AIR QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FOR GREATER PORTLAND

Improve Your Indoor Air Quality with the Experts from 72 Degrees

 The indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home could be affecting the health of you and your family. How bad is the air quality inside your home? The Environmental Protection Agency found about a dozen common organic pollutants to be 2 to 5 times — and occasionally over 100 times —  higher indoors than outdoors!

And considering that the average American spends around 90% of their time indoors, this is deeply concerning for our health — especially for the young, elderly, chronically ill, and those suffering from respiratory problems.

Luckily, there are many ways to improve the air quality inside your home. Speak with the NATE-certified experts at 72 Degrees to come up with a custom solution to your air quality problems.

What’s in the Air You’re Breathing?

 You probably aren’t thinking about what’s causing the sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, and sleep problems in your home, or if you are, you may not be considering the real cause — the air quality!

Isn’t it amazing that the air outside is often healthier than the air inside our homes, schools, offices, and buildings? And things can get a lot worse, especially when using products that contain volatile organic chemicals, which can stay in the air for a long time.

Here are some of the indoor air pollutants that may be floating around your home:

• Tobacco Smoke
• Carbon Monoxide
• Nitrogen Dioxide
• Formaldehyde
• Pesticides
• Asbestos
• Radon
• Biologicals (fungi, bacteria, viruses, dust mites, pests, and pollen)
• Volatile Organic Chemicals (aerosol sprays and different household products)

These common indoor pollutants can trigger a range of reactions, including asthma and allergy attacks, sneezing, coughing, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, fever, digestive problems, nausea, headaches, and even death.

When someone starts feeling sick in your home, speak with your doctor, but also think about the quality of the air. Do symptoms flare up at home? What’s the indoor humidity level? Has there been any recent water damage? Have you scheduled HVAC maintenance in the last six months? Have you changed the air filter?

Hundreds of Americans die every year from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning (CDC). This is one of the reasons why you should always hire a trained professional to inspect, clean, and tune-up your heating system every fall.

The Real Cause of Indoor Air Pollution

Why has indoor air quality gotten substantially worse over the years? Because changes in home construction practices created airtight homes that are heavily insulated.

While these practices help to conserve energy, they also trap airborne particles, infectious agents, and toxic compounds which are bad for the health and well-being of everyone inside.

Indoor air contaminants, such as pollen, dust, mold spores, fungi spores, tobacco smoke, dust mite feces, pet hair, and pet dander all contribute to poor indoor air quality. Additionally, common household furnishings such as draperies, carpeting, wallpaper, paints, stains, and furniture may continue to “off-gas” potentially toxic fumes for a long time after application or installation.

Heating and air conditioning ducts which are dark, damp and rich in “nutrients” provide an excellent breeding ground for mold, fungi, and dust mites which can spread rapidly when these ducts are in use to heat or cool the home. Poor ventilation and dirty filters are also major contributors to unhealthy contaminates in the home.

By simply remembering to check your air filter every month and replacing it when it gets dirty, you can dramatically improve your indoor air quality.

Air Quality Solutions from 72 Degrees

There is no simple way to solve your indoor air quality problems. We recommend starting by contacting a licensed professional to inspect the home for the causes and sources of your indoor air pollution.

Luckily, there are many products on the market today that work with your existing home comfort system to provide unparalleled filtration and cleansing.

There are basically three categories of infectious agents that need to be addressed by your indoor air quality system:

1. Allergens and particulates that can cause health effects such as nose and throat irritation, runny nose, congestion, and asthma flares. This is controlled by high quality air filtration and proper ventilation.
2. Infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. This is controlled by UV-C light, whole-home humidification, and proper ventilation.
3. Toxic compounds that include formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, smoke, and mold mycotoxins that can create such symptoms as memory lapse, depression, headaches, and fatigue. This is controlled by annual HVAC tune-ups, UV-C light, and proper ventilation.

Whether it’s the humidity, ventilation, filtration, or something else, our Comfort Advisers will be able to pinpoint the problem and recommend the best solution for your needs.

Contact the trusted, NATE-certified team at 72 Degrees Heating & Air Conditioning for your FREE indoor air quality analysis.