Indoors finally! Ahhh, away from the dirt, away from the pollen, just basically away from all of the junk that is making you feel like you’ve been run over by a Mack truck. Or so you thought. Then you realize that you are just as miserable inside as you were outside.
What is the deal? Why is this happening? The hard truth is that you probably have Poor Indoor Air Quality.
We often focus on the dangers of outdoor air, but did you know that the air inside your home can be up to five times more polluted than the outside air. Yikes! But there is good news, you don’t have to live with poor indoor air quality! Let’s find out some important information about the causes of poor indoor air quality, how it affects us and what we can do to achieve that oh so desirable outcome of good indoor air quality.
Come along with me. Let’s take a journey through the bad and the good of indoor air quality. Don’t worry, I’ll be right here with you til the very end.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is the purity of the air in a specified area. It describes how inside air can affect a person’s health, comfort and ability to work. It is determined by the level of dust, suspended particles and pollutants that are present. Since we don’t have all day, here are just some of the factors that can affect IAQ.
Factors that affect IAQ
Chemicals from household products:
One of those chemicals is paint. Paints give off gases known as VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) that have an impact on you and your family’s health such as eye, nose and throat irritation, breathing problems, headaches, nausea, loss of coordination, damage to organs and even cancer. VOCs can linger for many months after applied to a surface and in some circumstances can last for years. That’s a scary thing to breathe. By the way, where do you store your nearly empty paint cans? If your answer is somewhere in your home or garage, you may need to find a different place to store them that is not connected to your home. Also, choosing a low-VOC paint could benefit your health and cut down on air pollution.
Something else that falls under this category is cleaning products. That lemony smell of a just cleaned house is 
wonderful but many cleaning supplies are loaded with VOCs. Don’t worry, you can still clean your home but it would be better to clean with unscented products or even better to clean with natural products such as water, vinegar and baking soda. This will reduce exposure to harmful VOCs and your body will be thankful for it. Another is aerosol sprays, again they are full of VOCs and add to not only indoor but outdoor pollution.
Air fresheners are a big whammy to your health. Of course they smell good and cover up that stinky gym bag smell, but did you know that they emit over 100 different chemicals? Wow! That flowery concoction of chemicals can trigger asthma attacks, migraines and other breathing issues.
Candles are a biggie too. I know, they smell good too and set the mood but they put off chemicals that are considered to be just as dangerous as second hand smoke. If you have to burn a candle, the wise choice would be to choose ones made from beeswax.
Suspended particles
Suspended particles are coarse, fine and ultrafine particles in ambient air. These are known to cause adverse health effects to respiratory and cardiovascular systems. These can come from outdoor pollution but also from indoor pollution by the burning of fuels for heating and cooking.
Microbes
These are things such as mold and viruses. These contribute to asthma and allergies.
Pets and pests
These are sources of allergens.
Humidity level
Low humidity causes eye irritation, dryness of skin and nose, and rashes. High humidity causes the growth of mold and dust mites.
Ventilation
This is one of the most important factors. If it is insufficient it could affect your health and work performance.
Temperature
A temp either too high or too low can be unhealthy and just downright unpleasant.
All of these factors can cause poor IAQ, and as you now know, can affect your health not only at the present time but also in the future. That’s a scary thought, but there is hope. Understanding and controlling common pollutants can help reduce the risk of indoor health concerns. But let’s be honest, no matter how hard we try, there will always be something with pollutants in it that we forgot to get rid of or were even unaware that it had all of that junk in it.
Fear no more! We have a solution!
What if I told you that there was a system that would clean your home’s air every time the HVAC system came on? A system that has low operating costs with no replacement filters to buy. A system that is quiet and has research to show that is the best filtration system on the market. A system that will take your indoor air quality from poor to poor no more (aka Good IAQ.)
That system is the TRANE CleanEffects™ Air Cleaner. This system uses revolutionary technology that supplies your home with a cleaner, healthier environment, allowing you to breathe easier – literally. Remove up to 99.98% of airborne particles with this air cleaner for your home and say goodbye to worrying about breathing in harmful bacteria or allergens.
So, if in your home you have symptoms like headaches (not caused by your family of course), feeling tired, fever, cough, and shortness of breath that mysteriously go away when you leave your home, you may have an indoor air quality issue. And as you can see, your poor IAQ needs professional help.
Call us, Advanced Air Conditioning and Heating, today to get the TRANE CleanEffects™ system for the indoor air quality that you deserve.
Your body will thank you!
Contact us at 318-222-5665 for more information or to scheduled an appointment.
