At this point, it’s common knowledge that outdoor air pollution can have a negative impact on your health and well-being. But did you know that indoor air pollution is just as bad, if not worse? According to the EPA, research has shown that indoor air pollutant levels are 2-5 times higher than those outdoors! This is concerning since most Americans spend, on average, 90% of their time indoors. So, what is harming the air inside your home?

Here are 4 ways you may be contributing to poor indoor air quality in your home without even realizing it.

  1. Failing to properly ventilate your home 
    Proper ventilation gives contaminants and pollutants a way to escape your home. You can help improve ventilation by opening windows, turning on ceiling fans, and running exhaust fans.  Your air handling unit is responsible for most of the air circulation within the home. Over time, dirt, dust, and other contaminants can settle in your ductwork only to be recirculated throughout your home and breathed in by family members.
  2. Not regularly washing fabric bedding and furniture
    By not regularly washing your blankets and bedding, you are introducing a myriad of pollutants and allergens into your sheets. Pet dander, pollen, dust, dust mites, and even pests may have hitched a ride and snuggled down between the fibers. To cut back on these pollutants, you should regularly wash your bedsheets, pillow covers, comforters, and couch cushions—everything that is safe to go through the washing machine—once a week. The hotter you can run the cycle, the better, to kill off allergens and mites.
  3. Ineffective dusting methods
    When you use a rag for dusting, you’re often just pushing the dirt around instead of collecting it for disposal. In order to remove the most allergens and dust, consider using a microfiber cloth instead of a regular rag. They manufacture microfiber cloths to grab dust and other particles rather than simply pushing them around and occasionally wiping them up. With this proper dusting technique, you will remove and dispose of dust and debris, cleaning your home and the air within.
  4. Using harsh cleaning products
    Some cleaning products can be a major culprit behind poor indoor air quality. Chemicals like bleach, disinfectant sprays or wipes, and other strong cleaners harm the air when they release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. They can contain fluorine, chlorine, bromine, benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene, these organic compounds easily vaporize and can be dangerous to the humans that come in contact with them. By using more natural cleaners, you can lower the number of VOCs and improve the safety of the air.

How Air Duct Cleaning Can Help Improve Your Indoor Air
You can do your due diligence and improve your home’s air by dusting and opening windows, but sometimes that isn’t always enough. Your HVAC system pulls in the air and recirculates it 5 to 7 times per day. Over time, this recirculation can cause a build-up of contaminants in the ductwork. You can improve the ventilation throughout your home by cleaning the air ducts. It can also lessen the number of pollutants that could be hiding in your ductwork.

Contact Clean Air Columbia for our air duct cleaning services and improve your indoor air!