3 Signs of Poor Indoor Air Quality
Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the leading causes of poor health, in homes and commercial buildings alike. If you’ve ever walked into a home or building and started feeling strange, felt stifled, or become irritated in your eyes or throat, it could very well be due to poor indoor air quality in Tacoma, WA.
It’s not always easy to tell if what you’re feeling truly is a result of IAQ, but in this post, we’ll go over some signs that it really is the air and not just you.
Breathing Stale Air?
If you run the air conditioner in your home frequently, it might start to seem “stale” or begin to feel stuffy. If you’ve ever left your car’s air conditioner running for long periods of time on the “recirculate air” function, you might have an idea of what this feels like.
The reason this happens is that you haven’t introduced fresh, clean air into the home for some time. Here’s the worst part: we’re told to seal all the openings in our homes to maximize air conditioning efficiency, but this practice only prevents fresh air from coming in. So what are you supposed to do?
You can try leaving the air conditioner off for a while, but that will only allow hot air to come in. You might not be willing or capable of dealing with that discomfort. Instead, you can try an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV). This device is specifically made to introduce fresh air into your home without having to compromise on comfort.
Suffering From Allergy and Asthma Attacks?
If you or a family member suffers from allergies or asthma attacks, they can actually be a possible indicator of your indoor air quality. When your home lacks proper ventilation, the contaminants that trigger these symptoms will continue to circulate through the air. Pollen, pet dander, viruses, and bacteria can all cause (or aggravate) an array of symptoms if not properly flushed from the home.
It’s very difficult to pinpoint the specific contaminants that are circulating in your home. The best solution, then, is to treat all of them at the same time with something like a whole-house fan. These fans are very powerful, capable of removing stale and contaminated air from the home. They also happen to be very inexpensive and, if used properly during the morning and night time, can help you alleviate the constant use of the air conditioner.
Finding Mold in the Bathrooms?
Moisture and humidity can reside in the bathroom for hours and hours, despite the rest of the home feeling quite normal. If you’ve ever left a towel to dry in the bathroom and have come back hours later to find it still damp, it’s an indicator that your bathroom is too humid.
You may have noticed the moisture that gathers on the walls or ceiling after using the shower. When this condensation is allowed to remain in a humid environment, it eventually leads to mold. You’ll be scrubbing it off the walls if you don’t take the initiative to remove it.
The best defense, in this case, is spot ventilation fans (opening the window isn’t enough!). Older homes aren’t required to have them, so it’s not uncommon to see bathrooms without them.
Raise your indoor air quality levels today. Contact Resicon LLC today!