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Improving Indoor Air Quality to Control Indoor Air Pollutants

Weatherization, or weatherproofing, is the practice of protecting your home against the elements, securing leaks or ventilation problems, and overall modifications to reduce energy consumption and increase energy efficiency.

Although the federal government recommends taking steps to reduce energy costs, these same steps can be applied to minimize indoor air pollution. The process of weatherizing your home can help increase the efficiency of your home while giving you the opportunity to inspect for ventilation problems, odor sources, and moisture control problems.

Keep in mind that indoor air quality can be improved or worsened based on how you weatherize your home. By increasing insulation and decreasing air supply from the outdoors, you may be increasing the concentration of existing air pollutants within the home.

There are a few basic strategies for improving indoor air quality

  • Controlling the Source – By controlling or removing the source of indoor air pollutant you can essentially eliminate or reduce the pollutant problem. Defined sources such as asbestos can be contained, sealed, or removed, preventing further contamination of the air inside the home.

    Other types of sources, like gas stoves, can be adjusted by either you or a professional in order to contain contaminants and air pollutants. Usually source control is the most cost-effective way of improving indoor air quality. Although increasing ventilation and air circulation can also improve indoor air quality, it is also a relatively expensive alternative.

  • Improving Ventilation – Increasing air circulation from the outdoors can drastically improve indoor air quality. Most large heating and cooling units are not designed to circulate outdoor air into the home. Open windows, window air conditioning units, and vents that exhaust directly to the outdoors are a few ways of improving indoor air quality in the home by directing outdoor air.

    Although newer homes are coming equipped with modern ventilation systems that increase outdoor air circulation within the home, individuals should always take steps to keep air pollutants at a minimum. Always increase indoor-outdoor air circulation high during renovation projects such as building and painting. Hobbies such as welding, sanding, and soldering can also cause a significant increase in air pollutants. These activities should be done outside when possible.

  • Air Purifiers – Home air purifiers and air cleaners range in size, cost, and effectiveness. Some models can clean air within an entire household while others target a certain type of size of air pollutant particle. None of these, however, are designed to remove gaseous air pollutants from the home. Air purifiers and air cleaners have ratings based on how well they clean and collect air pollutants and how much air they circulate through the filtration element. They generally come with ratings expressed in percentage efficiency rates for how well they clean and cubic feet per minute for their air circulation. You need to make sure you have one that has a high efficiency rate as well as a proper air circulation rate for the desired space.

Air purifiers tend to be a popular solution to helping maintain clean, healthy air within the home. Tabletop units are not as effective as higher-grade floor units at effectively removing air pollutants. Also, depending on both the severity of the pollutant and the degree of health symptoms involved, homeowners may want to focus on removing or sealing the pollutant source in conjunction with adding an air purifier.

Some people feel that houseplants can help decrease air pollutants within the home. There isn’t any evidence that a large number of house plants removes any significantly measurable amount of air pollutants. Although houseplants can provide improved ambiance, they fail to do the work of an efficient air purifier. Over-watering these plants can also cause increased growth of some soil microorganisms.

Air purifiers, although great for filtering out common air pollutants and particles, are not designed to remove gaseous elements from the air. This includes radon, a common radioactive gas that occurs naturally in soil and can cause lung cancer in exposed individuals. The EPA does not recommend trying to use air purifiers to remove radon from a home, but instead suggests using radon detectors to determine levels of risk and contacting local professionals to identify and seal sources of radon.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends regular floor and air duct cleaning depending on the size, age, and traffic in your home. Floors can collect and harbor allergens and dust while air ducts and cooling units collect particles that continue to circulate throughout the home. Older or improperly installed air ducts can sometimes accumulate moisture, resulting in mold and mildew growth within the system. Having professionals inspect and clean vents and ductwork is crucial to clean air circulation within the home. Keeping a clean home and having regular ventilation checks can help improve indoor air quality.

The EPA publishes numerous articles on the use of air purifiers, identifying source pollutants, and the potential health effects of all kinds of indoor air pollutants. The EPA also publishes articles on the effectiveness of ozone-generating devices that are sold as air cleaners.