Breathe Easier: Indoor Air Quality Solutions for Spring

vase of tulips inside, demonstrating how it can look when you apply indoor air quality solutions

As spring arrives, many of us look forward to spending more time outdoors and opening up our homes after a long winter spent mostly indoors. But after months of closed windows and doors, your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ) has likely diminished and needs some attention to restore healthier air. And while poor IAQ can negatively impact your health and wellbeing in numerous ways, often the last thing many people consider are indoor air quality solutions.

At Hometown Heating, Air & Electric, we want to educate our community with indoor air quality solutions so more people can have healthier homes.

Indoor Air Quality Solutions

In this blog post, we’ll share some valuable tips so you can breathe easier this spring by enhancing your IAQ.

vase of tulips showcasing the inside of a home that has applied indoor air quality solutions

Understand the Common Indoor Air Quality Issues

From pet dander to cooking grease, many pollutants become trapped inside your home over the winter months without proper ventilation. This stale, stagnant air circulates over and over, leading to diminished indoor air quality. In turn, this poor air quality allows allergens, dust, odors, smoke, and germs to build up. This can worsen allergies, asthma, sinuses, and even lead to more illnesses like common colds from the spread of germs in the air.

Use Air Purifiers and Cleaners

A good quality air purifier or cleaner is one of the best defenses against keeping indoor pollutants under control. Air purifiers effectively capture and remove allergens, dust, odors, smoke, pet dander, and other microscopic particles from the air. We recommend running your unit regularly to actively filter and refresh your indoor air and purchasing units properly sized for the square footage of your home for maximum effectiveness.

Add Humidity with a Humidifier

Low humidity levels can dry out your sinuses, skin, and hair. But too much humidity can lead to condensation on windows and the growth of mold and mildew. A humidifier maintains the ideal humidity level between 30-60% to balance better air quality and health. Proper humidity also helps preserve wooden furniture and floors in your home from drying out and cracking.

Ventilate with Fresh Outdoor Air

Finally, let fresh outdoor air in by using your HVAC system’s ventilation setting or by opening windows on nice days. Stale indoor air needs to be changed out regularly. Proper ventilation introduces new outdoor air and can significantly improve overall indoor air quality.

Don’t neglect your IAQ this spring! At Hometown Heating, Air & Electric, we provide expert installation, maintenance, and repair services to keep your indoor air quality so you can breathe easier all year long.

This spring, consider these indoor air quality solutions by using air purifiers, cleaners, and humidifiers and taking advantage of fresh, outdoor air. Contact us today with any questions about your indoor air quality and how Hometown Heating, Air & Electric can refresh your IAQ this spring.

How Whole-Home Filtration Systems Help Fight Seasonal Allergies

Home filtration systems can help combat seasonal allergies by improving indoor air quality. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. Whether the symptoms include a runny nose, itchy throat, or sneezing, it is understandable that people suffering from allergies want relief inside the home. While some families purchase individual filters or humidifiers for rooms, whole-home filtration systems can purify the air in each room.

What Are Seasonal Allergies?

Seasonal allergies refer to involuntary responses from your immune system in reaction to changes or foreign substances in the environment, and despite the name, they can occur year-round. The substances that cause this bodily reaction are known as allergens. While allergens often derive from outdoor sources, these substances can also become trapped in the home and compromise indoor air quality.

What Are Common Types of Seasonal Allergens?

One of the most common types of seasonal allergens is pollen. Throughout spring and summer, plants release pollen for reproduction. This pollen can travel for miles and enter the home through doors, windows, vents, or chimneys. Residents can also track pollen into their homes when it lands on their shoes, hair, or clothing. Once trapped in the home, pollen can exacerbate allergy symptoms like watery eyes, sniffles, sneezing, wheeziness, shortness of breath, or nasal discomfort.

Mold and mildew are other types of seasonal allergens. While mold and mildew can grow throughout the year, these biological pollutants thrive in hot and humid conditions. Although not every type of mold causes allergies, experts recommend removing all mold growth from the home. Similarly, other indoor allergens can include pet dander, dust mites, or carpet debris. Dust mites thrive during high-humidity seasons, so it is important to find ways to reduce these allergens and help yourself breathe easier.

How Can A Whole-Home Filtration System Help Reduce Seasonal Allergies?

One of the main purposes of a whole-home filtration system is the reduction of unwanted air particles that can trigger seasonal allergies. Indoor air with high concentrations of particles like pollen or dust mites can result in allergy symptoms. Once inside your home, these contaminants are nearly impossible to remove by just opening a window or turning on a fan. In fact, opening windows and doors could let even more allergens into the home, and turning on fans may simply circulate these particles. Fortunately, an air filtration system can help clear these contaminants from indoor air and may help lower the negative impact these unwanted particles can have on your breathing.

