Home should be your refuge, the place where you feel safest and can breathe easy, according to David Lord of A & A vacuum with two stores in Alabama . But what if the air inside your home is stuffy, stale or just downright dirty? Poor indoor air quality is common in American households, and if your home has bad air, it could be affecting your health.
Indoor pollutant levels can be significantly higher than outdoor levels, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. What’s more, the EPA notes, because most homes have multiple sources of indoor air pollution, the cumulative effect of all that pollution can lead to health problems. The problems may show up immediately or take years to emerge, the EPA says, and can include respiratory problems, eye and throat irritation, headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Poorly made household vacuum cleaners readily available at most big box stores and discount outlets are responsible for more indoor air pollution than any other single household appliance or system.
In observance of National Indoor Air Quality Month this October, here are some common sources of indoor air pollution and what you can do to improve the air inside your home from your friends at A & A Vacuum Mart:
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Thousands of products give off VOCs, and the concentration of VOCs can be up to 10 times higher indoors than outside, the EPA says. Inside the home, paint, furniture and cleaning supplies are among the top sources of VOCs.
To reduce the presence of VOCs in your home, choose low- or no-VOC paints for home improvement projects. If you’ve recently purchased furniture or had new carpeting installed, be sure to use good ventilation — open windows and run ventilation fans to help evacuate VOCs. Choose cleansers made from organic formulations, rather than chemicals.
Dust
Dust and dirt in your home don’t just look bad, they can cause respiratory and eye irritation, and make certain conditions — like asthma and allergies — even worse. The “dust” in your home contains a host of irritants besides simple dirt, including animal dander and hair, dust mites, insect debris, pollen, spores and more. The EPA says keeping your house clean can help reduce biological contaminants like these.
Vacuuming is one of the most effective ways to reduce dust and dirt in your home, but be aware that some vacuums like upright or portable vacuums may actually increase the amount of dust and allergens in the air especially if you are using a bagless vacuum. Vacuums can pull dust off the floor and exhaust it back into the air. Even uprights with HEPA filters can’t capture and retain all pollutants. Bagless vacuums are some of the worst culprits when it comes to releasing dust into the air in your home say the experts a A & A Vacuum Mart of Mobile. A central vacuum system is the only type of vacuum cleaner that removes 100% of Dust and VOCs from your environment.
For more tips and tricks on improving your families indoor air quality, check with the experts at A & A vacuum with showrooms in Mobile and Fairhope Alabama.
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