It’s now known that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) in our homes has a negative impact on health. Bad air can cause general complaints like nasal congestion and eye irritation, worsened allergies or asthma and life threatening issues like lung cancer and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Improving indoor air quality throughout your Baltimore home isn’t difficult if you implement the following room-by-room strategies.
Start House-Wide
Maintain humidity between 30 and 50 percent. Dust the entire home weekly, use a vacuum with HEPA filtration and wet mop hard flooring regularly.
Whenever possible, avoid buying household products, paints and cleaners that contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Be sure to have the heating system professionally maintained annually to lower your risk of CO poisoning.
Consider having a whole-house air cleaner installed to eliminate airborne chemicals, mold, pollen and biological contaminants.
Living Room and Bedrooms
Don’t use a fireplace or wood stove that expels smoke and combustion debris into the air.
Use allergy-proof pillow and mattress covers, and wash bedding weekly in hot water to keep dust mites under control.
Kitchen, Bath and Laundry Rooms
Empty and clean the refrigerator drip pan regularly to avert mold growth. When cooking, run the exhaust fan to clear out moisture and fumes.
Thwart mold growth by running the exhaust fan when bathing or showering, and wipe up moisture on the enclosure after use. Check bath mats and shower curtains regularly for signs of mold and launder them as needed.
Check that the clothes dryer exhaust duct is securely attached and make sure it’s venting moisture directly outdoors.
Basement
If water infiltrations occur, deal with them immediately. Pull out damp carpeting to stop mold from developing. If excess humidity is a problem, use a portable dehumidifier or have a whole-house unit installed.
Check out Griffith Energy Services, Inc.’s solutions for improving indoor air quality throughout your home, or call us at 888-474-3391 for immediate help!
