If you’re uncertain whether your Lexington home has bad indoor air quality (IAQ), it likely does.

We are indoors a lot. As a matter of fact, we’re inside up to 90% of the time, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And the air inside houses could be 2–5 times more contaminated than outdoors, which may create long-term health issues.

Most Common Sources of Poor IAQ

We’ve made a list of the most ordinary causes of inferior IAQ, the troubles they cause and how you can remedy these indoor air pollutants. If you’re troubled by the air inside your house, we advise chatting with a professional like James Heating & A/C, Inc about which solutions are ideal for your house.

Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are vapors emitted from everyday household items.

They’re found in paint and stains as well as:

  • Furniture
  • Carpet
  • Building materials
  • Cleaning products
  • Cosmetics
  • Air fresheners
  • Candles

When these vapors accumulate in your home, they might irritate your eyes, nose and throat. They may also lead to headaches and nausea. Regardless of whether your home is in a rural or industrial space, an EPA study found indoor levels of these pollutants can be 2–5 times higher than the air outside.

Always adhere to the manufacturer’s directions when painting or cleaning. Opening a window can help chemicals disperse faster.

Air purification systems can also improve your air. This equipment partners with your heating and cooling system to improve indoor air. When hunting for a system, ensure it’s specifically created to wipe out VOCs.

Dust and Pet Dander

Dust and pet dander can trigger health problems like asthma and allergies, especially when it constantly gets redistributed by your house’s comfort equipment. While you can vacuum more regularly and install an improved air filter, an air filtration system could be a better match.

This unit hooks to your comfort equipment to deliver powerful filtration. Some types have hospital-level filtration for eliminating particles and bioaerosols.

Lasting Odors

Newer homes are securely sealed to enhance energy efficiency. While this is good for your utility costs, it’s not very good for your IAQ.

Stuffy odors can hang around for a greater amount of time since your house is pulling in reduced fresh air. Since keeping your windows open all the time isn’t a possibility, here are two approaches you can make your indoor air smell cleaner.

An air purification system is put in your HVAC system to wipe out odors before they recirculate. Find one with a carbon filter and the ability to eliminate dangerous VOCs. This equipment can also help keep your loved ones healthy by eliminating most bacteria and normal allergy triggers like pollen and mold spores.

A ventilation system pulls out stuffy indoor air and replaces it with clean outdoor air. There are two models of systems (heat recovery and energy recovery), so call our professionals for more information on which kind is ideal for your house.

Unbalanced Humidity

It’s important your home’s humidity remains even. Air that has too much moisture can lead to mold, while dry air can lead to respiratory symptoms.

Our experts suggest 40–50% for the best comfort. To keep yours even, think about getting a whole-home humidifier or whole-home dehumidifier with your HVAC equipment.

Rather than having to pull a humidifier from room to room, this solution delivers balanced humidity throughout your house.

Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide is colorless gas you can’t smell. It’s a byproduct of insufficient combustion in fuel-burning appliances, like gas heating systems, water heaters or fireplaces.

It produces an extreme health risk. In low levels, it can cause flu-like sickness like headaches and nausea. It can be deadly in big levels.

We recommend regular furnace maintenance to make sure your unit is running properly. This work allows our professionals to pinpoint problems before they start, including malfunctions that can create carbon monoxide leaks.

The best way to keep your home free of carbon monoxide is to get detectors. These alarms need to be on each floor near bedrooms and living areas.

Enhance Your Residence’s Air Quality with the James Heating & A/C, Inc Professionals

Aware that your home has bad air quality but not sure how to make it better? Or unsure which product is ideal for you? Give our kind HVAC pros a call at 336-853-6070 or contact us online right away. With free estimates and expert assistance, we’ll help you choose the right equipment for your family and budget.