Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?

Indoor air quality has received a whole lot more attention in recent years as people are now spending more time indoors than ever before. If you’re like most Americans who spend about 90% of their day inside a building, you should know that the air you’re breathing is likely two to five times more polluted than the air outdoors.

If you haven’t thought about the indoor air quality in your home or taken any measures to improve it, now is the time to change that. And at Dust Doctors, we’re ready to help you do that.

Read on to learn why indoor air quality is so important and what you can do to ensure the air in your home is as clean as possible.  

Why Should You Be Concerned About Indoor Air Quality?

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is strongly linked with health and well-being because airborne contaminants can easily contribute to illness, respiratory issues, and even chronic conditions like brain fog, memory problems, and trouble sleeping.

If you spend a considerable amount of your day indoors — and you’re unaware of where your indoor air quality currently stands — there’s a good chance you’re continually breathing in harmful particulates that can damage your health.

What kind of particulates might you be breathing in? Here are just a handful of the most common airborne particles found in most homes:

●        Volatile organic compounds

●        Chemical residues

●        Mold spores

●        Pollen, dust particles, and dander

●        Dust mites (which are microscopic arachnids) and their feces

●        Secondhand smoke

●        Radon

●        Carbon monoxide

●        Acrylamide dust and/or vapors (typically generated by cooking)

All of these things can negatively affect your lung health, and with continual exposure, they can contribute to the development of other health issues, too. That’s why it’s so important to know whether your indoor air quality could use improvement and which contaminants you need to work on controlling.

What Can You Do to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality?

If you’re currently unaware of whether your IAQ needs help, the first thing you should do is get professional indoor air quality testing. Once you get your results back, you’ll know which particulates are present in the highest levels in your home, so you can take measures to control them.

Without knowing exactly what’s contaminating your indoor air, it’s fairly tough to give specific recommendations on fixing those issues. However, you can implement the following measures to boost your IAQ, regardless of whether you get testing or know what exactly is polluting your home:

●        Get a few houseplants that naturally clean the air.

●        Get a whole-house air purification system or portable air purifiers.

●        Schedule a duct cleaning appointment with a reputable provider (check out how to avoid falling victim to a duct cleaning scam).

●        Keep up with routine furnace cleaning and a/c cleaning to help your HVAC system function better.

●        Change your air filters every 30-60 days.

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality With Dust Doctors

At Dust Doctors, we know how important indoor air quality is, and that’s why we’ve centered our entire business around improving it! If you’re worried your indoor air isn’t as clean as it should be, we’d love to help you get it back on track. To learn more about how we can help, feel free to call our Little Canada, MN office at 651-319-9777 or request a free service quote online, and we’ll be in touch with additional information.