality is not as good as it should be. In fact, most homes have poor air quality that can have a severe impact on the health of the occupant. Two to Five Times More Polluted

Believe it or not, the average home’s air is between two to five times more polluted than the air that is outside the home. In severe cases, some homes have been known to have air quality 100 times poorer than the outside air. If you want to protect the health of your family, you need to determine if your home’s air is polluted like this. Most People Spend All Day Indoors The average person spends 90 percent of their time indoors. Unless you have a job working outside, you are likely among these ranks. Because people spend so much time indoors, the indoor air pollution numbers are very disturbing. Most people think of their homes as their sanctuaries from the evils of the world, but statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency show that people receive 72 percent of their exposure to toxic chemicals in their own homes. Factors That Pollute Indoor Air Chemicals Although there are many things that contribute to poor indoor air quality in the home, the leading factor is undoubtedly chemicals. Most people think that the chemicals that can pollute their homes come from things like cleaning products, but most toxic chemicals in homes actually come from sources you wouldn’t expect. Things like furniture and building supplies are actually the leading culprits when it comes to polluting your home’s air. These items release chemicals into the air called volatile organic compounds, which can have very severe negative effects upon your health. Air conditioning repair Fort Myers is a must-do for the air appliances. Mold Another big contributor to dirty air in your home is mold. Mold is present in almost every home to some degree. It can lead to allergic reactions, asthma attacks and other serious health issues. One of the most irritating things about mold is that it is very hard to locate. Many times large colonies of mold are found in homes, but the mold cannot be detected with the naked eye. It hides away under the surfaces of the house.

Dirt, Dust and Allergens Allergy levels are sharply on the rise, and this may be in large part because of the poor indoor air quality in the average home. The dust and allergen levels in many homes are through the roof. When you breathe these dust and allergen particles in, it can easily lead to allergies or asthma attacks. Ventilation Issues The final culprit in poor indoor air quality is poor ventilation. Most homes are designed to let in as little outdoor air as possible. Instead, they are designed to recirculate the same poor quality indoor air over and over again. This quickly leads to an out-of-control downward spiral in the home’s air quality. The Solutions Indoor air quality is a serious health concern, but there is no need to panic. There are some definite solutions to improve your home’s air quality and make it healthy to breathe. For example, regularly opening the windows to ventilate your home is helpful. Also, adding lots of plants to your house can help as they will naturally filter the air. Turn to Midpoint Cooling & Heating You may be wondering how you are supposed to open the windows when it is hot or cold outside. Obviously, that is a problem. That is why the ideal solution to your home’s indoor air quality issues is to have an HVAC system that can purify your home’s air. Turn to our expert team at Midpoint Cooling & heating to improve your indoor air quality. We will add HEPA filters to your HVAC system to remove all the nasty chemicals and particulates in the air. This will allow you to enjoy climate-controlled air in your home that is also healthy to breathe. When you want the best air quality in your home, contact Midpoint Heating & Cooling.