Living in the beautiful Minneapolis/St. Paul region, you enjoy some of the best fresh air in the country. So you might also think that the air inside your homes is equally as pure and fresh. However, many residents are shocked to learn that their indoor air can be twice as polluted as the outside air. Some even start to question the validity of this statement. So we will provide you with just some of the issues that are polluting the air inside your home, as well as ways to restore your indoor air quality.
Typical Indoor Air Pollutants
Dirt, pollen, and exhaust fumes are sure to be the things you think of when you hear air pollutants. But those are commonly the ones found outdoors. When you head inside your home, there are others that you might not have considered, such as:
- Tobacco Smoke – This is less common in homes than it once was, but there are still people who choose to smoke indoors and impact the air that everyone in the household breathes.
- Exhaust – Many devices create exhaust fumes from your fireplace or wood-burning stove to the furnace. If these devices are not adequately vented outdoors, they contaminate your indoor air with soot and carbon monoxide.
- Radon – Trace levels of uranium are found in the soil and rock all over the country. When the compound breaks down, the radon can enter your home through cracks in the concrete, damaged floor drains, or dirt floors in basements or cellars.
- Volatile Organic Compounds – VOCs are substances released into the air all day, every day, from a multitude of items found in every house in the State of Minnesota. Common household items like paint, plastic and resin, wood, and particleboard all pollute the air inside your home during their process of off-gassing. What is most upsetting is that it can take years for an item to complete this process and stop contaminating the air in your home with chemicals.
Ways To Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
There are several ways that homeowners can fight back against indoor air pollution to increase indoor air quality and lessen allergy and other breathing issues. And many of them are very simple and affordable, including:
- Replace HVAC filters regularly to eliminate dust, dirt, and other contaminants from the air.
- Open windows when the outdoor air quality is suitable for an air exchange to eliminate the pollutants lingering inside the house
- Eliminate or limit indoor air pollutants that you can control, like using the fireplace or items dispensed from aerosol cans
- Brush ad bathe pets regularly to eliminate dust, dander, and other debris they are bringing indoors
Seek Professional Help
For professional guidance in improving the air quality inside your home, call the Blue Ox Heating And Air Conditioning experts. In addition to assisting you in maintaining your heating and cooling system, our staff also offers solutions for poor indoor air quality, including duct cleaning and air purifiers. Call 952-208-4570 today to schedule an appointment with a Blue Ox indoor air quality expert.
