Home Indoor Air Quality Testing And Management Tips
The air quality inside of your home is an important element that you need to be aware of, especially considering the amount of time you spend in your home. Poor indoor air quality can cause a variety of health conditions and affect your overall wellness on a daily basis, and because it is inside your home, it should be of a quality that is protective to you and your family. Here are some considerations to help you when you need to test your home's indoor air quality.
Watch For Poor Air Quality Symptoms
The condition of your home's indoor air quality may not always cause an odor, because there are many pollutants that are odorless and quite harmful at the same time. There are many types of air pollutants, such as radon, mold, and asbestos that you cannot see or smell. So because you cannot always use your nose to sniff out any air quality problems, you may notice other types of symptoms that come on quickly or slowly over the course of many months or years.
Watch for signs of poor air quality in your home with yourself and family members living there. Some symptoms include a simple dryness of the inside of your nose and throat with itchy and dry eyes. If you find yourself coughing and rubbing your eyes more frequently, it can be a sign of poor air. A simple symptom of increased fatigue or frequent headaches can be your body's way of telling you there is a level of toxins in the air in your home. The symptoms may also include itchy skin or an increase in hypersensitivity to allergies with more coughing, sneezing, and sinus congestion, feeling dizzy, or having trouble breathing.
Understand Different Tests
There are different types of home indoor air quality tests you can complete, based on the suspected toxins or contaminants. Contact an air testing professional for some recommendations and to handle the air quality testing. If you test for mold or radon, you will need to keep the home's windows and doors closed during the test. Some tests can be completed in a matter of hours and some tests take days and weeks to complete.
However, you can use an at-home air test that you can find at a local home improvement store, which will give you some basic readings upfront and let you know what types of toxins you are dealing with. This will help you arrange for further professional testing, such as with a radon expert, mold testing expert, or an HVAC professional to help you correct carbon monoxide levels. And you can install and use a home air purifier for your home or for each room inside your home, which will help reduce levels of dust, pet dander, mold spores, and other filterable contaminants until you can arrange for professional remediation.
Share