Poor Indoor Air Quality: All You Need to Know

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What do you know about air quality in your home? You hire cleaning services from Jamaica, NY, to spruce your household up regularly, so it must be satisfactory. Well, you’re right to a certain point. There’s no doubt that a clean house has better air than a dirty one. However, some other factors can contribute to indoor air quality.

The following article discusses possible sources of low air quality and their effects on human health. Read on!

What causes the bad air quality in a house?

 Our activities, habits, furniture, and other belongings can significantly impact the air. That’s why the indoor air quality in our homes is sometimes worse than we think, as we usually don’t have devices to measure it. 

Here is a list of common causes of poor air quality in a typical household.

1. Insufficient ventilation

Suppose you don’t open your windows regularly or don’t maintain your HVAC system properly. In that case, many contaminants, including pet dander, dust, mold, bacteria, etc., can get trapped and distributed throughout the house, reducing the air quality and, by extension, the quality of your sleep. 

2. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

These dangerous chemicals are found in many household products, and we sometimes use them without realizing it. Some hobby supplies, paints, disinfectants, cosmetic products, cleaning products, furniture, and air fresheners are rich in VOCs. 

Remember the strong smell of new furniture and carpets? It comes from formaldehyde, a most common Volatile Organic Compound. Benzene is also used very often, and we can find it in some plastics, fabrics, rubber lubricants, and pesticides. 

3. Combustion products

When areas with water heaters, wood stoves, furnaces, oil lamps, gas stoves, or fireplaces aren’t ventilated properly, they may abound with many combustion products, including carbon monoxide, nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and respirable particulates.

Tobacco smoke is another common pollutant. It contains hundreds of compounds: carbon monoxide, acrolein, formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, respirable particles, etc. If you smoke inside your house, these compounds will be trapped in every corner and difficult to remove. 

Can the air quality in your home make you sick?

Do you sneeze when you feel the strong smell of new furniture? Or, do you have headaches after disinfecting your bathroom? These are just some of your immune system’s reactions to air pollutants. To make matters worse, extended exposure to contaminated air can lead to serious health problems. 

If you use VOC-rich products, you may suffer from headaches, nausea, or skin irritation. Prolonged contact can damage your liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. That’s why you need to check labels before buying any products. Of course, you can always opt for natural alternatives that are free of toxic substances.

Continual exposure to dust, mold, and pet dander can trigger allergic reactions, such as a runny nose, sneezing, coughing,  throat and skin irritation, and even dizziness and asthma. Regular cleaning and proper ventilation are the only way to eliminate these irritating allergens. So make sure not to neglect your home hygiene. 

Combustion products may result in eye, nose, and throat irritation, fatigue, dizziness, and nausea. So, avoid smoking at home, or if you have a fireplace, ensure it’s not clogged with soot and allow proper air circulation. 

Who provides reliable cleaning services in Jamaica, NY, & the vicinity?

If you’re concerned about your health and safety at home and need a trustworthy hand to help you with accumulated dust and dirt, reach out to Checklist Maids. We cooperate with qualified industry professionals who are well-informed about possible indoor toxins and will only use eco-friendly supplies that won’t endanger your health.

Schedule an appointment today and enjoy the beautiful weather at Jamaica Bay while the experts we send tend to your house top to bottom. Call today!

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