A new study from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shed light on the dangers of indoor air pollutants. According to the august body, indoor level of pollutants are generally 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor pollutant levels. As a result, the EPA now ranks indoor air pollutants among their top five environmental risks to human health.
What we know
The average Americans spends about 90 percent of their time inside. Whether at home, at work, or shopping in a store, we breath the same polluted air almost all the time. To complicate the situation, the health problems associated with indoor air pollutants can be subtle and often take years to develop. One simple and effective way to reduce the potential health problems for you and your family is to improve your indoor air quality.
Duct cleaning
If you have a central heating/cooling system, and most homeowners do, odds are it uses a series of ducts to move heated/cooled air throughout your home. Cleaning these ducts on a regular basis can help remove pollutants, thereby improving your indoor air quality. What’s involved?
When your hire a heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) professional to physically clean your ducts, he/she will also inspect and possibly clean other system components, including the heat exchangers, air terminals, condensate drains and pans, system filters, and the fan motors and housings. According to most experts, you should have your ducts cleaned by an HVAC professional at least once a year, preferably before periods of heavy usage.