The quality of the air inside your Las Vegas, NV home is very important. It’s common for indoor air to contain particulate matter from things like dust, pet dander, and pollen. Mold spores and volatile organic compounds are other dangerous contaminants commonly found indoors. Luckily, there are steps you can take to improve the quality of your indoor air in Las Vegas.
The Health Effects of IAQ Issues
The health effects that indoor air quality (IAQ) causes will depend on the specific contaminants that are in your home. If you suffer from allergies, pet dander, pollen, and dust are major triggers for symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, and itchy eyes. Volatile organic compound (VOC) exposure can come from materials such as carpet, paint, chemical-based cleaning products, and air fresheners. This exposure can lead to symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, sore throat, nausea, and inflammation.
An Indoor Air Quality Assessment
Having a professional from our team perform an indoor air quality assessment can help you determine what kind of contaminants are a problem in your home as well as what concentration. We can then make a recommendation for the types of IAQ equipment that you can consider to protect your health and wellbeing.
We recommend that you follow up with periodic IAQ testing as well. This can help you determine if the changes you’ve made have improved the quality of your indoor air. You’ll find out if there are still contaminants that need to be addressed or even new ones.
Whole-House Air Purification
You’re likely familiar with the portable purification units that can be plugged into the wall and moved from one room to another. While these units can be relatively effective, they don’t address enough square footage in your home to really make a big difference in indoor air quality. They also require a lot of maintenance and upkeep, including cleaning or replacing filters on a very regular basis.
A more effective option is investing in a whole-house air purification device. We install this equipment right onto your HVAC system. All the air in your home is filtered before it passes through your ductwork and out into the various living spaces in your residence. There’s no need to move a unit from one space to another. You just need to check your filter regularly. This time frame is usually once every 30 to 90 days.
There are different types of filters used in whole-house air purifiers. A high-efficiency particulate air filter or HEPA is designed to remove as much as 99.97% of the particles in your air. HEPA filtration tends to be too restrictive for a traditional furnace to handle, which is why it’s commonly used in add-on filtration equipment.
Activated carbon filters are another great option that improves your indoor air quality. These filters remove particulate matter, but they also get rid of odors and VOCs. They’re usually combined with another type of filtration.
Electrostatic filtration is a very effective way to remove particulate matter from your indoor air. Electrostatic plates will attract oppositely charged particles before they can circulate through your home. The nice thing about this setup is that you don’t have to replace any filters. The collection plates can be periodically removed, washed, dried, and replaced back into the housing unit.
Controlling Humidity
The relative humidity in your Las Vegas home should remain between 35% and 50%. This improves comfort, boosts indoor air quality, and can prevent the growth of mold. Unfortunately, humidity levels can fluctuate based on the weather outside and your activities indoors. We recommend that you monitor your indoor humidity level using a hygrometer or a smart thermostat that provides humidity readings.
If there is too much moisture in your indoor air, we recommend having a whole-house dehumidifier installed on your HVAC system. Rather than using a portable unit that leaves a lot of moisture behind, a whole-house setup can remove moisture from your air before it passes through your ductwork and into your home. A permanent drain line will move the moisture away from your home, so you don’t have to worry about emptying anything.
It’s more likely that you experience dry air much of the year in Las Vegas. A whole-house humidifier can add moisture back into your indoor air. You can use both types of equipment, switching between them as needed.
Ventilation Concerns
Unfortunately, the air inside your home may be worse than what’s outside. This is often because of a lack of ventilation. Cooking, bathing, cleaning, and even new building materials can all lead to diminished indoor air quality. It’s ideal that you open your windows for at least five to 15 minutes per day to allow for a healthy exchange of air. If this isn’t possible, you can utilize exhaust fans to remove stale air from your Las Vegas home. Most homes already have these fans in spaces like bathrooms and kitchens. You can have additional exhaust fans installed in your attic.
Cut Down on Pollutants
While it’s difficult to remove all sources of indoor pollution in your home, there are likely some changes you can make to improve your IAQ.
Choose Greener Products
When it comes to cleaning, doing laundry, and bathing, opt for products that are made with all-natural ingredients. Stay away from chemicals such as parabens and formaldehyde. Don’t use chemical-based air fresheners, scented detergents, dryer sheets, and so on. While you may think they have a nice smell, they’re terrible for your health.
Use Plants to Improve Air Quality
Houseplants add to the décor of your home, but they can also purify your indoor air depending on the variety you get. Place plants in areas of the home that see the most indoor pollution, such as your kitchen, bedrooms, and laundry room. The most purifying varieties include aloe vera, peace lily, spider plant, banana plant, Devil’s ivy, weeping fig, and Chinese evergreen.
Just make sure that you’re properly maintaining your plants. Watering them too often can introduce extra moisture into your air or even mold spores.
Using UV Light Technology
A lot of air purification equipment pairs filtration with ultraviolet (UV) light for an added boost in IAQ. UV light technology can render things like bacteria, viruses, and pathogens inactive using ultraviolet-C (UV-C) light. This light must be replaced approximately once per year and cleaned routinely for it to retain its effectiveness. Unfortunately, UV light technology doesn’t filter particulate matter from your indoor air, so it’s best combined with additional filtration.
If you would like to learn more about having an indoor air quality assessment performed in your Las Vegas residence, reach out to our team here at Polar Air & Heating, Inc.. In addition to indoor air quality services, like air purifier installation, we also provide new heating and cooling equipment installation. We provide ongoing routine maintenance and can perform repairs as needed. We offer commercial services as well.
Contact Polar Air & Heating, Inc. in Las Vegas today to schedule an appointment.