What Are The Key Benefits of a Whole-Home Filtration System?

One of the top benefits of a whole-home filtration system is coverage. While a portable filter may help remove allergens in individual rooms, a whole-home system works in each room of your house. This means that there is no need to worry about tracking allergens from one room to another or misidentifying the room with the greatest number of allergens. Instead of picking and choosing which rooms get filtered air, consult with a technician to get coverage for the entire household.

Whole-home systems can filter the air in high-traffic areas like living rooms as well as sensitive areas like nurseries and bedrooms of the elderly. In this way, you do not have to purchase multiple devices to achieve filtration in important areas of the home. Whether you need to filter the kitchen or feel concerned about a room near a pollen-producing tree, whole-home filtration is an efficient way to provide full coverage. Finally, whole-home systems may also reduce concerns about noise levels or the management of multiple devices taking up space throughout the house. Instead of purchasing a noisy device or trying to hide an unattractive unit, upgrade to a more centralized filtration system for the entire household

Contact Us Today

Seasonal allergies impact millions of Americans each year. Instead of letting allergens build up in your home and cause discomfort, reach out to Hometown Heating, Air & Electric for whole-home filtration installation. We offer indoor air quality solutions for households in Cedarburg, WI and surrounding areas. Additionally, our technicians provide HVAC and electrical services. Contact Hometown Heating, Air & Electric for more information on installing a filtration system in your home.

HVAC and Indoor Air Quality

Many people believe that their HVAC system only delivers warm air in the winter and cool air in the summer and provides some ventilation. But the fact is your HVAC system has a great impact on the quality of air in your home all throughout the year. Our HVAC professionals at [company_name] know that a well-maintained system can improve your home’s air quality, while a badly maintained one can worsen it.

Good HVAC, Good Air

Among the things a well-maintained HVAC system does for your indoor air quality are:

  • Remove pollutants and odors
  • Discourage pests
  • Keep humidity low
  • Keep home well ventilated

Our customers are often surprised to learn that the air inside their home can be many times more polluted than the air outdoors. But your HVAC system filters the outside air as it comes in, and that filter traps pollutants such as pollen, dust, mold spores, viruses and bacteria. The cleaner air that results lowers the risks of you or members of your household suffering from allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems.

One of the best things your air conditioning does is lower the humidity in your home, as cold air does not hold moisture as well as warm air. High humidity can make you comfortable even if the temperature is not very high. It can also encourage the growth of pathogenic mold and mildew. On the other hand, the cold air of winter is extremely dry, and the warmed air of a heating unit carries enough humidity to keep the household comfortable.

One problem with new homes is that they are well sealed to help them be more energy efficient. But a drawback of this is the interruption of a healthy airflow. Stale air holds on to pollutants and uncomfortable levels of humidity. Fortunately, the ventilation part of HVAC is the simplest to employ. Ceiling fans, the fans found in HVAC units and open doors and windows help the flow of fresh air throughout your home.

Bad HVAC, Bad Air

An HVAC system that is in disrepair not only fails to deliver cooling, heating and ventilation adequately but can actually be dangerous to your health. Simply, all of the problems that are prevented by a functioning HVAC system are present in one that is either badly maintained or that has been badly installed or designed. This means it allows bad smells and pollutants, including bacteria, mold and dust into the indoor air and blows warm or cool air at such speeds that you’re always uncomfortable. A bad HVAC system also does not regulate humidity, which leads to discomfort and can promote the growth of mold.

Leaking ductwork not only reduces the efficiency of your HVAC, but many critters, including possums, mice and rats find them the perfect places to build a nest. The ductwork blows their droppings and other waste into your indoor air. Worse, it’s not uncommon for animals to die in your ductwork, and the smell of that lingers even if your HVAC system is working.

But pollutants and procreating or dead animals aren’t even the worst things that can happen with leaky ductwork. Backdrafting can happen when gas from your boiler, furnace or hot water heater re-enters your home instead of being vented to the outside. This can cause carbon monoxide, an odorless, tasteless, colorless and deadly gas to infiltrate your rooms.

Bad smells from the ductwork are one sign of poor air quality caused by your HVAC. Other signs may be more subtle. The inside of your home may still be uncomfortably humid even with the AC on. One room may be much cooler or warmer than the other even though you don’t have a zoned system. The system may be blowing air at too high a speed, which also causes discomfort.

