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Three Steps to Improved Indoor Air Quality
It’s important to ensure that the indoor air quality in your home is the best it can be. There are three basic steps you can take to breathe better.

Improving Indoor Air Quality Step One – Control the Source

Obviously, removing or controlling the source of indoor pollution is an effective way to deal with air quality.  Gas stoves, a source of emissions, aren’t always possible to remove entirely. They can be properly maintained and adjusted to decrease emissions. Smokers can stop smoking indoors, stopping the indoor emission of dangerous chemicals. Sources like those containing asbestos can be sealed or removed.

Improving Indoor Air Quality Step Two – Improving Ventilation

Source control is often the most effective way to manage indoor pollutants. Increasing ventilation can lower the amount of indoor air pollutants present but doing so often increases energy bills. Typical home heating and cooling systems do not automatically introduce fresh air inside the home. Opening windows or running attic fans when weather permits are good ways to increase ventilation.  It’s important to do so when involved in activities like painting. Fresh ventilation will reduce the contamination and effects of the emissions.

Improving Indoor Air Quality Step Three – Air Cleaning

Air cleaners are available in sizes ranging from table top to whole house. Some are very effective in removing particles, others are not.  Typical air cleaners are not usually designed to remove gas based pollutants.

Air cleaner effectiveness depends primarily upon two factors. One: how well it actually collects the pollutants from the air. Two: how much air it moves through the cleaning element.  The long term performance of any air cleaner, table top or otherwise, is directly affected by maintenance. If an air cleaner is not properly cleaned and maintained, it will not perform as well as it could nor will it perform for as long as it could.

It is important to consider the pollutant when looking at air cleaners, especially table top ones. This type of air cleaner is not likely to be effective if a strong pollutant source is close to it.