Improve Your Indoor Air Quality: 7 Ways

Indoor air quality has long been a topic of interest for people with respiratory issues – but with coronavirus now a part of our everyday life, it’s become a top of mind issue for all of us.

And it should be: a recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency characterized indoor air quality as “one of the most important public health issues of our time,” noting that Indoor levels of pollutants might be as much as 100 times the levels found outdoors. Considering that the average American gulps more than 15,000 gallons of air each day, that’s not a good combination.

The good news is that you can improve air quality in your Rhode Island home with relatively simple lifestyle changes. Here are seven tips that will help your family breathe a little easier in the coming months.

7 Home Air Quality Tips

1. Eliminate products with toxic fragrances. Most commercial cleaners are loaded with harmful chemicals; choose more eco- (and human-) friendly options. Better yet, make your own: homemade vinegar and baking soda cleaners will clean or disinfect just about any material or surface. When choosing room fresheners and candles, opt for products scented with essential oils.
2. Choose cleaner construction materials. If you’re planning a home improvement project, spend a little more money to buy mold resistant fiberglass-covered drywall or gypsum board and low-VOC paint. VOCs (volatile organic compounds) can cause respiratory tract irritation, headaches, dizziness, visual disorders, and memory impairment. These materials may cost a little more, but they’ll pay off in the long run with better health and mold prevention.
3. Add greenery. Research by NASA and other groups have shown that certain common houseplants can be quite effective in removing formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethane from the air and replacing it with breathable oxygen. Top choices include Bamboo Palm, Chinese Evergreen, English Ivy, Ficus, Gerbera, Golden Pothos, Peace Lily, Philodendron, Pot Mum, and Spider Plants.
4. Keep hobby rooms well ventilated. Hobbies are great, but they often require you to use some pretty toxic materials. If you plan to do any paint stripping, soldering, gluing, or painting, make sure your hobby room is well-ventilated – or better yet, do the work outdoors.
5. Change furnace filters regularly. A clogged furnace air filter won’t clean your home air. Check your furnace filters about once a month, cleaning or changing them (depending on the model) when necessary. Be sure to choose the right kind of HVAC filter, too.
6. Get annual furnace maintenance. Professional heating system maintenance keeps your equipment working at the top of its air-quality game, enabling better airflow and proper humidification in your home. If you haven’t scheduled yours yet this year, contact us to make an appointment today.
7. Consider adding Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) equipment. If budget allows, consider adding a whole-house air purifier or humidifier/dehumidifier to your HVAC system; it will clean your air, optimize moisture levels, and prevent conditions that can lead to mold and microorganism growth.

Breathe easier with oil-fired furnace installation and maintenance, indoor air quality installations, and more from the pros at Vaughn Oil. Contact us to learn more about professional heating service in Rhode Island.