3 Tell-tale signs that you have poor indoor air quality

by Groshan Fabiola I try to cover as many topics as I can

The quality of the indoor air is not that big of a deal. Wrong. There is nothing more important than indoor air quality. You spend most of your time sleeping, working or doing household chores. When adding up all those hours you will see that you are constantly exposed to airborne pollutants like dust mites or toxic mould. Indoor air pollution can have a considerable effect on your health. The air that you breathe inside your home puts you at a high risk for respiratory diseases, heart problems, and even cancer. Do you till think that the quality of the air within the building is not important?

The home is supposed to be a place where you sit back and relax. Unfortunately, most of the time, it gives you headaches. The air in your house is dangerous. In fact, it can kill you. You need to investigate your indoor air quality right now. But how do you do that? If you have reasons to believe that you are breathing unhealthy air, look for the following warning signs. They will help you figure out if you have poor indoor air quality. It is not like having your home assessed by experts like Safe Air Canada, but it is better than nothing.

Watch out for physical symptoms

Inhalation of air pollution has bad effects on the health. Airborne pollutants have serious effects on the health, so pay close attention to physical symptoms. The problem is that air pollution can manifest itself in many ways. These are some of the effects that indoor air pollution has on your physical health:

1. Dry skin. Dry skin is often associated with winter time. The cold weather brings an uncomfortable dryness to the skin, so people resort to changing their care regimen. You should know that dry skin can be caused by indoor pollution too. If you use your hand cream or body lotion more than usual, there is a problem. Your skin dries to the point that you suffer from irritation and rashes.

2. Allergies. You have not been cleaning. Neither have you been exposed to pollen or other allergens. Yet, you are sneezing and your eyes are watery. Since you have not left the house, the allergy is most likely caused by something that you have breathed in your home. Sure, it is tempting to blame your allergy episode on weather patterns and changing seasons, but you have to realize that the real culprit is the indoor air. What you need to do is identify the source of the allergens. If you have old carpets or non-encased bedding, it is a good idea to throw them out.

3. Brittle hair. Indoor air can have a disastrous effect on your hair. To be more precise, it can make your hair brittle. Have you noticed that your hair is extremely fragile? Brittleness is a problem that occurs when you have poor indoor air quality. The environment causes your locks to lose their moisture, basically sucking the life out of it. If the level of airborne pollutants is very high, you ca end up losing all your hair. Yes, pollution can cause baldness.

Moisture and humidity in the home

Activities like cooking and bathing add moisture to the air. Moisture, on the other hand, causes humidity levels to skyrocket. It is not normal for humidity level to be too high. Humidity provides a great environment for mould and mildew growth, not to mention that it affects your comfort. You will know for sure if your dwelling suffers from humidity levels when you experience things like frequent colds and infections, dried out plants, and static electricity. Humidity is directly connected to indoor air quality. If the quality of the air inside the building is poor, you can be sure that there are thermal conditions. These conditions affect the health, comfort, and, surprisingly the performance of building occupants. As you can see, high humidity levels are an important issue.

Improving the quality of the indoor air is essential for your health. If you do not have an air conditioning system, it is time you installed one. A HVAC will remove the moisture from the air. What it the air conditioning system does is warm the air up, cool it, dry it, and send it back into the environment. Keeping a healthy level of humidity can also be realized with a dehumidifier. Not only does it reduce moisture, it also controls allergens.

Inconsistencies in room air distribution

Maybe you already have an air conditioning system. Just about everyone in Canada does. Without a HVAC in place, it is impossible to survive the summer heat. You need to look out for room air distribution inconsistencies. Is one room colder than the other? If this is the case, you are facing problems. The temperature should be the same in all rooms. There should not be inconsistences. However, you end up feeling completely different temperatures. There are numerous causes for variations in room air distribution. Common causes include blocked air vents, poor insulation, dirty filters, leaks, and improper air return. The list does not end here though. If you are in the impossibility of maintaining a comfortable temperature in your home, you have a problem that is affecting the quality of the indoor air. It is up to you to determine what causes the aforementioned inconsistencies.

Exposure to airborne pollutants can wreak your health. The more time you spend at home, the sicker you get. Pollutants are everywhere, so you cannot really afford to take your chances. If you want to know for sure if the air you are breathing is healthy, hire a trained professional. Do not rely on the help of your contractor. They will not be able to help you but an air quality inspector can. The overall air quality matters, which is the reason why you should call in a professional. Getting a read on the air that your breathe is affordable, so you do not have to worry about spending a bundle.