What’s your biggest risk when you head out into the world? Some would say it’s driving on busy freeways. Others might say it’s flying on an airplane. But there may be a risk even bigger than that, and it might be what’s lurking inside your home.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that we spend 90 percent of our time indoors. If you’re working from home and staying at home seven days a week, it might be worth pausing and asking yourself: is my house making me sick?

Indoor Air Quality of Your Home

While one individual pollutant might not pose a risk to your health, most homes have more than one source contributing to potentially poor indoor air quality. Indoor pollutants are gasses or particles that accumulate and together can pack a punch. Sources can come from:

• Carbon monoxide
• Wood
• Tobacco products
• Building materials
• Cleaning products and pesticides
• Outdoor air pollution
• Radon
• Carbon dioxide
• Dust and debris
• Allergens

While you might not notice much difference with one, as they add up and build inside your home, they can become hazardous.

Why Outdoor Air Quality Might Be Better Than Indoor

We tend to think outdoor air quality is filled with pollutants from wildfires, factory pollutants, auto emissions, and more. It can indeed impact the air you breathe, but being outside gives you something you’ll never find indoors—strong ventilation. The wind blows, and quickly, the outdoor air supply changes.

Today’s homes are more tightly sealed and insulated than ever before. That means, once dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are introduced inside, they are harder to vent to the outside of your home. These hazardous toxins then build without a good way of escaping, unless you have a proper HVAC system in place.

How Your HVAC System Impacts Indoor Air Quality

Your HVAC system does more than regulate the temperature. It also can impact your home’s indoor air quality in the following ways:

• It eliminates odors and pollutants. When the HVAC system is operational, it brings outside air in and sends it through a filtration system to eliminate odors and contaminants. A clean filter helps pull pollutants out of your living space, which reduces allergens hovering in your air supply.
• It regulates humidity. Your HVAC system does more than regulate temperature. It controls moisture in the air, preventing bacteria, mold, or mildew buildup. It also prevents the air supply from being too dry, which can make breathing uncomfortable and make you more susceptible to illness.
• It provides ventilation. New construction does a great job of creating a tight seal for enhanced energy efficiency. But that can also lead to an increase in stale air, more moisture, and excess pollutants. If the ventilation system isn’t properly moving air throughout your home, it allows allergens to grow and further impact your health. Proper ventilation also removes potentially dangerous substances from your home, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and more.

What To Do to Lower the Risks Around Your House

Good indoor air quality isn’t a yes/no, on/off task you can control by putting a few things into place. It’s an ongoing process to ensure your indoor air supply remains healthy. Whether you’ve experienced changes in your own health or are looking for ways to improve air quality before you notice problems, consider taking the following action steps.

Start With an Inspection

You can’t fix what you don’t know is an issue. Before making changes or improvements, consider starting with a professional inspection. Don’t rely on your own knowledge or that of a friend or neighbor. Be sure to use a licensed inspector who understands what to look for.

A thorough inspection includes evaluating the furnace, air conditioner, ventilation system, and ductwork. The HVAC technician will also check attics or crawl spaces for proper insulation and ventilation.

Don’t Skip Out On Regular Maintenance

We’re all busy. We all push off tasks until “tomorrow.” But with something as important as your comfort and health, it’s better to be proactive with HVAC maintenance. That includes replacing the HVAC filters regularly, ensuring proper venting throughout your home, and professional cleaning and inspecting the HVAC equipment at a minimum of once per year.

Pay Attention to Building Materials

Have you found quirky problem areas in your home where a previous owner piecemealed a system together? Or have you noticed shoddy handiwork that causes issues from time to time? Unfortunately, people often cut back on quality in order to save a few bucks. Homeowners try to do work themselves, or they call in contractors with “good deals” that are not-so-good. Over time, these problem areas can grow and turn into toxic environments. Don’t overlook these areas; fix them instead. It could definitely improve your indoor air quality.

Watch for Excess Dust

Excess dust floating around your home can signal that your HVAC filter needs replacing. Dust is more than a nuisance; it’s also a health risk. Increased dust brings in more dust mites, which can cause watery eyes, itchy noses, and inflamed nasal passages. Worse, these dust mites can also carry in pesticides and other pollutants that can increase the likelihood of allergies and asthma attacks. Easy ways to reduce dust are to vacuum regularly, use a HEPA filter in your HVAC system, and check your shoes by the door.

Reduce Toxic Overload

Health effects come from a variety of sources. You can lower toxic air supply by slowly removing them from your home.

• Stop smoking inside, and discourage smoking anywhere inside your home.
• Control or reduce biological contaminants. This includes pollen, bacteria, molds, mildew, pet dander, dust mites, and viruses.
• Install or upgrade exhaust fans to control humidity levels. You can benefit from upgraded fans in bathrooms, laundry rooms, attics, and crawl spaces.
• Change your cleaning patterns. If you still use cleaning supplies purchased from big box stores, turn the bottles around and see what ingredients they use. Non-toxic ingredients will help you clean up your air supply.

Is Your House Making You Sick?

Make this the year you do something about it. It doesn’t take a lot of work, just a little planning. Talk to an HVAC expert at Entek about your home’s air quality. You’ll be breathing easier in no time.