Indoor air quality affects almost every part of daily life for you and your family, including your pets. It’s not a matter of minor inconvenience. What you breathe every day impacts your sleep, daily focus, and your long-term health (think asthma, heart, and lung disease).
Ironically, the oil crisis of the 1970s led to more tightly sealed and constructed homes as an energy conservation effort, which led to other, more subtle dangers like trapped volatile organic compounds (VOCs), CO2, radon, and mold.
In Florida, this led to movements like Malachi’s Message Foundation and TDM Mold Assistance Foundation to raise awareness on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Florida families spend more time reviewing the air quality in their homes and finding solutions facilitated by professional HVAC care options.
What is Indoor Air Quality and Why It Matters
Indoor air quality is the measure of your business’s or home’s cleanliness and safety, in terms of the air you breathe, the temperature, humidity, ventilation, and the presence of pollutants.
Basically, it’s a question of: what are you taking into your lungs that has no business there?
A clean IAQ features low to zero contaminants in the air, like dust, pollen, mold spores, VOCs, pet dander, and gases like radon or CO2. It’s not just the source you have to worry about, but also how effectively your home or building ventilates poor air.
A high humidity level is a classic example. A humidity measure of 60% or higher is bad news, a cozy breeding environment for mold (even black mold, one of the worst) and dust mites. Good ventilation brings in fresh air while dispersing the bad. HVAC air filters (ideally MERV+13) capture these particles, and clean coils/ducts to prevent the recirculation of bacteria and allergens.
If your home has poor IAQ, the risk of asthma attacks, respiratory infections, headaches, fatigue, and long-term risks like COPD or heart disease becomes more prevalent.
Common Causes of Poor Indoor Air Quality
To improve your home’s air, it’s important to understand the root causes of poor indoor air quality. Identifying them will provide you with an underlying foundation on which to build a healthier indoor environment.
- Dirty HVAC filters trap less debris over time, which allows excessive dust and allergens to continue circulating throughout the home, also straining the blower.
- Clogged ducts from years of buildup leak conditioned air while spreading contaminants back into rooms.
- Unclean AC coils grow mold and bacteria, especially in humid areas, recirculating them during cooling cycles.
- Poor circulation traps CO2 and VOCs, and excessive humidity creates a nice, comfortable home for mold growth on walls, ceilings, and in the ducts.
With pets in the home, expect more dander, pollen tracked inside, and hair, even if you keep your pets clean and hygienic. In short, the causes of poor indoor air quality are extensive, but manageable.
How Indoor Air Pollution In Homes Impacts Your Family
The potential impacts are far-reaching, some of which are touched on briefly above. Immediate signs include sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, and congestion, all the symptoms of an allergic attack or the beginning of a cold.
In the short term, airborne contaminants like VOCs, mold spores, and PM2.5 cause respiratory irritations, coughing, and even a sore throat, things that can and will immediately disrupt daily life. However, it’s the long-term impacts that are far more concerning.
Respiratory diseases, cardiovascular risks, and cancers are on the table as distinct possibilities, assuming nothing is done to diminish the risks. For instance, extensive PM2.6 inhalation can cause lung tissue damage and chronic bronchitis.
Neurological issues like dementia, Alzheimer’s, and general cognitive decline are possibilities, as well. Nothing good can come of breathing in VOCs, other pollutants, mold spores, and allergens all day, every day, even while sleeping.
To top it off, indoor air pollution drives up energy costs as well. The causes behind indoor air pollution in homes also place a strain on the HVAC system, resulting in higher-than-average monthly power bills.
Role of Duct Cleaning in Improving Air Quality
If it can float in the air, there’s a possibility it will end up in the ductwork at some point or another. Dust, pet dander, hair, pollen, mold spores, and general debris will accumulate in the ducts over the years, even in a moderately clean home.
This is especially true in more humid environments like here in Florida. Dirty HVAC air filters exacerbate the problem, but clean ones won’t eliminate it entirely, not over the course of 5 to 10 years. Professional air duct cleaning, something worth strongly considering every few years, involves specialized vacuums, brushes, and agitation tools to remove buildup from inaccessible areas.
Clean ducts will restore maximum air flow, boost your HVAC efficiency, and help lower those energy bills. It will noticeably help with interior cleanliness. Though you still have to dust here and there, the reduced accumulation over the course of a few days is noticeable.
Importance of HVAC Air Filters and Filter Upgrades
The health of your home air filtration system is paramount. It all starts there (along with general cleaning throughout the week), with devices like an air purifier for home use providing secondary benefits.
- Replace your HVAC air filters every 1 to 3 months, depending on your household activity, pets, and local dust/pollen levels.
- Old, clogged filters can significantly restrict airflow, which forces your blower to work overtime and reduces cooling capabilities over time.
- Stick with high-MERV (11-13) or HEPA filters to capture the finer particles in the air, which will drastically cut down allergens, especially in environments with high daily pollen counts in the spring.
