Factors that Reduce Your Indoor Air Quality and How to Fix Them

Factors that Reduce Your Indoor Air Quality and How to Fix Them

Factors that Reduce Your Indoor Air Quality and How to Fix Them 150 150 Lewis Comfort Control

The average family in Nashville spends the greatest percentage of their time at home, hanging out, sleeping, and, for many, working from home. As a result, it is important that your home is safe and healthy.

Unfortunately, bad indoor air quality can quickly become a source of health problems and discomfort. Different types of pollutants in your home are a major trigger for allergies, respiratory issues, reoccurring colds, or other illnesses, especially if they build up over time. Other challenges to air quality can exacerbate these symptoms or cause other problems. These are some of the most common air quality issues for homes in Nashville and what actions you can take against them. 

Improving Air Quality in Your Home

Low indoor air quality is a leading reason why homes in Nashville feel uncomfortable or your family members frequently deal with allergies, even when you have a well working heating and cooling system. Discomfort is because deteriorating indoor air quality can also make you require your air conditioning to work harder to keep you cool, providing one more reason to find solutions for all of the following:

  • Contaminants and Pollutants – Pet dander, dust, mold spores, pollen, and other items can all get into your home where they settle on surfaces and inside your ductwork. Breathing these in is a leading cause of indoor allergies and colds. They can also require you to frequently clean your home and result in HVACC air filters that get clogged more easily. Potential fixes when you have a high number of pollutants in your home is to install new air filters or schedule a professional air duct cleaning.
  • High Humidity – Humidity is almost always a concern in Nashville where high outdoor humidity often impacts your indoor comfort as well. Humidity will cause you to feel much warmer and force your AC to work harder to keep you cool. Humidity can also be an incubator for mold spores and increase your chances of having more growth. Installing a dehumidifier can help pull excess moisture from the air to leave your home drier and more comfortable. 
  • Lack of Humidity – Although a less common problem in Nashville, too little humidity can also have negative effects. It will make your skin feel uncomfortably dry, cause dry throat and coughing, and slow down your recovery time when you get sick. Inside your home, dry air can dry out wood, damaging furniture and fixtures. A humidifier adds humidity to the air, offering a dependable way of correcting this air quality issue.
  • Poor Ventilation – Ventilation creates a natural airflow that will prevent different contaminants from building up inside your home, but many newer homes are tightly sealed in order to be more energy efficient. This means that dust is not coming in through small cracks, but it also cannot easily escape, causing debris to collect. Opening windows from time to time, especially during any cleaning, can let pollutants naturally flow back outside. An air filter change out can also help harmful particles from the air as it circulates.

For any indoor air quality solutions in Nashville, Lewis Comfort Control can help you determine what issues are keeping you from being comfortable, causing health concerns, or making a negative impact on your AC. Then we can respond with options such as installing humidifiers or dehumidifiers, performing AC maintenance and air filter replacement, or conducting air duct cleaning to provide a noticeable improvement in your air quality. Contact us to learn more about our indoor air quality services and schedule a technician visit.