Test Your Home Regularly for These Contaminants
Air quality may not have been the selling point when you bought your home, but you should at least consider it as you continue to live there. The air you breathe is crucial to your continued health and well-being, and any pollutants could cause problems beyond trouble breathing. To make sure your house is safe, regularly test for these common air contaminants.
Dust
Dust is prominent in every home, and it builds up subtly. You’ll notice dust coming from dirt that tracks in, carpet fibers, and dead skin cells. You can’t prevent dust from accumulating altogether, so you’ll need to keep up with the hotspots and make sure you clean them regularly.
One of the most critical places to keep dust-free is your HVAC system, particularly the filters. Without regularly changing your filters, you’ll reduce your air quality with not just dust but the rest of the contaminants below. A dirty HVAC can lead to many air quality problems, so clean them often to keep your air pure.
Mold and Mildew
If you live in a humid area, prepare to have problems with moisture entering your home. You’ll have to keep careful track of problem spots in your house, especially if they’re anywhere near your vents, or else you’ll have to deal with poor air quality for years to come. Do your best to keep moisture out of the house and watch for signs of mold in the walls.
When you buy a house, you may not realize that it might have trouble with mold or mildew. Sellers might clean up the visible spots while leaving the underlying problem alone. Either will affect the air quality and damage the structure of your home. Run regular tests and keep moisture from accumulating in the walls, floors, and ceilings.
Radon
Many are unfamiliar with radon gas, but that doesn’t decrease its deadly potential. Radon is a gas that releases as uranium breaks down, so if your area has significant deposits of the mineral, your air quality will likely suffer. Radon has connections to lung cancer, especially in non-smokers, making it a particularly odious problem to face.
The gas is odorless, colorless, and builds up indoor spaces with ease, so you won’t likely notice it on your own. For your safety, even if you don’t have high levels when you move in, hire professionals to test the air every couple of years and make sure the radon levels are within safe limits. Otherwise, you may not notice the effects immediately, but they can do a lot of harm down the road.
Lead
Lead is a dangerous substance, but it was common in pipes, dishes, gas, paint, and more for years. If your home is older, you may risk exposure from anything in the house, including the walls. Even if someone removed the parts containing lead, you have a chance of exposure if they did it incorrectly.
To protect yourself and your family from lead in the air, walls, or elsewhere in the house, have experts test for the mineral everywhere. If anyone works or plays in an area with concentrations of lead dust, you’ll have to clean even more rigorously to keep it at bay. The regimen is worthwhile, though, if it protects your family.
Whether you want an air check-up or an inspection before you buy or sell a property, Breathe Wright Radon and Air Quality Services is here to help. We’ve built our business around keeping you and your loved ones safe in the home where you live. We test for all of these contaminants and specialize in radon to give you the best air you can get. Contact us today to schedule your next air quality check.