Last winter, I started worrying about the indoor air quality of my home.
In my local area, due to especially severe weather, we spend a lot of time inside.
Breathing in contaminated air can lead to a long list of health issues. Respiratory infection, headaches, congestion, sore throat, sneezing, coughing, difficulty sleeping and aggravated symptoms of allergies and asthma are just some of the more minor consequences. I want to make sure my home is as clean as possible. I know that dusting, scrubbing and vacuuming aren’t enough. There are potential sources of air pollution in every room. Because of the weather extremes, we need to keep the windows closed and tighten up the thermal envelope to prevent energy waste. Sealing every leak minimizes the workload of the furnace and air conditioner but also traps harmful toxins inside. They then get circulated endlessly by the heating and cooling system. Without regular maintenance, the furnace and air conditioner can actually worsen air quality problems. After baking Christmas cookies, I noticed that the smell spread to every room in the house. While the smell was very nice, we didn’t really enjoy it in our bedrooms. The smell also lingered for hours. I finally consulted with a local HVAC contractor and asked about indoor air quality accessories. He explained a variety of options, outlining the pros and cons of each one, and I ended up choosing an air purifier. The air purifier is installed into the ductwork, where it treats the air as it passes through. It sends out positive and negative ions to kill germs and also cause particles to clump together and fall out of the air. The air purifier further traps dust and other pollutants, combats odors and helps to get rid of smoke, pet dander, spores and more.