Call Us to Learn More

Working HVAC systems are a must in Cedarburg, WI. They not only keep homes cool in the summers but protect you against our brutal winters. Because these systems have to work as hard as they do, they are subject to problems that make them less efficient. When they are less efficient, they can cause the quality of our customer’s indoor air to deteriorate, sometimes to the point where health is affected.

Don’t hesitate to call our HVAC professionals at [company_name] to troubleshoot your system and make sure it and your indoor air quality are always in top condition.

What Are the Most Common Indoor Air Pollutants?

Indoor air quality is the air quality inside your home or office and around buildings. It can affect the health and comfort of the occupants. Unfortunately, the indoor air becomes contaminated because contained areas allow pollutants to accumulate more in closed spaces than outside. It’s necessary to understand indoor air quality causes to reduce the risk of indoor health problems like asthma attacks, respiratory concerns, and allergic reactions. Fortunately, you can control the most common indoor air pollutants.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are chemical compounds that can easily evaporate at room temperature. VOCs’ health effects often vary from dizziness, increased cancer risks, and headaches, depending on the length of exposure and the combination of VOCs. You may also suffer from liver and kidney damage, nausea, and nose and eye irritation. An array of products emits VOCs, and the concentration is higher indoors than outdoors. You may introduce this indoor air pollutant through paints, pesticides, disinfectants, and aerosol sprays. You can prevent exposure to this indoor air pollutant by increasing ventilation to your house and following the manufacturer’s instructions for household products.

Tobacco Smoke

Your indoor air is probably polluted with tobacco chemicals and compounds if someone smokes cigars or cigarettes inside the house. Second-hand is bad for your health, especially for small children; therefore, it’s best to avoid smoking in the house. Tobacco particles can spread throughout the house and remain at harmful levels for up to four hours. Prevent this common air pollutant by advising your guests to smoke far from the house. Smoking is a significant contributor to preventable illnesses, especially respiratory conditions. You can eliminate tobacco from your house with high-quality air filtration or deep-media filters.

Radon

Radon is a common indoor air pollutant and a leading cause of lung cancer. You cannot see nor smell radon gas, making it harder to notice when it’s polluting your indoor air. Radon gas is emitted naturally when uranium decays in water or soil. It can get into your indoor air through foundation seams or cracks. The best way to detect high radon gas levels in your home is by using test kits that meet the standard requirements. It would also be best to hire a qualified and experienced expert to carry out the testing, especially during the heating season, because ventilation through windows and doors can tamper with the test results.

Excess Moisture

Moisture is an important yet least recognized indoor air pollutant. It can affect your health and the structural well-being of your house. Moist occurs when warm moist air settles on surfaces like walls, mirrors, and windows of a cooler place. Since cooler air cannot hold much moisture, the excess condenses to form droplets on a surface. When moisture collects in droplets, it forms mildew, dust mites and mold that cause allergies and asthma. Mold also destroys wood products and fastens rusting of metals. Moisture indoors affects your comfort.

Combustion Products

Gas-fired appliances, such as water heaters, some dryers, and furnaces, emit carbon dioxide and water vapor. Combustion pollutants can quickly enter your home if you don’t vent the appliances correctly to the outside. Carbon dioxide is a dangerous indoor air pollutant because it’s toxic, odorless, and colorless. You can easily detect this gas in your indoor air through a carbon dioxide detector. Some common carbon dioxide sources in your home may include damaged or improperly sized boilers or furnaces, unvented gas heaters, and faulty or poorly adjusted gas appliances.

Pesticides

Pesticides are a common indoor air pollutant, common in products that control rodents, insects, microbes, termites, and pests. They are common products in most homes, such as disinfectants and insecticides. Long-term exposure to pesticides can affect your throat, nose, and nose. It can also damage your central nervous system and increase the risks of cancer.

Candles and Incense

Surprisingly, candle and incense are common indoor air pollutants because they produce particles and other contaminants after burning. Scented candles also emit some amounts of VOCs and formaldehyde. However, the particles might not be harmful if you burn candles occasionally.

Wood Smoke

Smoke is a common indoor air contaminant common in homes that use wood as a source of fuel for warmth and cooking. Wood has several benefits, but it also produces harmful smoke if you fail to ventilate your home properly. You can avoid the common indoor air contaminant by changing old wood stoves to newer and cleaner stoves to reduce wood smoke’s health risks.

Proper ventilation can help eliminate these indoor air pollutants. We can help Cedarburg homeowners to ventilate their homes properly and with effective air filters. Residents can also rely on us for maintenance agreements, ductless mini-split systems, gas furnaces, garage heaters, and Wi-Fi smart thermostats. Contact Hometown Heating and Air today to access your home for indoor air pollutants.