What To Do When Air Quality Is Poor

The quality of air in your home may not pass the forefront of your mind until it becomes less than desirable. When poor air quality lowers over time it’s tough to find the source. Some of the causes are often odorless and harder to trace, or even notice. There are several ways to address poor air quality without having to narrow down the exact cause, and get yourself a cleaner, fresher feeling in your home.

Potential Pollutants

Just because some of your more hazardous appliances and chemicals are stored away properly in your home and property, doesn’t mean that they can’t still contribute to the poor air quality. If your garage is attached to your house, check any tools or devices that use gas or fuel. They could be giving off light fumes if not completely shut off or if gas caps are not fully tightened. 

Indoor Appliances

Other appliances within your home could be doing the same thing, even if they don’t run on fuel or gasoline. First, check the ones that do run on gas. Stove ranges could be partially on if a knob was bumped in passing. Open your oven and smell for fumes. There could be a leak in one of the gas lines. If you have a fireplace that runs on gas, check that as well. Don’t forget water heaters and boilers that also have pilot lights running on gas. 

Smaller appliances, such as a space heater, could also be producing fumes you may not know of. Even if it’s off, if still plugged in, there will still be electricity running through the machine. Over long periods of time, this can create wear on the wires, which will pollute the indoor air as they decay. 

Other Factors

Another contributing factor to poor air quality are allergens. Allergens can be found all over your home in different places, coming from different things. Pets within the home can increase the amount of allergens in the air with dandruff and shedding fur. Even indoor plants can produce allergens that will irritate you. Nevertheless, poor indoor air quality is more likely in the winter when there is less natural air flowing. 

Poor Air Quality Solutions

Even if you can’t figure out what is worsening your air quality, there are some overall solutions you can employ to reduce the allergens in the air and reduce your exposure to any fumes. 

Cleaning

Cleaning in general is the best advice. Dust and other allergens can accumulate on surfaces or within fabric and linens, only to be released into the air later. Keeping up on cleaning will reduce the amount of dust collecting on surfaces, and therefore less of it will be blown back into the air. 

Make sure to wash your fabrics and vacuum any carpet or upholstery. Many different allergens get trapped within fibers and will irritate your breathing at a closer distance. Reducing clutter and making sure clothing is stored properly, and not in one big heap, will help increase your air quality significantly as well. Clutter often builds upon itself, and accumulates more than just more objects. Clutter can accumulate odors and become the main source of your poor air quality. 

Filters

Make sure you change the filters on any HVAC systems or ducts. Filters are meant to be changed every so often after they’ve collected dust and other trapped allergens. Forgetting to change a dirty filter could have the opposite effect on your home, decreasing air quality. Check for the make and model of your system to find out what filter you need, or even take a picture or write down the dimensions of your old, dirty filter. 

Feel Like Your Air Quality Could Be Fresher?

Stack, Heating, Cooling and Electric in Cleveland, Ohio can check the quality of your air and help determine the problem. If your HVAC system isn’t working properly, or you need help changing the filter, contact us today! Visit our website or call us at (440) 937-9134. We’re proud to have been serving the Northeast Ohio area since 1976.