‘Tis the season of coughing, itching, and sneezing, when many people in the Peoria, Bloomington, Pekin, and Washington retreat indoors to escape outdoor allergy triggers. But what if your home doesn’t offer the relief from allergies that you’re looking for?
Surprising as it is, indoor air quality (sometimes called “IAQ” for short) is often up to five times worse than the air quality outside. This can have you experiencing allergy symptoms even when you’re cooped up indoors. But before you go out and buy a plug-in air purifier for your home, there’s a thing or two you should know about the real source of indoor allergy triggers.
Allergy Triggers Could Be Hiding in Your Indoor Air
Many homeowners are surprised to find out just how many hidden contaminants are floating around in their indoor air. These contaminants often exacerbate allergy and asthma like symptoms, making it feel as though there’s no relief from spring allergies. Common indoor allergy triggers include:
- Dust mites in furniture & bedding
- Mold in high moisture areas
- Formaldehyde from furniture & carpet
- VOCs from paint & cleaning products
- Carbon monoxide from gas appliances
Removing Allergy Triggers Starts with Improving Your Home
While it may seem like plugging in a simple air purifier is enough to remove allergens from your indoor air, this is unfortunately just a band-aid fix, that only masks the deeper problems that are going on with your home. If you really want your home to be a safe haven from allergy symptoms, it’s important to make home upgrades that target IAQ issues at the source. Here are a few home improvements we recommend:
Get Indoor Air Quality Testing
The first step to improving your indoor air is understanding what’s in it. Schedule indoor air quality testing with AAA Northgate to find out which allergy triggers are hiding in your air.
Schedule an Energy Audit
In addition to having your indoor air tested, we also recommend scheduling an energy audit. An energy audit is an in-depth assessment of your entire home and will uncover issues that are harming your IAQ. Your energy auditor might find, for example, that air leaks are letting outdoor contaminants seep in, or that your air filters are not enough to remove airborne contaminants.
Get Air Sealing & Insulation
Many homes are leaky and under-insulated, letting outside contaminants seep in. Having your home air sealed and insulated by an insulation contractor can help keep outside contaminants from entering in the first place. What’s more is that home insulation and air sealing make your home more comfortable and energy efficient throughout the year. Blown in attic insulation is especially effective at stabilizing indoor temperatures.
As you tighten up and insulate, keep in mind that ventilation is important for giving indoor contaminants a controlled path out of the home. Be sure to use bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans as needed. You might also consider adding whole-home ventilation to your HVAC system.
Add Air Purification
Your heating and air conditioning systems have filters which help remove particles from your indoor air, but often these are not enough to keep indoor air clean. Adding an air purification system can help make your indoor air as healthy as possible. This advanced system uses UV light to kill mold, viruses, and bacteria before they are circulated throughout your home.
AAA Northgate: Indoor Air Quality Done Right
AAA Northgate takes pride in helping Peoria, Bloomington Pekin, and Washington homeowners not only enhance their indoor comfort but also improve the quality of their air they breathe. If you can’t escape allergies inside your home, let our experts pinpoint what’s harming your IAQ. It all starts with an indoor air quality test!