- Allergy-friendly alternatives, like pleated or activated carbon filters, tackle VOCs, odors from pets, and bacteria as well.
- Upgrading filters is a good idea, with a few exceptions, boosting your HVAC system’s lifespan by lowering the day-to-day pressures.
- A smart filter system is another option, with app monitoring to track replacements and IAQ metrics, so you can get the maximum performance out of your filters.
Smart thermostats will also send alerts on the status of your filtration system periodically, and they are relatively affordable these days.
How AC Coil Cleaning Improves Air Quality
Evaporator coils are known for accumulating dust and residue, the latter a particularly nasty form of biofilm, along with mold and bacteria. AC coil cleaning can be a DIY job, though the result is generally a light surface dirt cleaning with soft brushes and low-pressure water.
In terms of basic maintenance on accessible coils, DIY is fine. However, a professional AC Coil cleaning is a far more robust option, followed up by routine DIY runs. It’s an annual job (the professional side), and will help extend the life of your system, as well as maintain a cleaner air environment in the home.
Plus, a professional job will include a thorough inspection, in case there is a refrigerant leak or blower issues. Coils maintain proper cooling efficiency through heat transfer. This is why dirty coils lead to visible freezing on the suction line. If the heat can’t pass through the dirty coils, the temperature drops.
Air Purifier for Home and Whole Home Air Filtration Systems
There are basically two types worth mentioning: whole-home air filtration systems and portable air purifiers. Both have their uses, depending on time, convenience, and affordability.
- Portable units are suitable for bedrooms or offices (usually 200 to 500 sq ft worth of coverage). They run independently of your home air filtration system and are easy to move around and set up.
- Whole-home systems are installed in the ductwork or at the air handler, providing filtering for the entire home as the HVAC system runs.
Integrating a whole-home system with the HVAC system pulls all the return air and runs it through a premium filtration system or purifier before redistributing throughout the house.
- HEPA filters capture nearly 100% of all the tiny particles in the air, from pet hair and dander to PM2.5.
- UV-C lights kill 99% of mold, bacteria, and viruses on the coils or passing air.
- More advanced systems that use photovoltaic oxidation or bipolar ionization eliminate VOCs, pathogens, and even bad smells permeating the home.
These UV-C germicidal lamps are surprisingly effective as “coil sterilization” setups, attacking one of the most germ-attractive points in the entire HVAC system. The average bulb lasts for 9,000 hours.
Practical Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality
An immediate (and highly effective) method for improving your indoor air quality is to stay on top of the air filters, changing them when needed. These filters are the first line of defense and will significantly reduce the amount of time you spend on everything else, or the chance of system failure and/or dirty air.
- Perform an AC coil cleaning annually (Professional preferred) to reduce the spread of bacteria, maintain efficiency, and reduce the risk of freezing.
- Boost ventilation by using exhaust fans whenever you cook or hop in the shower. If able, prop open the door or open a window as well.
- Use HEPA air filters
- Use dehumidifiers if you live in a humid environment and interior moisture levels are climbing.
- Test for radon and VOCs yearly and use low-VOC products for interior work, like painting.
- Schedule routine maintenance and stay on top of it with a calendar or reminder application on your smartphone.
- Keep the ducts clean, if accessible, and contact a professional if not.
Preventive maintenance is your best friend, heading off major HVAC system issues if avoided, especially if it’s been a long time since your system had a once-over.
Frequently Asked Questions About Indoor Air Quality
What causes poor indoor air quality in homes?
Poor indoor air quality in homes stems mostly from indoor sources, like pet hair and dander, mold, VOCs, dust, cooking, and poor maintenance.
How often should I schedule air duct cleaning?
You should schedule air duct cleaning once every 3 to 5 years, sooner if you notice excessive dust, a persistent moldy smell, or you have conducted recent renovations that generated a lot of airborne pollutants.
What type of HVAC air filters are best for allergies?
MERV 11-13 pleated HVAC filters are generally best for allergies. They capture up to 99% of pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and mold spores in the air, without overly restricting air flow.
Does AC coil cleaning help improve air quality?
Yes, AC coil cleaning definitely improves indoor air quality by removing dust, mold, and bacteria from the coils, keeping them from circulating back into your home.
Are whole-home air purification systems worth it?
Yes, whole-home air purification systems are worth it, especially for families with allergies, pets, or who live in humid climates. It treats 100% of the conditioned air continuously.
The Key Takeaways
Indoor air quality has a significant impact on your health and the health of your loved ones and pets. It’s certainly not something to be taken lightly, even if your HVAC system is brand new. SInce homes are more tightly sealed these days, it doesn’t take long for internal buildup to accrue throughout the system.
Regular maintenance, preventive and professional, includes air duct cleaning, AC coil cleaning, upgrading and regularly replacing HVAC air filters, and using air purifiers if necessary.
If you’re worried about the indoor air quality of your home, are experiencing repeated bouts of allergies, or the air smells musty/moldy continuously, contact America Air Cares for quality indoor air solutions and full HVAC services!
