The typically trust the air inside our homes. But indoor air quality can be an issue, even if you don’t notice that anything’s wrong. Are you sure the air inside your home is safe for you and your family to breathe? Here’s a look at how poor indoor air quality can impact your health and the health of your family:

Health Effects of Poor Indoor Air Quality

Your indoor air quality can vary in degrees of quality, and so too can the health effects. Here’s a look at possible effects that can emerge from poor indoor air quality:

• Allergies and Asthma: We’re talking irritation of the airways here. Poor indoor air quality can lead to allergic reactions, as well as symptoms related to asthma. Symptoms might include coughing, sneezing, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, watery eyes and more. If you experience these symptoms in your home, there could be a problem as well as a solution.

• Overall Health Issues: When you’re living in a home with poor air quality, the level of your overall health begins to decline. Rather than symptoms related to allergies and asthma, you may find that you deal with persistent issues like a cough or that you get congested more often. Regular fatigue and headaches can be a result as well. In severe cases, poor air quality can lead to much worse conditions to your health.

• Long-Term Health Issues: Perhaps the scariest possible outcome of poor indoor air quality are long-term health issues. For adults, this can mean heart health problems and high blood pressure. For children, this could lead to asthma or other conditions. Many health related ailments have of been linked to poor air quality.

 Causes and Solutions

Yes, air quality should be a concern for homeowners. But it’s important to know that poor air quality can be improved, and that it’s possible to address your air quality before it creates long-term health problems. Here’s a look at what causes many of the symptoms, as well as how to repair the situation for each:

• Allergies and Asthma: When you notice symptoms related to allergies and asthma, these are the result of allergens in your home. Allergens can include pest debris, particles of smoke and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that appear in your furniture upholstery, cleaners, carpeting and other areas. When resolving the threat of allergens, you have several options for improvement. By running the whole-house fan in the summer, this will reduce humidity and cycle more air through your systems filter. Newer systems have very efficient motors that cost very little to run 24/7, with the added bonus of keeping temperatures in your home more even. Overall humidity levels should stay within a healthy range, in the dry winter, a whole-home humidifier can prevent virus growth and symptoms related to allergies.

• Overall Health Issues: Rather than allergens creating poor overall health, VOCs are often the culprit in this situation. To reduce the amount of VOCs in your home, have an air cleaner installed. An air cleaner focuses on killing the small particles that irritate the lungs and can make you and your family members feel like you’re sick more often. These can be installed into existing ductwork or in place of an existing filter.

• Long-Term Health Issues: Pest debris and other contaminants can create these dangerous long-term health issues. It’s always a good idea to secure an exterminator to provide regular service at your home, reducing the number of pests and their ability to breed and multiply.It’s also a good idea to upgrade your air filter. Air filters are rated by minimum efficiency reporting values (MERV). Choose filters rated 5 or higher, and choose filters rated 10 to 12 for best performance — performance that exceeds HEPA filters.

Get Help From a Pro

At Zimmerman Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, we work with homeowners in the Harrisburg area each day, helping them to improve their homes and to achieve the quality indoor air they want and need. We can help with the air cleaning and filtration systems your home needs, and we also recommend regular duct cleaning throughout Central PA.

When you choose duct cleaning services, you remove many of the particles, pollutants and allergens that have been built-up in ductwork which can create health issues. When was the last time you took a look at your ducts or at your air quality in general? Make sure you have the best possible indoor air quality by choosing Zimmerman Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning for indoor air purification and duct cleaning.

Contact us today about indoor air quality and duct cleaning services in the Greater Harrisburg and West Shore areas.