Air quality may seem like a mysterious kind of term. You know fresh air when you smell it, but air quality implies a more scientific kind of outlook than just fresh. What makes air high quality, for our health and our comfort? It is an especially important question if you are having a professional conduct an indoor air quality inspection. When you get a report back, it will go through several different metrics. What do they mean and how important are they? Here is what you need to know about the six metrics you should look at.
1. Mold Spores
How many mold spores does your home have? While the air in almost all environments, outside of some hospital clean rooms, will have mold spores, high levels of spores may indicate that you have mold growth in your home. Mold undermines your air quality and can negatively affect your home in other ways.
2. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
These are chemicals that are given off by new furniture, flooring and carpeting. They are also released by some cleaning solutions, paint, glue, insecticides, tobacco smoke and more. While some amount of VOCs are to be expected in your home, they are not healthy. Proper ventilation and air filtration can help to remove them from your air and make it safer.
Are you looking for a professional to come assess your indoor air quality levels? Give our team here at Link ClimateCare a call today.
3. Dust Particles
Of course, dust is a common part of anyone’s air. However, too much dust can be annoying and impact your breathing and health. If you have a large amount of dust particles you may need solutions like vacuums equipped with HEPA filters or other ways to remove and even prevent dust particles from getting into your air.
4. Ventilation
Every home needs to be ventilated. On the most basic level, ventilation removes carbon dioxide from the home and allows in fresh oxygen. Your air quality report may have metrics, like how much carbon dioxide is in the air, which may indicate whether your home has enough ventilation.
Simply opening a window isn’t the best way to get better ventilation in your home. Whole home fans, local ventilation and HRVs/ERVs can all help properly circulate air while also limiting the effect of air circulation on your home’s energy efficiency.
5. Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide at high levels is potentially very dangerous and bad for your health. At low levels, it can still be a problem. Your air assessment should indicate what levels of carbon monoxide are in your home and whether it is safe, or if something needs to be done to address it.
6. Humidity
The humidity or the moisture in the air is actually a major factor in air quality and our comfort in our home. Humidity should be within the 30-50% range.
Are you looking for more information on indoor air quality? Our experts at Link ClimateCare are here to answer any of your questions. Give us a call today.
