Indoor Air Quality

Cooler temperatures mean more time inside, flu season, and snuggly nights watching our favorite movies. It also means we need to pay attention to our indoor air quality as your air conditioning unit now turn into the heating unit. Pollutants are quietly stirring around in the air we are breathing. During warmer months, we spend more time with windows open and outside in generally, so the air quality is by default much better.

Radon, secondhand smoke, combustion pollutants, volatile organic compounds and asthma triggers are all part of the indoor terrain. Mold and other bacteria grow and become pesky triggers. Other effects can be headaches, ear, nose and throat symptoms, allergic reactions, nausea, dizziness, respiratory illnesses, or even cancer. All of these make our bodies work overtime, which weaken our immune systems and allow us to contract flus, colds, pneumonia, bronchitis and more.

It’s important that we heighten our regimen when indoors; we must pay attention to what we have going on. Good practices that improve indoor air quality are ventilation and filtration of home and workspaces. Weekly dusting and cleaning and don’t forget about the throw blankets and pillows. Always smoke outside where secondhand smoke can escape. Keep in mind if you are around coworkers who are sick, make sure you clean your workspace. If a family member is sick make sure you perform a thorough cleaning of common spaces such as bathrooms and kitchens.

At my home, during the winter months, we change our filters every month, wash all bedding and throws once a week, and are constantly disinfecting surfaces.

Call your AC Repair professional, who can do indoor air quality testing.