Breathing is probably the easiest thing you can do because you won’t even have to think about it. The human brain is wired to carry out this function involuntarily to allow people to live their lives with ease, but it can also be done under their conscious control if needed.
As a human being, you have to breathe in oxygen to perform your internal functions and breathe out carbon dioxide, which is the waste product of the lungs. Every breath you take is necessary because it’s proof that you are alive, and anything that hinders you from doing so is a threat to your existence.
Like other people, you may spend most of your time indoors, whether it’s at home, work, school, or a recreational venue. When you’re indoors, the walls and roof over your head protect you from the natural elements outside, but it also limits your source of clean air to breathe in.
This is where the role of indoor air quality (IAQ) comes in. It is common knowledge that people will need clean air no matter where they are, but what most people are unaware of is that the quality of the air they breathe may not always be what they need to survive.
There’s a big possibility that the IAQ is harming people without their knowledge, even if they’re just inside their homes. To avoid the unpleasant IAQ from harming you and your family’s respiratory health, you can look into these parts of your house that could be preventing proper ventilation:
Air Ducts
Most homeowners heavily depend on their HVAC systems to regulate the temperature inside their houses. This can include providing warmth on cold days and cooler air on warm days. The HVAC system is also in charge of ventilating the entire home and filtering the airborne pollutants so that you can breathe in cleaner air.
However, many homeowners tend to overlook the fact that all the contaminants in the air that have been filtered out are accumulating someplace else. But because this isn’t obvious, all the dust particles, debris, and pollutants that have accumulated inside the air ducts are just moved around the house.
You and your family could be inhaling musty air filled with allergens, which is why you’re finding it harder to breathe. Before you experience worse effects, you should hire professional air duct cleaners who can remove all the pollutants from your vents and improve your IAQ at the same time.
Windows and Doors
To fight against temperamental weather conditions and help their HVAC system function better, many homeowners turn to weatherstripping as an energy-conserving solution. This process of sealing all potential openings can be a great way to keep the cold air out especially during winter.
Although making your house as airtight as possible can save you money on energy bills, it could also be preventing you from getting proper air circulation. Understandably, it’s more practical to seal off all openings where cold air can pass through than to feel numbness in your toes because of the weather.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t weatherstrip your entire home, but maybe once the weather is more forgiving, you can open all the windows and doors to allow the air to circulate better. Airing out the house will mean that the stale air will be pushed out and replaced by fresher and cleaner air.
Carpeting
If your family owns a pet that resides indoors, it’s possible that there’s dander and shedding in between your carpet fibers. Aside from those that can come from your pet, your carpeting can also be home to dust particles, food droppings, allergens, and pollutants that are mostly invisible to the naked eye.
The truth is that even if you’re vacuuming your carpet regularly, there’s still a possibility that you’re not getting all the dirt out. You have to know that carpets can also be deep-cleaned and washed so that you can be rid of the pollutants that sought shelter inside them.
Your HVAC filters can only do so much to cleanse the air inside your home. If you aren’t able to clean your carpeting as deep and as often as it needs, all the pollutants at the surface will just mix with the air every time someone passes by. The presence of dirt in your carpets can be what’s causing your kids’ allergies to act up.
The indoor air quality inside your home is not something that you can take for granted, especially because it could be causing your family harm without your knowledge. Before your family’s health is endangered by airborne contaminants, you must do what you can to preserve the crisp and clean IAQ.
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