Have you ever wondered what you are breathing in all day staying at home during the lockdown? It isn’t something most people think about, but indoor air pollution is everyone’s problem nowadays.
Due to all the noxious substances released daily by your activities, like cooking, cleaning, and painting, there are probably several harmful chemicals in your indoor air right now. Some of these are benzene, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and naphthalene.
Read on to see some effective ways of cleaning the air in your home so that you can breathe easier and safer.
Don’t Forget Outdoor Air Pollution Kills 9 Million People Around the World Every Year
We need to be careful about opening up our windows and doors because the Air Quality Index (AQI) in most countries hovers close to unhealthy zones.
That’s one of the reasons why outdoor air pollution kills nine million people prematurely around the world every year!
Long-term exposure to polluted air can lead to heart and lung disease, due to long-term exposure to fine particulate matter in the air.
Many people tend to fling the windows open on fine summer or fall days. They think that they are doing their bodies a service getting all that fresh air. But it is better to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) in your city before doing so.
If you check the AQI, you can determine if the outside air is safe to let into your home that day. If it isn’t and you open your windows anyways, this pollution could harm you and your loved ones if exposed long enough.
That doesn’t mean that you have to live in a bubble for the rest of your life. here are many things you can do. One of them is using high-quality air filters in your HVAC system. We’ll see more on that below.
Many Chemicals Are Seeping Into Your Air From Building Materials
Not only do you have to be careful of outdoor air pollution seeping into the indoors. But many of the building materials that your home is made of, and the furniture that you chose, are also seeping noxious fumes into your home.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that there are many sources of indoor air pollution. These are newly installed flooring, upholstery, or carpeting, and cabinetry. Also, furniture made of certain pressed wood products, and central heating and cooling systems add to it.
The bad air quality at home is determined by various factors, all of which may not be under your control. That’s why it’s important to look into getting some sort of filtering system that could clean out those harmful chemicals from your home.
It’s also crucial to figure out how to measure air quality at home, so you know what you are getting yourself into.
How to Measure Air Quality at Home Without Expensive Equipment
Your indoor air probably equals the outside. Unless you have an air purifier. Or you have installed special air filters into your HVAC system.
No matter how hard you try at keeping the doors and windows closed, it’s a certainty that outdoor air is getting into your home somehow.
It could be through some improperly insulated window down in the basement. Or it could be through a window that your teenager tends to keep open to let the air circulate.
Either way, it’s quite easy to go online and check the current air quality in your city. Most cities nowadays are linked up to a system called Air Quality Index (AQI), and that will give you a great idea of what your outdoor and indoor air quality looks like.
There Are Many Kinds of Filters You Can Buy for Your HVAC System
You buy filters to trap those fine particulate matters so that they can’t get to you and your lungs, keeping you safe and healthy.
There are many kinds of particulate matters out there, and the different filters will come in different sizes and different MERV ratings.
The MERV rating tells you the efficiency of the filter at stopping the particles in the air. A higher MERV rating means that it traps smaller and smaller particles, but that also means that it restricts airflow.
Also, if you have allergies you need to be careful of the kinds of air filters you place into your HVAC system.
Measuring air quality at home becomes a crucial thing then because you need to make sure you don’t let the air quality in your home slip up for even a few days.
- HEPA Filters: These are the high-efficiency air filters, which can filter 99.97% of particulate matter from your air
- Electrostatic Filters: These use electricity to capture particles from the air, so they can capture almost everything, but not dust
- Fiberglass Filters: These are made of fiberglass material and are highly affordable, but that means that they are also not that efficient at clearing out the air of all harmful particles
- Pleated Filters: These offer a great middle-ground between HEPA filters and Fiberglass filters, both in affordability and trapping particulate matter
- Washable Filters: These have a low MERV rating, but they can be washed every three months instead of being replaced, which makes them affordable
Don’t Add Air Quality to Your Worry List — Choose the Right Air Filter
Even if you now know how to measure air quality at home, it doesn’t mean that you are not going to worry about your family’s health. Remove those worries from your mind, by choosing a great air filter.
Also, changing up the air filters consistently is a great idea to keep on top of the bad air quality at home.
Air filters are becoming more and more affordable as time goes on, so get yourself stocked up with some great AIRx HVAC filters. Click here to find your size and see your filtering options.
