If you’ve been coughing, sneezing, or just feeling under the weather lately, it may be due to your indoor air quality. Regardless of the season or weather outdoors, keeping the air you breathe in your home clean can help you feel better by minimizing exposure to harmful particles, allergens, and bacteria. In this post, we’ll review some ways to improve indoor air quality, including common culprits that can make it worse.
What Is Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)?
The term “indoor air quality,” or IAQ, describes the level of cleanliness, or overall condition, of the air inside your home. Air quality is typically measured through metrics like particulate matter (PM2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), humidity levels, and CO₂ concentrations.
Key pollutants that affect IAQ include:
- Particulate matter: Dust, smoke, and microscopic particles that can irritate the lungs.
- Allergens: Pollen, pet dander, and dust mites that trigger sneezing, itchy eyes, and asthma.
- Microbes: Mould spores and bacteria that thrive in damp, poorly ventilated spaces.
- VOCs: Chemical fumes and toxins released from paints, cleaning products, or even new furniture.
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters Year-Round
Studies have shown that Canadians with superior air quality experience lower incidents of allergies and respiratory illnesses. On the other hand, poor air quality can impact your family’s health by introducing allergens and microbes into the air you breathe. Excess moisture, poorly ventilated HVAC systems, and smoke are some of the most common irritants in a home’s air supply.
What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality?
Poor air quality has many causes – and recognizing these sources is the first step toward taking corrective action.
- Smoking indoors (high risk): Smoking introduces harmful chemicals and fine particles into the air.
- Moisture from showers, basements or leaks (high risk): Excess moisture from showers or minor leaks creates a favourable environment where mould and mildew can grow.
- Clogged HVAC filters (medium risk): Clogged HVAC filters are unable to filter air properly and instead circulate dust and allergens throughout the home.
- Dirty ducts (medium-high risk): If not cleaned regularly, ducts tend to accumulate years of debris, pollen, and bacteria.
- Pollen/allergens from open windows (medium risk): Pollen and allergens from open windows can be especially problematic in spring and summer.
- Pet hair and dander (medium risk): Pet hair and dander accumulate in carpets and furniture, and then recirculate through HVAC systems.
Chemical fumes from cleaning supplies (medium risk): VOCs can linger long after the cleaning is done, reducing the overall IAQ.
Expert-Recommended Solutions to Improve IAQ
Improving your air quality can reduce your chances of getting seasonal allergies and catching the flu or a cold. Try following these tips to maintain healthy indoor air, which can also help improve the smell of your home:
1. Keep a Clean Home
Many of the particles you breathe come from the surfaces inside your home. These particles are thrown into the air when you walk, sit or stand. That’s why it’s important to dust, mop, and vacuum regularly. These practices together work to eliminate harmful particles from the air.
Keeping your kitchen and bathroom surfaces clean and disinfected can also eliminate bacteria and viruses from seeping into the air.
2. Change Filters Regularly
Do you remember the last time you changed your HVAC’s air filter? If not, or it’s been over three months, it’s time for a new one. Once these filters become clogged, they can no longer sift out unwanted particles from the air. So, consider adding “Change furnace filter” to your calendar every few months. In addition to helping improve indoor air quality, a clean filter ensures your system is running at its best.
3. Install an HRV or ERV System
A heat recovery ventilator (HRV) replaces stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air. It does this by taking the heat from the stale air exiting your home and using it to warm the fresh air entering. On the other hand, an energy recovery ventilator can exchange both moisture and heat for better indoor air quality. To achieve good indoor air quality, Canadian HRVs and ERVs generally require an air change every three hours.
4. Monitor and Control Humidity
If you don’t already have one, you should purchase a humidity sensor to test the humidity throughout your home. If it’s too dry, you could experience dry throat and frequent nosebleeds if it’s too dry. Alternatively, too much excess moisture creates an environment where mould and mildew thrive. For reference, most people feel comfortable between 30% and 50% humidity, which aligns with the ideal humidity for your health.
5. Duct Cleaning
Your air ducts help circulate all of the air within your home. This means dust, mould, pollen, bacteria, and viruses may build up inside them over time. Just like changing your air filter, it’s important to remember to schedule a routine duct cleaning. With a single appointment from Top Hat Home Comfort Services, we can improve your air quality.
6. Choose Low-VOC Cleaners
Harsh chemicals used in cleaning supplies can release harmful VOCs, negatively impacting your home’s air quality. Switch to low-VOC or naturally sourced cleaners and ensure that you open windows during and after cleaning to allow fumes to escape.
When to Seek a Professional IAQ Assessment
Sometimes, DIY solutions aren’t enough. You may need professional testing by one of our HVAC specialists if you notice:
- Ongoing allergies, coughing, or headaches indoors.
- Visible mould, mildew, or strange odours.
- An HVAC system that’s constantly running but underperforming.
A professional IAQ assessment may include air sampling, ventilation rate testing, and even thermal imaging to detect hidden leaks or moisture. These insights will give you a clear plan to restore healthy air at home.
Getting Your Indoor Air from Stale to Fresh
Healthy indoor air means fewer allergies, less illness, and a more comfortable home to live in. By keeping your home clean, maintaining your HVAC system, and investing in solutions like HRVs or duct cleaning, you can detox the air in your house and protect your family’s health.
Contact Top Hat today to schedule your next duct cleaning or professional IAQ assessment and breathe easier tomorrow.
