Serving Round Lake & 
Indoor air quality is often one of those aspects that goes unnoticed until it starts affecting people’s comfort and health. It is an inevitable part of daily living, influenced by everything inside and around your home. Here’s a guide on the significance of indoor air quality to your well-being and comfort.
Understanding Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality describes how the air inside a home affects the occupants’ comfort, health, and ability to work. It is influenced by factors such as temperature, humidity levels, airflow, and the presence of pollutants.
Good indoor quality means these factors are well-controlled to make the living area as comfortable and healthy as possible. On the other hand, poor indoor quality indicates the need for improvements. It’s important to understand that achieving 100% clean air is almost impossible; the best you can do is reduce air pollutants to safe levels.
Poor Indoor Air Quality Causes
The main cause of poor indoor air quality is the presence of pollutants that emit particles and gases into the air. Insufficient ventilation further exacerbates the problem by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute the contaminants and failing to expel them out of the home. High humidity levels also trap pollutants and hold them close to the ground, preventing them from being dispersed. Moreover, high moisture levels provide an ideal breeding ground for microorganisms.
Building Construction and Furnishings
Construction products like paints, plywood, and carpets undergo a process called “off-gassing,” during which they release volatile organic compounds into the air. The rate at which this happens depends on the quality of the materials used and the temperature, humidity, and ventilation levels. For instance, relatively high temperatures can accelerate the disintegration process, causing these materials to release more pollutants.
Fuel-Burning Appliances
Cooking stoves, furnaces, and water heaters release carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter as by-products of combustion. Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, so without a detector, you may not know the extent of its presence in your home.
Household Activities
Your household members can also make your indoor air quality unhealthy and unbearable. Activities such as smoking, spraying aerosols, and cleaning can introduce harmful chemicals and particulates into the air.
Additionally, if you keep pets, they will release what’s known as “pet dander.” This is a collection of microscopic skin flakes that they shed as a normal biological process. Pets can also carry other contaminants from outside, such as dirt, pollen, and even microorganisms, which can further degrade indoor air quality.
Dirty Air Filters
HVAC system air filters are the first line of defense against poor indoor air quality. However, when they are clogged with dust, pollen, pet dander, and mold spores, they can become the source of indoor air pollution instead.
This happens because clogged filters restrict airflow. As a result, the HVAC system compensates by running the fans harder and faster to pull in as much air as possible. In so doing, some dirt, dust, and dander can push through the filters, circulate through the ducts, and back out to your rooms.
Also, when every fiber in the filter is covered with particulates, it becomes less effective at trapping new contaminants. Since pollutants are always present in the environment, your air will get increasingly dirtier.
Outdoor Sources
Outdoor pollutants and allergens can easily enter your home through doors, windows, cracks in the foundation, air leaks (from worn-out weather stripping and insulation,) and people.
Impact of Poor Indoor Air Quality on Your Health and Comfort
Poor indoor quality will affect your health, level of comfort, and appliances and devices. You may experience health effects soon after exposure or years later. Here’s what to expect.
Health
Health effects that appear shortly after exposure include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches. If you have asthma or allergies, air contaminants may also aggravate the symptoms. You can treat these immediate effects by simply eliminating the source of pollution. Your reaction to these symptoms will depend on age, preexisting medical conditions, and sensitivity. The very young and elderly are often more susceptible to these effects and may even need medical attention.
Other health effects that may appear include heart and respiratory diseases and cancer. Radon, mold spores, and microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) in the air are the primary contributors to these serious health issues. Carbon monoxide, in high concentrations, can lead to death. When inhaled, carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the red blood cells, starving the brain, heart, and all the other organs of oxygen, which is critical in every major process.
Comfort
Poor air quality makes it difficult to relax and feel well in your living space. It may also hinder your ability to initiate and maintain sleep and increase anxiety symptoms. You may become restless without knowing why, and the more you try to relax, the more frustrated you’ll become.
Additionally, poor indoor quality impacts cognitive function by interfering with one’s ability to focus, concentrate, and make decisions. You may experience “brain fog”—a feeling of mental cloudiness that affects your ability to function normally.
Lastly, poor indoor air quality will affect your comfort by decreasing the efficiency and effectiveness of your HVAC system. Your home will have poor airflow, hot and cold spots, weird sounds and smells, and increased energy consumption.
Dealing With Poor Indoor Quality
The first step to dealing with poor indoor air quality is changing or washing (if reusable) your air filters. They need to be clean if air is to move smoothly through the system.
Second, hire a professional to conduct indoor air quality testing. They’ll analyze your home’s air to identify any red flags. They may even take a sample of your indoor air to the lab and test it for specific pollutants and allergens in your area. With this comprehensive data, the technician can provide targeted recommendations to address any issues.
Third, improve airflow. This might involve rearranging your furniture, installing ceiling fans, or opening windows when outdoor air quality is good. Good airflow dilutes indoor contaminants and distributes fresh air throughout your home.
Fourth, install air purifiers and possibly dehumidifiers or humidifiers. Air purifiers have high-quality filters that can trap up to 99.97% of airborne particles, including viruses, bacteria, smoke, VOCs, and allergens. Dehumidifiers and humidifiers will help control the amount of moisture in the air, creating a balanced and comfortable indoor environment. Be sure to consult with a qualified technician to select the appropriate size, model, and type best suited for your needs.
Lastly, clean your home even if it looks clean. Frequently vacuum and dust surfaces where pollutants may settle.
Contact Us for More Information
At Duane Blanton Plumbing, Sewer, Heating & Cooling, we understand the critical role indoor air quality plays in the overall well-being and comfort of your family. Our experts can install devices that will effectively improve your indoor air quality. We also provide heating and cooling repair, maintenance, and replacements as well as plumbing solutions.
Call Duane Blanton Plumbing, Sewer, Heating & Cooling today to improve your indoor air quality in Round Lake, IL, and surrounding areas.
