Poor indoor air quality in your Wildwood, Florida, home can cause bad smells, reduce your HVAC system’s efficiency, and lead to health problems. Dirt, dust, pollen, and other contaminants could give you and your family asthma and allergy symptoms, headaches, fatigue, nosebleeds, or rashes. Fortunately, you can improve your indoor air quality by adding an air purifier, avoiding VOCs, or volatile organic chemicals, and using ventilation.
Adding an Air Purifier
Air purifiers or air cleaners catch pollutants with air filters, and some models even remove bacteria and viruses from your home’s air. You can use a portable unit to remove allergens and bad smells in one or two rooms at a time or have a whole-home air purifier installed in your ductwork.
Avoiding VOCs
VOCs or volatile organic chemicals, like benzene, xylene, and formaldehyde evaporate at room temperature. They’re used in many air fresheners, cleaners, and paints, and they can cause dizziness, headaches, fatigue, and other health problems. Instead of using commercial air fresheners, simmer a few cinnamon sticks on your stove. You can also use potpourri or natural essential oils. Olive oil with lemon juice makes a great furniture polish, and you can remove many stains with baking soda. If you need to use a product with VOCs, make sure you have plenty of ventilation.
Using Ventilation
Modern homes have lots of insulation to save energy, but their construction can keep contaminants from escaping. You should use exhaust fans in your bathroom and bedroom to remove unpleasant smells, particulates from smoke, and excess moisture. Instead of opening a window for fresh air, use an energy recovery ventilator or ERV to filter outdoor air before it comes into your home and removes stale indoor air. These devices work like heat pumps to conserve the energy from outgoing air while they remove contaminants.
DeSantis Appliance & AC Service Inc has 40 years of heating and cooling experience. For more information about improving your indoor air quality, contact our friendly technicians anytime at 352-254-4634.
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