If you’re uncertain whether your Booneville home has bad indoor air quality (IAQ), it likely does.

We are indoors a lot. In reality, we’re indoors up to 90% of the time, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And the air inside houses could be 2–5 times more polluted than outdoors, which might create long-term health concerns.

Most Common Origins of Poor IAQ

We’ve made a list of the most frequent sources of inferior IAQ, the troubles they cause and how you can fix these indoor air pollutants. If you’re concerned about the air inside your home, we recommend chatting with a expert like Booneville Heating & Cooling about which solutions are ideal for your family.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are fumes released by regular household items.

They’re found in paint and stains as well as:

  • Furniture
  • Carpet
  • Building materials
  • Cleaning products
  • Cosmetics
  • Air fresheners
  • Candles

When these vapors accumulate in your home, they may irritate your eyes, nose and throat. They might also cause headaches and nausea. Regardless of whether your house is in a rural or industrial location, an EPA study found indoor levels of these pollutants can be 2–5 times greater than the air outside your home.

Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when using paint or cleaning supplies. Cracking a window can help odors disperse faster.

Air purification systems can also improve your air. This equipment partners with your heating and cooling equipment to clean indoor air. When seeking one, ensure it’s specifically made to eliminate VOCs.

Dust and Pet Dander

Dust and pet dander can aggravate health problems like asthma and allergies, especially when it continuously gets recirculated by your house’s comfort unit. While you can vacuum more routinely and get an improved air filter, an air filtration system could be a better solution.

This solution hooks to your comfort equipment to provide strong filtration. Some kinds provide hospital-level filtration for getting rid of particles and bioaerosols.

Persistent Odors

Newer houses are closely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is good for your heating and cooling costs, it’s not ideal for your IAQ.

Musty odors can hang around for a greater amount of time because your house is pulling in less fresh air. As keeping your windows open all year-round isn’t doable, here are two ways you can make your indoor air smell fresher.

An air purification system is placed in your ducts to eliminate odors before they are redistributed. Search for one with a carbon filter and the ability to eliminate damaging VOCs. These systems can also help keep your household healthy by getting rid of most bacteria and ordinary allergy triggers like pollen and mold spores.

A ventilation system takes out musty indoor air and exchanges it with fresh outdoor air. There are two models of equipment (heat recovery and energy recovery), so call our professionals for more info on which type is right for your residence.

Uneven Humidity

It’s critical your residence’s humidity remains even. Air that has too much moisture can lead to mold, while dry air can lead to respiratory symptoms.

Our technicians suggest 40–50% for ideal comfort. To keep yours steady, think over getting a whole-home humidifier or whole-home dehumidifier with your heating and cooling unit.

Instead of having to drag a humidifier from room to room, this solution delivers balanced humidity across your house.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is colorless gas you can’t smell. It’s caused by insufficient combustion in fuel-burning units, like gas heating systems, water heaters or fireplaces.

It poses an extreme health risk. In low levels, it can lead to flu-like sickness like headaches and nausea. It may be lethal in big amounts.

We suggest regular furnace maintenance to double-check your equipment is running like it should. This work allows our professionals to pinpoint issues before they get bigger, including malfunctions that can lead to carbon monoxide leaks.

The best approach to keep your residence free of carbon monoxide is to get detectors. These alarms must be on each floor near bedrooms and living spaces.

Better Your Residence’s Air Quality with the Booneville Heating & Cooling Professionals

Aware that your house has inferior air quality but not sure how to enhance it? Or unsure which option is right for you? Give our kind HVAC specialists a call at 662-269-8716 or contact us online now. With free estimates and expert service, we’ll help you find the ideal option for your home and budget.