What Affects Indoor Air Quality

January 5, 2021

If you’ve noticed more coughing, sneezing, irritated eyes, nose or throat irritation, or even more dust in your home, you could have an indoor air quality problem. Many factors can affect the quality of your Lake Charles, LA, home’s air. Here are four factors that impact your home’s indoor air quality.

1. Building Envelope

If your home is tightly sealed, this is good for your wallet but bad for indoor air quality. A tight building envelope keeps all the volatile organic compounds and other pollutants inside the structure. It also stops fresh air from seeping into your home.

2. Ventilation

Your home’s active and passive ventilation directly affect indoor air quality. Passive ventilation includes attic vents, doors, windows, and little gaps and cracks around plumbing or electrical openings. Active ventilation includes exhaust fans, attic fans, energy and heat recovery ventilators, and furnace air handlers.

3. Daily Activities

Daily activities affect indoor air quality. Painting, gluing, applying pesticides, cooking, and cleaning generate volatile organic compounds that negatively impact air quality. Cooking and showering also create humidity, which impacts air quality. Candles, tobacco products, and fireplaces create particles, volatile organic compounds, and other indoor air pollutants.

4. Household Items

Items you bring into your home can affect the indoor air quality. Dry-cleaned clothing may release volatile organic compounds, such as formaldehyde. Carpeting and upholstery also release these chemicals. In a new home, the adhesives, sealants, drywall, particleboard, and paint release vapors that contribute to poor indoor air quality. New items made of plastic also negatively impact the quality of your home’s air.

At ACR Air Conditioning & Heating, we’re the trusted provider of indoor air quality solutions in Lake Charles. Homeowners also turn to us for dependable heating and air conditioning maintenance, repair, and installation services. Our air duct cleaning helps keep your home clean and comfortable. If you’re a local business owner, you can also count on us for reliable commercial heating and cooling services. To learn more about what affects indoor air quality, get in touch with us at ACR Air Conditioning & Heating today.

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