Is Indoor Air Quality Worse Than Outdoor Air Quality?

When you think of air pollution, you probably imagine smoke, smog, and unpleasant scents outside your door. You might believe that the walls of your home can shield you from breathing the toxic chemicals outside. However, this is not always the case. So, is the indoor air quality worse than the outdoor air in your home? Once inside, pollutants can be problematic to get rid of.

Degradation of Indoor Air Quality

Even if you often disinfect your house with soap and water or disinfectants and solutions with strong chemicals, that doesn’t mean that your home is completely clear of pollutants. Most of the time, you won’t notice how the indoor air quality of your home degrades, even due to everyday items you bring in from outside. 

Indoor air pollution can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor pollution. This is because pollutants can build within your walls more than outdoors.

Effects of Indoor Air Pollution

Children are often taught to be mindful of how they contribute to pollution because it can ruin the planet and their health. However, there are other lesser-known effects of air pollution:

• Air pollution makes you look older – Research shows that air pollution is one of the main reasons for skin damage, with toxins causing premature skin aging.
• Buildup of invisible contaminants – Dust and other particles that you often wipe off surfaces are not the only contaminants that can get you sick. Some pollutants come from tobacco smoke, cleaning products, air fresheners, and other everyday items that could build up in your air without you noticing.

How to improve indoor air quality?

Even if you cannot see your invisible enemy, you can take steps to improve the air quality inside your home. Here are a few tips that can help you reduce the number of toxins in the air that you breathe:

• Clean your house regularly with safe disinfectants – Before purchasing just any disinfectant from the store, make sure that the manufacturer used only safe chemicals, or you can go natural and make your cleaning solutions.
• Do not smoke indoors – Quitting smoking is ultimately better for your own health and your family’s health, but if you can’t stop the habit, then at least make your home a no-smoking zone. Take your cigarette smoking outside so the smoke can freely leave without being trapped inside.
• Clean your filters and have your HVAC inspected – Along with regularly cleaning your home, your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) unit’s filters should be cleaned or replaced. Even if your filter can catch nasty germs and chemicals, they can find their way back into circulation if they’re just stuck on the filter. It’s also important to get your HVAC unit checked at least once every year to ensure it can function efficiently.

As a homeowner, it is up to you to ensure that the air you breathe is safe and fresh. The earlier you commit to eliminating indoor air pollution, the better. After all, your home should be your haven, and it’s up to you to keep it that way.

ECM Air Conditioning, with its headquarters located in Boynton Beach, FL, provides air conditioning services within Palm Beach County, Broward County, Martin County, and St. Lucie County. If you’re looking to have a new HVAC system installed, we’re on-call and ready to assist you. So if you’re in need of an HVAC installation, don’t hesitate to contact us today to schedule an inspection! Our HVAC installation experts will check your ductwork, measure, check wire sizes, and more before making recommendations to ensure maximum efficiency and comfort. Call us at 561-295-1763 or contact our HVAC installation team online by clicking here.