So far in this series, we’ve gone over a small volume of information, demonstrating how vital it is to have healthy Indoor Air Quality. We reviewed a list of various forms of indoor air pollution and discussed how hazardous some of these airborne contaminants can be if not identified and eliminated by describing some of the effects they have on your health. In Part 3, we listed and explained several of the products and services we at Springboro Heating & Cooling have available as part of our mission to help local homeowners breathe cleaner, safer and healthier indoor air.
Now, to wrap up this four-part series, we present a short list of D-I-Y tips below for homeowners looking for ways to improve the air quality in their home.
The “V” Stands For Ventilation
Before you go to cook in your kitchen, and before you take a shower, try to always remember that proper ventilation is your friend. When it comes to ventilation, you should try to keep things ventilated as best as possible, especially if you spray something or do something that releases even a little bit of smoke or steam or dust into the air. Because you should use as much ventilation as possible, we say “V” is for ventilation.
And yet some people wonder: “Why is ventilation so important?”
In case you missed it, earlier in this series we explained how our homes are made to be airtight, which is great for keeping treated air inside; what makes it not-so-great is that it traps these airborne particles inside. As such, most people fail to realize their bathrooms emanate more moisture into their home than anywhere else.
In addition to that, we also need to be careful when using our kitchen, another major source of residential air pollution; kitchens concoct a slew of fumes that emanate from our baking, cooking, cleaning and dishwashing activities. Experts say a steady stream of grease, smoke, carcinogens, vapors and other airborne particles arise from the kitchen and spread throughout the home.
Keep these things in mind the next time you observe aerosol spray, smoke or any other type of fumes or particles floating around; it will help you boost your Indoor Air Quality to keep this one thing mind: Ventilation is Our Friend.
If a situation arises and you lack ventilation, when all else fails, you can simply open up a window to allow the stuff out. If you can, grab a household fan to blow that polluted air away.
The bottom line is that ventilation is vital.
The Basics of Smart Dusting
When things like mold, dust, dirt, pollen, and other particles find their way in a home, it can turn the quality of air in there quite hazardous. Homeowners should do their best to watch out for these types of things, and to remove as much as possible.
When it comes to dusting, however, we offer a strategy known as “smart dusting.”
And what exactly is “smart dusting?” You might be wondering..
“Smart dusting” is a straightforward, common sense technique for cleaning you might even know about already. In case you don’t know, it goes like this: When the time comes to dust your home, remember the objective is to remove all of the dust and not merely push it around, as some do, or push it somewhere else.
For starters, “smart dust” starts in the highest places in your home, like ceiling fans and curtains.
Dusting these higher places first, you can remove all the dust and work your way downward to the lower areas last. When you do this, you might notice the dust falls downward naturally. So, since you’re working your way downward, the dust that’s falling doesn’t end up on a surface you’ve already dusted.This way you don’t need to back-track.
However, that’s not all, there’s more:
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We advise making your “smart dusting” even “smarter,” by dusting with a dampened cloth rather than that dirty old feather duster that didn’t work well or a dry rag merely pushed the dust around from one surface to another. Using a dampened cloth will do a much better job of collecting all the dust. Just remember to rinse out the cloth periodically and give it a good wringing out each time before dusting more.
Keep Dust Mites at Bay
There’s nothing quite as soothing as getting home after a long day at work and at the end of the evening climbing into bed to snuggle up to our favorite pillow.
Most people love their pillows. However, as weird as this sounds, we aren’t the only ones that love our favorite pillow. It turns out our pillows are home to tiny dust mites that thrive inside the cotton. In fact, this unsettling revelation becomes clearer with recent research revealing how mattresses and pillows gain a small amount of weight after a period of time because these tiny critters leave their droppings and other forms of waste inside. When you fully grasp this, you might not look at pillows the same again.
The best remedy for keeping this situation from affecting your nightly breathing is getting washable pillowcase covers, which we suggest for the betterment of your indoor air quality. Covering your pillows with pillowcases allows you to relax on your favorite pillow without these tiny bugs causing breathing annoyances.. Furthermore, you can keep your pillowcase clean by washing it once every month. And, depending on the type of pillow you have, you can usually wash it every season when the seasons change.
Keep Your Mattresses and Beds Bug Free
If you appreciated the last concept we mentioned above, we suggest taking it one step further by investing in covers on your mattress as well. This is especially wise if you suffer from allergies. Similar to pillows, mattresses also can become an oasis for these tiny dust mites. Subsequently, we also suggest frequently cleaning your headboards and bed frames, or anything encased with fabric.
