As a San Fernando Valley air conditioning company, we service a lot of homes throughout the area, and through our years in business we’ve found a few things that are pretty common with homeowners. Of these common things, one of the most frequent is a lack of the proper attention to indoor air quality, and the consequences it can carry. The quality of the air in your home may seem like it’s okay, but many people are surprised to learn that the air inside can be exponentially worse than the air outside, even on some of the Los Angeles area’s worst days.
Here are four reasons you need to pay close attention to the air quality in your home as well as a few simple things you can do to dramatically improve it.
Do you or anyone you know suffer from severe allergies? Whether it’s pet dander, dust, pollen, or other airborne contaminants, those who deal with allergies often retreat to the comfort of their home to try and find much-needed relief. However, if the air quality in your home is poor, then you may actually be suffering even worse just by being inside!
If you find that you’re coughing, sneezing, or dealing with watery eyes or a runny nose quite frequently, especially during these springtime months or seasons with high winds, then you most likely have allergy problems. If these symptoms persist even inside, then your indoor air quality may be just as poor as it is outside, if not even more so.
Have you ever gone to a friend or family member’s home and always thought something about it just smelled strange? You’re not alone: millions of households across the country actually have indoor odor issues that they’re completely oblivious to. The truth of the matter is the smell has become so normal to you that your brain has trained itself to completely ignore the odor and you’ll never notice it.
However, anybody who comes to your home hasn’t trained their brain like you have and they definitely will notice the odor, particularly if it’s a strong one. Candles, scented oils, and other things may mask the odor, but they could also trigger allergy symptoms or just add to the already strong aroma floating through the air in your home. Improving your indoor air quality will almost certainly eliminate these odors and make your home clean and fresh for anyone who comes for a visit.
As you might imagine, air that’s poor quality has higher levels of pollen and dust concentration, which means this debris could settle on your furniture, in your carpet, and on surfaces like your blinds, window sills, and window treatments. If your air quality is poor, you’ll probably notice that you’re spending far more time breaking out the duster, firing up the vacuum cleaner, and generally needing to clean your house. Improving your indoor air quality by eliminating these substances from your air can actually help you keep your home cleaner and neater for much longer.
Your heating and cooling systems need to remain clean and clear in order to operate at maximum efficiency. A home that’s dirty and dusty sends more debris into your system, clogging up your air filter, restricting the airflow across your coils, and clogging up your ductwork.
While poor air quality can make your HVAC system work harder and even break down more often, your HVAC system is also perhaps your greatest ally when it comes to fixing the issue. A good air filter that’s regularly checked and replaced can pull all sorts of dust, debris, pollen, and other allergy-causing issues out of your air. Other tools such as air scrubbers, air cleaners, and even humidity control devices can also help you make the air in your home clean, comfortable, and odor free, finally giving you the relief you need from the sometimes-terrible air outside.