Combatting Indoor Air Pollution in St. Louis

November 15, 2023

Combatting Indoor Air Pollution in St. Louis Most people are aware of contaminants that cause outdoor air pollution, but you might not be aware that air pollution can exist inside a home as well. Pollution inside your home can cause difficulty with breathing or even severe respiratory problems down the road. Indoor pollution is worse than outdoor pollution due to the fact that air doesn’t circulate as effectively indoors as it can outdoors. St. Louis is hard hit by both indoor and outdoor pollution, especially during certain times of the year. Let’s explore the causes of indoor air pollution, the seasons during which you should take particular care, and the things you can do to improve the air quality in your home. What Causes Indoor Air Pollution? The main cause of indoor air pollution is contaminated air outside the home coming in through open windows, doors, or poorly maintained HVAC systems. St. Louis is prone to ground-level ozone pollution, otherwise known as smog. Smog is a mixture of pollutants emitted from factories or other industrial sites, car exhaust fumes, construction debris, or particles from burning waste. St. Louis specifically has a high number of industrial plants that release harmful chemicals...

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Should I Get an Air Quality Test in My Home?

December 19, 2022

Should I Get an Air Quality Test in My Home? Why an Air Quality Test May Be Necessary for Your Home With the winter months ahead of us, many people head indoors for some warm, cozy time away from the harsh elements that cold temperatures can bring with them. Few of us give a second thought to the recycled air we’ll be breathing as we all gather together to wait out the cold months in close quarters. It’s not only people that stay inside more on cold winter days. Dogs are probably sitting near their owners, wondering why their walks are shorter than normal. When your pets aren’t spending as much time outside the house, there’s more opportunity for hair and dander to collect inside. Unless you have an air filtration system, this increased number of contaminants will adversely affect the quality of the air you breathe. Did you know that the air inside your house is likely to be even more polluted than outdoor air? Indoor particulates flow freely in our offices, schools, and homes on a daily basis. These pollutants and particles can come from a number of different sources, from pets to cleaning products to air fresheners...

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Poor Indoor Air Quality Problems and Solutions

September 19, 2022

Poor Indoor Air Quality Problems and Solutions Most people think that indoor air is cleaner and purer compared to outdoor air. However, without proper measures in place to clean and purify indoor air, the quality of indoor air can be much worse than the air outside. This is because there are many items and features within your home that may release particulates and other forms of impurities into your home’s atmosphere. This includes water heaters, fireplaces, furnaces, ovens, stoves, and space heaters, among others. We have prepared a guide below on everything you need to know about the air pollutants that compromise indoor air quality and how to upgrade and clean the air within your home. Check it out below. What Are the Effects of Indoor Air Pollution If you want to know whether your home has poor air quality, it’s important to watch for health-related signs of bad indoor air. You may have observed that you or the people living in your home suffer from the following symptoms frequently: Dizziness Fatigue Headaches Eye irritation Throat irritation Nose irritation The long-term side effects of living in a home with poor indoor air quality include: Respiratory diseases Heart disease Cancer Although...

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How to Prepare for Fall Allergens

October 1, 2019

Preparing For Fall Allergens Fall allergies can run amok on your respiratory system. These allergy symptoms can include a runny nose, itching, and fever. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to keep your home free of fall allergens. The Most Common Fall Allergens Fall allergens differ from the ones that cause your sinuses to act up in the spring. In the autumn months, ragweed is the major culprit. Ragweed pollen can travel hundreds of miles being carried by the wind and can, therefore, affect you even if you are not surrounded by vegetation. Other particles that can aggravate your allergies include dust mites and mold spores. Replace the HVAC Filter Your home’s airflow is sifted through the air filter, and therefore, a lot of these allergens that happen to make it into your house will be collected there. It is important to change your HVAC air filter regularly because a dirty filter will mean having allergens floating freely inside your living space. A clogged air filter also means that your HVAC system may not operate optimally, and this will cost you money down the road. Schedule Duct Cleaning Schedule an experienced HVAC professional to clean your ducts so...

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How to Reduce Exposure to Indoor Air Pollutants

July 15, 2019

Reducing Exposure To Indoor Air Pollutants Your home may be a safe haven and a personal escape, but there are could still be indoor air pollutants lurking throughout your interior. The air in the building may not be as clean as you think it is. Fortunately, certain steps can be taken to reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants. Here are a few ways to reduce indoor air pollutants in the house. 1. Avoid Smoking One of the main steps residents need to take to maintain clean indoor air is to avoid smoking indoors, which will pose as health hazards, especially in rooms that have a lot of upholstery or carpet. When smoking outdoors, close all of the windows in the home to prevent secondhand smoke from transferring into the building. Cigarette smoke is tough to clean and to remove because it’s a strong odor that can linger for many years. 2. Avoid Using Household Cleaners Household cleaners may remove dirt and grime in the building, but they can also affect the air quality in the building due to the chemicals they contain. Household cleaners have been linked to respiratory issues in both children and adults, which makes it necessary to...

