Indoor air quality is a serious issue since you're in your house for hours at a time, and you don't want to breathe contaminants that irritate your allergies or that lead to health problems. You can't always tell by looking or smelling if your air has pollutants. That's why it's good to have indoor air quality testing done at least once after you move into a new home, whether it's an old home or new construction. Here are some tips for having indoor air quality testing done.
Try Some DIY Testing
You can't do thorough DIY testing yourself, but you can check for some things. You might want to set up an alarm that monitors and tests for carbon monoxide. You can also buy monitors for radon, humidity, formaldehyde, and volatile organic compounds.
Some of the monitors are expensive, so it might be best to start with professional air quality testing to get an accurate baseline for the pollutants in your home, and then monitor your home with a meter on an ongoing basis if you want to keep close tabs on your home environment.
Get Professional Indoor Air Quality Testing
The best way to know what's going on with the air inside your home is to have professional testing that measures for biological, chemical, and combustion pollutants. These tests are for the most common types of indoor pollutants, but if you suspect your home has a different problem due to nearby industrial pollution, you can often request special testing beyond the basics.
The company you choose might take indoor air samples, dust samples, soil samples from around your foundation, and vapor samples from your crawlspace or foundation. Things they might test for include radon, mold, dust, dust mites, pollen, lead, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, bacteria, and dander.
Know Common Household Products That Pollute The Air
If the results of your indoor air quality testing are concerning, you may wonder about the source of pollution. Unfortunately, common household products are often to blame, such as flooring, carpeting, furniture, and cleaning products. Pets, cigarette smoking, a faulty furnace, lax housekeeping, and old building products that contain lead are also to blame.
Cleaning up your house to reduce pollutants isn't always easy when the problems are embedded in your building materials and furnishings. However, you'll at least know where to start, and know what to be cautious about when you buy new things for your home.
You may need to buy air cleaning equipment for your HVAC or to use it in individual rooms to improve the quality of your air. Plus, more consistent housecleaning or cleaning the air ducts in your home might help too. Once you've taken steps to clean the air in your home, you may want to repeat the indoor air quality testing to see if the pollution has been reduced and if your efforts are working.
For more information, contact a local company, like Sevee & Maher Engineers.
Share23 February 2022
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