Proper Ventilation Helps Indoor Air Quality

Even if your family doesn't have noticeable symptoms, you should think about improving the air in your home.

Indoor air pollutants can cause a variety of health problems including irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, asthma, and even eventually respiratory disease, cancer, and heart disease. The young, the elderly, and the chronically ill, especially those suffering from respiratory or cardiovascular disease, are most susceptible to the effects of poor indoor air quality.

• Source Control

  Reducing or eliminating pollutant sources is generally the best and most efficient way to improve your home's IAQ. Some sources, like paint cans and some cleaning products, can simply be removed. Others, like gas stoves and water heaters, need to be adjusted to decrease the amount of pollutants they emit into your home. Air-sealing, duct-sealing and moisture control - all major components of the GreenHomes home performance approach - also help keep pollutants out of your home.

• Ventilation Improvements

  Adding or replacing bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans that remove contaminants and dump them outside is another way to improve IAQ. Ventilation, whether mechanical or natural like opening your windows, brings in outdoor air and reduces the concentrations of indoor pollutants. Examining ventilation is another key element of home performance.

• Air Cleaners

  Installing the right air cleaners to remove pollutants from the air can be an important part of an overall IAQ strategy.  We use advanced filtration and even UV technologies, depending on your needs. At GreenHomes, we use this strategy only after source control and ventilation improvements have been tried.  For more information see EPA's Indoor Air Quality site.