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Breathing Easy During Allergy Season

June 1, 2019

Breathing Easy During Allergy Season Many people in the St. Louis area probably think of  as a choice for heating and cooling needs. However, we know that there is more to home comfort than temperature. The quality of the air in your home matters to your overall health and well-being. This is especially important during allergy season. Common Allergy Season Impurities If you have seasonal allergies, you know when the trees, flowers, and weeds are producing pollen. Your throat gets scratchy. Your nose gets runny. Your eyes get itchy. You may have headaches and trouble getting a good night’s sleep. It is even worse if you are prone to respiratory issues like asthma. The allergy season can be an uncomfortable time of coughing and wheezing. Pollen is one of the worst irritants of the season. However, as the seasons change from spring to summer, new irritants crop up. The humid summer weather encourages household molds to grow and produce spores in damp areas. This moist weather also creates favorable breeding conditions for dust mites. After these little critters consume the dead skin cells around your home, they leave behind irritants that can cause an allergic reaction. Home Air Quality Solutions...

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Expert Tips for Clean Air During Allergy Season

May 2, 2019

Clean Air During Allergy Season Most of our customers think about as a place that can handle their home temperature needs. However, our trained technicians are experts in more than heating and cooling. They can also help you improve the quality of the air you breathe in your home. Indoor Irritants You have probably walked into a room when the sun was shining directly through a window. You could see the light reflected off all the dust particles floating in the air. Every time you breathe, some of those particles are going into your lungs. Of course, your body has some natural ways of filtering pollutants, but it is helpful to get them out of the air in the first place. This is especially important for people with allergies or respiratory problems. In the allergy season, the mix of dust, dander, and pollen in the air can trigger allergy symptoms. For people with asthma, this will aggravate symptoms and increase the risk of an attack. Simple Air Quality Solutions There are some simple things you can do to improve air quality. The main way to keep pollen and dirt particles out of the air is to keep them out of...

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Essential Ventilation for Health and Efficiency

February 18, 2019

Importance Of Ventilation Proper ventilation is essential to an energy-efficient home. It is also imperative to the health of the people who live there. After all, the EPA recognizes poor indoor air quality in the home as a significant health risk. Areas where ventilation are most important include the: Attic – to avoid excess heat Kitchen – to exhaust pollutants Bathroom – to avoid excess moisture Living spaces – to avoid a build-up of pollutants Why Is Ventilation Important to Our Health? At , we offer a wide range of air quality services to our customers in St. Louis and beyond. Our company cannot emphasize enough how important it is to ensure proper ventilation in an energy-efficient manner. There are pollutants in your home. Even if you are diligent, these pollutants are naturally occurring. Consider the winter season when your home and comfort systems are designed to keep the heat in. Less fresh air means a higher concentration of these pollutants. How Is Energy-Efficient Ventilation Achieved? The easiest way to ventilate your home may be to open a window, but that isn’t very practical in the winter. Likewise, your older home may have gaps and other leaks that do keep...

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What Are Air Cleaners?

June 6, 2018

Air Cleaners Don’t be surprised when you go to the doctor for some medication for a respiratory or eye infection and come away with orders that include: get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, take all your antibiotics and hire a certified HVAC professional with an air cleaner to remove harmful vapors and debris in your indoor air. Wait. What? What is an air cleaner, and what does it have to do with seeing my St. Louis, MO doctor about chronic respiratory infections? Your Home or Office Could Be Making You Sick Poor indoor air quality often causes frequent sinus infections, allergy symptoms, and red, swollen eyes. Contaminated air is one of the most common sources of frequent colds, headaches, allergy flares and red, puffy eyes. There have been reports of severe lung disease and cancer developing in people who live or work where the air contains high concentrations of chemical particulates, dangerous mold and other If you have never had your home air cleaned, it might be time, especially if you and your family suffer from frequent respiratory problems. Do You Need an Air Cleaner? Industry experts who study indoor air quality recommend residents and business owners proactively...

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Poor Indoor Air Quality in Health Clubs Can Turn Away Clients

October 13, 2017

While having good gym equipment is important, so is having good indoor air quality. Most of us have experienced walking into a swanky looking gym and being turned off by the nasty air. No one would ever like to go to a gym that smells bad. The problem of poor indoor air quality in a gym can be addressed with proper air conditioning and ventilation. In this post, St. Louis HVAC technicians will talk about how you can maintain good air quality in your gym and attract new customers and retain old ones. Poor Air Quality Can Affect Health of Clients People visit a gym to improve or maintain their health through regular exercise. While having good gym equipment is important, so is good indoor air quality. If your gym’s ventilation system has not been properly designed or is not functioning properly, it can make the environment hot and humid. This happens because the system does not remove enough moisture from the air. Here is what can happen if you fail to correct the ventilation problem in your gym: Hot and humid air will become breeding ground for the growth of mold and mildew Humid air can create musty smells...

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