If your home is properly ventilated, contaminated indoor air will be replaced by fresher outdoor air. This means that dust, pollen, and other irritants won’t have a chance to linger in your home. Of course, it’s rare for any home to have proper ventilation everywhere, and there is no guarantee that outdoor air will be free of potential irritants. Let’s take a look at what could be sharing your home with you right now.
Dust
Loosely defined, dust is any particle that gets knocked away from a solid surface. For instance, if a lump of coal were to fall on the floor, the particles that get kicked into the air would be classified as dust. Of course, dust can be created by almost anything, which means that unless you have a routine cleaning schedule, there is probably a lot of it in your home right now.
Once airborne, dust can easily travel throughout every room in your home, which makes it particularly difficult to keep up with. You can use an air filtration system to help keep as much of it out of your lungs as possible. It may also be possible to buy floors or furniture that have dust-resistant surfaces to make controlling this irritant easier.
Pet Hair
If you have pets, there is a good chance that hair, dander, and other irritants are being shed from their skin and into the air. Even if you don’t have allergies, the thought of cat fur or dog hair all over your clothes or furniture can be enough to make you wish they lived somewhere else.
If you do have allergies, breathing in pet hair or dander can cause itchy eyes, difficulty breathing or other minor to moderate health issues. Coming into contact with hair, fur or dander can also cause minor to moderate allergic reactions.
Grooming your pets can be an effective way to reduce the amount of fur and hair that gets on clothes or furniture or that goes airborne. You can also use a filtration system to help keep their fur or hair out of the air. Finally, you may want to consider sweeping or vacuuming floors, furniture, or other surfaces that they occupy regularly. Washing pet beds weekly can also keep issues to a minimum.
Pollen
Pollen is an irritant that you’ll primarily deal with in the spring. However, it can cause issues during the summer and fall seasons as well depending on the types of trees or plants that exist in your home or yard.
Pollen can be especially hard to deal with because it can easily stick to your home, car, or any other surface it lands on. Perhaps the easiest way to deal with it is to wash the outside of your home and car as often as possible during peak pollen season. Its also a good idea to wash your driveway, clothing, and other surfaces that are covered in this substance.
Mold and Mildew
Mold can take hold wherever there are moist and dark conditions in your home. Therefore, you will likely see it in the attic, garage, or basement. You might also witness it growing on the side of the house that doesn’t get a lot of direct sunlight. In some cases, you wouldn’t know it was there except for the telltale musty smell that it lets off.
Even if you don’t see mold on kitchen or bedroom walls, it can be lurking in interior surfaces such as drywall or inside of your home’s ducts. Once mold and mildew spores become airborne, they can easily spread throughout every part of your house and cause extensive damage.
The silver lining is that common house mold isn’t dangerous unless you are standing right next to it and breathing it in. Of course, you may develop breathing issues if you are exposed to mold for a long period, and small children and the elderly may be particularly vulnerable because of their delicate immune systems.
Fortunately, our team at Comfort All-Stars can provide indoor air quality services such as duct cleaning or sealing to help remove mold and anything else that might grow in your home. Our team can also maintain your heating and cooling systems so that they don’t contribute to indoor air quality issues.
Natural Gas
A furnace that doesn’t combust properly may allow natural gas to escape into your home. The same might be true if there are issues with the gas line itself that allow natural gas to leak out into the basement or other areas of your home. Unlike dust or pollen, which can be more of a nuisance, a natural gas leak can be dangerous to your health even in small amounts.
Therefore, if you smell rotten eggs in your home, it could be a sign of an issue that needs to be resolved immediately. In the event of a suspected leak, call your utility company first before reaching out to our team for help with any maintenance needs you might have.
Smoke
Even if you don’t use tobacco or similar products, you could still get smoke wafting into your home from a nearby barbecue or fireworks show. Smoke can be especially harmful to your health and your property because it tends to linger in the air for days or weeks.
When it does land, it can damage cabinets, walls, and other items inside of your home. Furthermore, you may notice that your house smells like a campfire until you deep clean the property because the particles become so ingrained in walls, ceilings, and other surfaces.
Like any other type of fine particle, smoke can get into ducts, vents, or other pathways that can take it around the house. If smoke does get into your house, your first move should be to open doors, windows, or anything else that can help it escape outside. If you or anyone in your family smokes, it’s best to do so outside even if the weather doesn’t look inviting.
Perfumes or Other Sprays
Perfume, household cleaners, and anything else that you spray into the air can wreak havoc with indoor air quality. They can also be harmful to those who have allergies or breathing issues depending on what is in the item being sprayed into the air. However, since you tend to use perfume or other sprays in moderation, the effects are unlikely to last for long, assuming that you have adequate ventilation in your home.
If you need help improving your home’s indoor air quality, via duct cleaning, air purifiers, or attic insulation, contact the team at Comfort All-Stars today! In addition, we can install a new heat pump, install a generator, or put in a charging port for your electric vehicle. We can also install, maintain and repair heating and cooling systems as well as troubleshoot most types of electrical issues your Tampa home might have.
