Sometimes your allergies are not seasonal; you might be allergic to your home. Sometimes your illness isn’t a virus that you caught outside; you might be getting sick inside of your home. Contaminants and pollutants inside can be just as dangerous if not more so than what’s outside. Between building materials, chemicals, and lack of proper maintenance, your home can go from a safe haven to suffocating.
What indoor pollutants could be making you sick?
1. Organic matter – Pet dander, dust mites, and insects can trigger allergies and asthma.
2. Building materials and chemicals – These could be asbestos in the insulation, formaldehyde in the wood panels, lead-based paint (once the paint deteriorates, the lead can be a problem), and other chemicals in paint, finishes, and solvents.
3. Maintenance issues – Some things are safe when you first use or install them, but as time goes on, they can be detrimental to your health. For example, the lack of ventilation inside the home could lead to moisture buildup, which can lead to mildew.
4. Lifestyle contaminants such as tobacco smoke inside the home, carbon monoxide from fires and heaters, dirt buildup, and harmful cleaning products.
Test your home for contaminants.
You can hire a professional to come into your home to test it, or you can purchase DIY test kits. Four of the most important things to test are water, lead, radon, and indoor air quality. Water should be tested for bacteria and pesticides, even if your neighborhood is known for having clean water. Radon is a cancer-causing gas that can get into homes from outdoor soil due to uranium decay. Before lead-based paint became illegal in 1978, it was common for homes to contain lead, which is a neurotoxin that can cause illnesses and disorders through inhalation of fine particles. The indoor air quality of your home should be tested for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, and formaldehyde.
How do you eliminate these environmental toxins inside the home?
You could start with minor changes that don’t require any repairs or labor. Keep your house clean and dust-free. Leave windows open to air out the house and prevent moisture buildup inside. Never allow smoking indoors. Use eco-friendly, natural cleaning products or try making your own DIY cleaning products with vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice. Put toxin-eliminating plants around the house for better air quality.
You can also be more environmentally friendly when making repairs, renovations, or changes to the house. Only buy furniture, shelves, countertops, cabinets, carpets, and flooring that don’t emit toxins or contain formaldehyde, petroleum, PVC, and other plastics. Particleboard and finishes typically contain chemicals like formaldehyde, but safer, more natural furniture is made from solid wood and non-toxic finishes.
When you paint the house, make sure the paint and solvents are free of toxins and VOCs. Even smaller household objects such as fibers, linens, and fabrics can contain toxic, flame-retardant chemicals. For clothing and linens, stick to natural fibers like cotton, wool, bamboo, and hemp.
Give your house a good flushing and regular maintenance. Have your HVAC system inspected, cleaned, and restored to ensure that pollutants and contaminants aren’t living inside the ducts and circulating back through your home. Use a filterless air purifier to remove pollutants such as pollen, dust mites, mold spores, and secondhand smoke from your home. Filterless air purifiers are a great option for those who are looking to avoid the hassle that comes with cleaning and maintaining air filters. If you need to upgrade to an efficient appliance, or aren't sure which filters to buy, look for reviews online to weigh the pros and cons of these products.
Since it’s an invisible gas, radon contamination causes more than 20,000 deaths per year. Homes should be tested every two years or after a remodeling project. Protect your home from radon gas by sealing cracks, gaps, and cavities around your house. Purchase a test and contact a mitigation contractor in your area if your house tests above 4 pCl/L.
Your home is where you spend most of your time. If these walls could talk, they would tell you what you’re inhaling. What’s inside could slowly be making you sick without you realizing it, so know what’s living in your home with you and how to fix it. This knowledge can make the difference between a safe living space and a toxic one.
Whether you're planning to sell your home or own a rental property, EPC Solutions can help to improve your property's energy efficiency. Book an appointment with us today!
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