Outside Air Pollution Should Stay Outside
If you are suffering from air pollution in your home with things like allergens, remember to keep your windows closed at all times to keep pollen and other particles at bay. More important than that, we suggest enforcing a policy of “no shoes in the house” to make sure everyone removes their shoes before entering your home. To foster this idea, you might establish an area at the entryway designated for shoes. You might also place a mat there for visitors to clean off their feet. Unless you are vigilant people and pets shuffling in and out day after day will continue to drag pollutants inside with them.
Keeping Home Cool Keeps Humidity Curbed
If you know someone who’s had to have mold treatment in their home, you probably understand how hazardous mold can be in a dwelling, and how expensive it can cost to treat it. Mold is a dangerous indoor health threat that can become a problem without a homeowner realizing it.
If it’s not detected and corrected, mold and mildew can devastate a respiratory system; the health effects can go far beyond the minor signs of allergies. In the past, we’ve discussed how helpful dehumidifiers can be. That’s one solution. However, a cheaper strategy for keeping mold at bay is to sustain cool temperatures in your home. This will help curb humidity levels because mold and dust mites need humid and damp conditions to thrive. In any case, when it comes to mold, it’s definitely not worth risking your health.
Use a HEPA Filter
In the war against indoor air pollution, research is quick to point out that not all vacuum cleaners are the same: Certain types of vacuum cleaners do a better job, by far, at stopping the spread of indoor air pollution than others. If you’ve done your’ homework, you see why we recommend getting a bagless vacuum cleaner equipped with a HEPA filter. Using a HEPA filter will go a long way.
With that said, looking ahead,. if you ever decide to replace any of your flooring, wood flooring is the best choice for keeping air quality clean. Wooden floors and other types of solid flooring can be dusted and mopped, making them much better choices than carpeting if you are looking to improve your home’s air quality, or if you deal with allergy problems.
Don’t Risk Your Health And Safety: Get Your Air Tested
Picking a friendly certified professional to test your Indoor Air Quality is a wise decision that will ensure your health, safety and well being and give you peace of mind.
We test for things like carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds, other dangerous gases and formaldehyde. While there are DIY test kits out there that allegedly check for allergens, mold, and other particles, you should think about whether you’d like to test for radon or other gases that could be poisoning the air in your home without you knowing about it..
The only truly reliable tests are done by professionals who are certified and qualified to perform them. If you are thinking about using a Do-It-Yourself test kit from a store, you should be warned that those tests tend to be very limited in scope and you always run the risk of it not being accurate. The way we see it, if you’re going to pay to have it done, you might as well do it the right way. If we detect an indoor air quality problem, we can tell you how to resolve it the same day, providing you with a list of options.
MAINTENANCE IS ESSENTIAL
If you’ve been having issues with pollution in your home, keep in mind that seasonal maintenance will benefit you in a variety of ways.
When we come out for a maintenance appointment, we will not only support your system’s continued efficiency (which will enhance the quality of the air in your home), but we will also identify any minor issues that could become major repair bills later on if not caught. These little issues like to snowball and show up as big problems down the road. Our techs go through a long list of procedures, cleaning operations; they carefully fine-tune your HVAC system and conduct numerous checks and inspections; they analyze the condition of your air ducts and, of course, look at your air filters and any other area that might possibly need attention.
When it comes to your home’s precious HVAC system, we have a saying: “It will always pays off, in the end, in dividends, when you become proactive with your home’s expensive system than to be reactive ‒ especially for those with health issues from air quality problems.”
Our HVAC systems are fine-tuned machines valued at up to many thousands of dollars. We know this better than anyone. And yet we offer 24-hour emergency services and we guarantee customer satisfaction every time.
TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR HEALTH AND WELLBEING BY CALLING US TODAY!
We at Springboro Heating & Cooling stay committed to helping you keep your home comfort levels optimal. Heating and Cooling is our calling. And yet at the same time, we also strongly believe in keeping our customers healthy and safe. We suggest homeowners make indoor air quality a priority to ensure their health and the health of their loved ones. Because indoor air pollution has such a substantial impact on our health and well being, we hope you find this information helpful and apply it. If you are interested in any of the products and services we presented, or if you’d like to know more, give us a call 937-600-6834 or Click Here to schedule an appointment now.
Indoor Air Quality 101: Part 1
