Improve Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality This Allergy Season
We are currently entering into allergy season here in South Jersey. With so many people affected during this time of year, it is extremely important to be aware of the air quality inside your home. While you may not be able to control the conditions outdoors, it is completely possible to maintain good indoor air quality – even during allergy season. Improving indoor air quality in your home will allow you to escape from the pollen and other outdoor allergens once you come inside again. The importance of good indoor air quality can often be overlooked. Indoor air quality is one of the most important aspects of a healthy home, and should be treated as such. Just a few simple adjustments to your home maintenance routine can help you improve your home’s air quality quickly and easily.
Common Indoor Air Pollutants During Allergy Season
During allergy season, there are a variety of indoor air pollutants that can affect the conditions of your home’s indoor air quality. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most common indoor air pollutants and how to effectively reduce them within your home.
- Pollen: Whole pollen is present year round in most environments, it is currently at its peak here in South Jersey. Spring and Autumn are the two seasons most known for the amount of pollen produced during these times. In fact, the pollen present during this time of year is WHY we call it “Allergy Season.” Pollen often causes sneezing, runny nose, irritated eyes, and respiratory trouble, and it can be extremely difficult to escape from. Additionally, pollen tends to stick onto clothing, shoes, hair and even skin, which means that you may be inadvertently tracking pollen throughout your home. This can easily affect the indoor air quality within your home, and minimizing it can prove somewhat difficult. Due to the fact that pollen is naturally occurring, it can be difficult to rid your home of it altogether. However, you can regularly dust and vacuum your home, as well as regularly doing laundry to ensure that you are keeping the pollen levels in your home to a minimum.
- Mold: Similarly to pollen, mold is a naturally occurring allergen that is able to grow in a variety of environments. While in its natural outdoor state, mold is generally harmless. However, mold can have a negative effect on your home’s indoor air quality when it begins to thrive in excess inside your home. In the proper conditions, mold can develop in as little as 24 to 48 hours in an indoor environment. The mycotoxins given off by mold are what cause mold to diminish your home’s air quality. You may suspect that some outdoor mold spores are simply hitching a ride inside your home on your clothes or shoes. If this is the case, you can minimize mold in your home by regularly vacuuming & dusting. Additionally, you want to ensure that your home is properly ventilated to reduce excess moisture in the air so that any stray mold spores that may enter the home are not given the opportunity to spread. However, if you suspect a larger, underlying issue, you may need to contact a local professional mold remediation company in your South Jersey area for assistance.
Easy Ways To Improve Indoor Air Quality
One of the easiest ways to improve indoor air quality in your home is to employ the use of proper ventilation. Keeping fresh air circulating throughout your home is a simple way to ensure that pollen & mold spores do not become stagnant in your home. If you or anyone in your family are experiencing mild allergy symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, trouble breathing, or irritated eyes and throat, you may want to look into employing the use of an air purifier. Air purifiers help to not only promote proper air circulation, but also to draw pollutants out of the air in order to improve indoor air quality. Keeping your home safe, clean and comfortable doesn’t need to be a huge chore, and can be as simple as making a few quick adjustments to your home maintenance routine. Ensuring that the air you and your family are breathing is always important, especially now during allergy season. Do what you can to improve indoor air quality.