There’s endless information about outdoor air pollution, but what about the air in our lounges and kitchens?
Since we spend plenty of time indoors, the quality of the air we breathe while inside has become a significant concern. From spacious houses to cozy apartments, having clean, healthy air inside our rooms can improve our overall health and wellbeing.
But how do you know if you have clean air indoors? Well, in many cases, you need advanced air quality testing technology, such as VOC testing devices and carbon monoxide detectors.
Whether you do it on your own or use a professional air quality testing service, testing the air can help you make the best decisions for your home.
In this piece, we’ll discuss the importance of indoor air quality, how it’s measured, and five reasons to test your indoor air quality.
Indoor air pollutants may cause a wide variety of problems ranging from instant ones like eye and nose irritation to long-term medical conditions like heart disease and cancer.
There are obvious benefits to having clean indoor air. After all, if you aren’t breathing in huge amounts of pet dander or dust, you’re unlikely to suffer from coughing or respiratory problems like COPD and asthma.
But not all air pollutants are as noticeable as dust. Some have no smell and are completely invisible. Some pollutants like asbestos or lead may have been in your house for ages. This makes it even harder to detect and remove them.
Now that you know why it’s essential to have a clean environment indoors, you can take smart steps to improve the air inside your house. However, you can’t get rid of the contaminants unless you know what they are. This means you must do air quality testing.
When you want to test your indoor air for various pollutants, you’ve got two options. You can test the air yourself or hire a professional.
The quality of the air in your home is vital for your health as well as comfort. Certain air pollutants may have long-term effects on your health.
Here are five main pollutants that every homeowner should know before performing an air quality test in their home.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the biggest issues many of us face at home. From 2010 to 2015, 2, 244 people died due to accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. You might be inhaling this toxic gas if you’ve got a faulty gas line, blocked fireplace vent, or damaged water heater.
Carbon monoxide is odorless and colorless, so installing carbon monoxide alarms near fuel-burning appliances and bedrooms is the best way to uncover it.
Carbon monoxide is life-threatening because it stops oxygen from getting to the vital organs. Other symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, and nausea. At worst, you will die.
That’s why it’s critical to have an expert conduct an air quality test in your home.
After a simple paint project or remodel, it’s necessary to conduct a test for VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Volatile organic compounds are released by building materials, aerosol cans, and paint products. They’re mostly found indoors and are a major contributor to indoor air pollution.
If you’ve got frequent throat, nose, or eye irritation in your household, testing the VOC levels in your air can be important in finding a solution.
Although air quality testing for many VOCs may be unreliable because of the lack of indoor air quality standards to interpret results, it may help detect very dangerous VOCs like formaldehyde. This toxin is found in fabrics, wood, combustion appliances, tobacco smoke, etc.
Radon is an odorless, invisible, and tasteless gas that may be present in your home. According to EPA, it’s the leading contributor to lung cancer in America.
Radon may be found outdoors and indoors, but it is most often found indoors. It occurs when uranium in the soil breaks down naturally, moving through the ground and up into the air. Buildings then trap radon inside, which is why it is a serious threat to homeowners.
When buying a house, you should always have an expert conduct a radon test. If they find above average radon levels, they can help you neutralize the problem.
If you or your loved ones suffer from asthma or allergies, air quality testing can help you know what to do to ease the symptoms of both conditions.
Indoor air irritants and allergens play a significant role in the intensity of an asthma attack. A residential indoor air quality testing can find out if there’s dust, pet dander, or pollen in the air.
Pet dander, dust, and mold are a significant trigger for people with allergies or asthma. Even if you own no pet, it’s still advisable to test the air and find out what could have been in your home before or if there’s a creature bringing it in.
Apart from chemical pollutants, there are all kinds of biological pollutants to worry about, such as mold, fungus, mildew, and even viruses and bacteria.
These vicious microorganisms thrive in humid, warm air. That means you must be extra careful about reducing the humidity and taking care of any water leaks in basements and bathrooms.
Mold can cause various symptoms such as respiratory conditions (especially for those with breathing problems or asthma), as well as skin and eye irritation.
Unlike other air pollutants, mold can be detected by the eye, although some situations may require an air quality test for mold.
We all want to breathe clean, healthy air at home and not the contaminated air outside. An air quality testing will help to uncover the dangerous pollutants in your home.
To fix the quality of air in your home, be sure to talk to the specialists at CleanFirst Restoration. Contact us to set up an appointment.
Here is a list of popular locations we serve. Call us if yours is not on the list!
Ajax, Aurora
Bancroft, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington
Downsview
Etobicoke
Georgetown, Guelph
Hamilton
Kitchener
Markham, Midland, Milton, Mississauga
Newmarket, Niagara-on-the-Lake, North York
Oakville
Pickering
Rexdale, Richmond Hill
Scarborough, St Catharines
Toronto
Vaughan
Waterloo, Whitby