It can be hard to keep track of all the different things you’ve got to be aware of at home. There’s the cleaning you’ve got to do – which never seems to make a dent in the mess, no matter how many piles of clothes you pick up – not to mention the food that needs to be cooked or the maintenance that always has to be done on way too many parts of your home. Spending your time keeping track of these things can make being on top of the IAQ (indoor air quality) levels in your home a much less important priority, and understandably so.
However, improving the indoor air quality will help you out in short notice, and it’ll provide some great long-term benefits for you and your family. Proper IAQ levels lead to improved health levels and a generally better disposition, as well as removing any potentially harmful contaminants. The friendly IAQ experts at Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric have a few tricks to help you improve the air quality in your home.
Superpowering Your Vacuum
A significant amount of harmful particles can take root in your carpet and on your floor, and they can be detrimental to your air quality if they’re not removed. Unfortunately, average vacuum filters might not be able to remove some of the more miniscule pollutants. However, upgrading to a HEPA filter can help you extract just about all of the things you’d want removed. They can remove particles as small as .3 microns in diameter, which comes out to 99.97 percent of all contaminants.
Lower the Moisture
When too much moisture is allowed to proliferate in your home, the humidity level can sharply rise, leading to conditions that provide a favorable environment for particles to live, grow and spread. Investing in a dehumidifier will get that humidity level down to an ideal range of 30 to 50 percent. If you don’t want to purchase extra equipment, opening a window while using the shower, dishwasher or while cooking in the kitchen can let excess moisture escape.
Add Some Greenery
Certain plants are naturally inclined to remove pollutants from the air. For example, the Tillandsia plant is rootless and can grow just about anywhere. Since it doesn’t need a root system to thrive, it doesn’t get water from the ground. It feeds from airborne moisture, taking with it the negative things floating in the air. Introducing plants to your home will also add a splash of color to whatever room you place them in!
Reduce the Radon
Radon, a nearly unnoticeable radioactive gas, is formed by uranium decaying underground. Eventually, the gas seeps up and can enter homes through the lowest level – nearly 1 in 15 homes nationally have radon levels that are higher than normal, and when it reaches a certain point, your home should be tested. Thankfully, a radon test doesn’t take all that long and is fairly cheap to perform, so there’s really very little downside to having one done. Reducing radon will improve the air quality – even if you didn’t know it was poor to begin with – allowing you and your family to sleep soundly at night.
There are almost innumerable ways to make the air you breathe better for you, and these tips barely scratch the surface. Finding the ones that best suit the situation for you and your home is something best left up to the professionals. Give Acree Plumbing, Air & Electric a call at (813) 530-9061 and schedule an appointment to have one of our indoor air quality experts help you find the best solution!
