Indoor Air and VOC’s. Keeping Your Air Healthy

Ensuring a healthy home environment is important for any Bunn, NC homeowner. It all starts by removing harmful contaminants for your home’s air. Read on to learn more about indoor air quality and how volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) can affect it.

Consequences of Poor Indoor Air Quality

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we spend 90 percent of our time indoors. In contrast to what we might think, the quality of our indoor air is often 2 to 5 times worse than the air outdoors. Constant exposure to contaminated indoor air can result in allergy symptoms like sneezing, coughing, congestion, dizziness, and itchiness. However, if you or another family member already suffers from asthma or other respiratory issues, contaminated air can worsen your condition and lead to more severe consequences.

What are Volatile Organic Compounds?

The primary cause for indoor pollution is exposure to volatile organic compounds, which are harmful gases emitted from common store-bought household products like cleaners, furnishings, pesticides and paint. These volatile organic compounds include some that are highly toxic like formaldehyde and methylene chloride which are known to be linked to cancer.

Get Rid of VOCs at Home

There are different ways to lower exposure to VOC’s at home. A great solution is to switch from commonly bought products to others with natural ingredients. For example, using a combination of vinegar, baking soda and lemons as cleaners will keep your home smelling fresh and your indoor air healthier than by using other branded products.

Regardless, we understand other sources of volatile organic compounds like building materials and furnishings are not as easy to control. For this reason, Trane has designed top-quality products to eliminate VOC’s from your home’s air.

Our team at Alford Mechanical is comprised of indoor air quality experts who can explain the best course of action to ensure a comfortable and healthy environment for your family. Contact us to schedule an appointment today.