Improve Your Health at Home this Spring
The highlights of spring in New Jersey include longer days, warmer weather, and a general feeling of renewal. Unfortunately, if you suffer from allergies or asthma, spring can bring more unpleasantness than joy. An unhealthy home can contribute to worsening asthma, allergy, and other symptoms. That’s why improving your health this spring begins at home.
The Importance of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Healthy indoor air quality is essential to maintaining the wellbeing of you and your family. By improving the quality of your home’s air, you can avoid uncomfortable symptoms and illnesses. Making your home healthier will also make it more comfortable, so you can feel at ease spending time with family and friends indoors.
Solutions for a Healthier Home
Almost every home in the area could benefit from improving its indoor air quality. While it may seem like a monumental task, the solutions necessary for a healthier home have widespread, long-term benefits including also improving a home’s comfort and reducing energy bills.
So, what can you do to boost your home’s indoor air quality?
- Air Sealing & Insulation
Gaps in your home’s structure allow air from the outdoors to leak in. Therefore, unfiltered, outside pollutants, allergens, and contaminants can easily enter. In addition, these seemingly insignificant cracks permit moisture into your home.
By air sealing and installing adequate insulation, your home is protected from the flow of air, moisture, and heat from the outside. Not only will these home weatherization measures improve indoor air quality due to reduced air and moisture infiltration, but you’ll also see a significant increase in year-round comfort while reducing your energy bills.
- HVAC Maintenance
Although it may not yet be warm enough to turn on the air conditioner, you’ll soon need it to keep the New Jersey heat and humidity at bay in your home. Scheduling a tune-up for your AC is important to keep your home healthy.
The air filter in your HVAC system will be cleaned or replaced, ensuring dirty air isn’t circulating through your ducts. On top of improved IAQ, air conditioning maintenance will help you avoid unexpected breakdowns, expensive emergency repairs, and discomfort at home.
- Mechanical Ventilation
Installing a heat recovery ventilator or energy recovery ventilator at home will bring fresh, clean air into your living space. This will dilute any allergens or contaminants and help to increase indoor air quality. In addition, mechanical ventilation will expel excess moisture helping to prevent buildup which may lead to mold growth.
- Dehumidification
Summers in New Jersey can get so humid you might feel like you’re swimming through the air instead of just walking. Installing a whole-house dehumidifier will protect your home from high levels of humidity which can cause mold to grow. Since high humidity can also make it more difficult to breathe, lowering levels with a dehumidifier will alleviate respiratory problems you or someone in your household may experience.
- Air Filtration & Purification
To ensure healthy indoor air quality, you may consider installing an air filtration or purification system. These cleaners will remove airborne pollutants, continuing to make your home’s air healthier.
