The following blog is the first in a series of blogs on the importance of Indoor Air Quality and how to improve it. In this first blog, we will introduce the concept of indoor air quality, discuss the four pillars of IAQ, and explain why IAQ is important. Additionally, we will highlight why Five Star Home Services is the company to call Central and Southwest Ohio for all indoor air quality needs.
Understanding the Importance of Indoor Air Quality
Our great state, the Buckeye State, is known for its vibrant cities and scenic countryside landscapes. Nevertheless, one aspect that often goes unnoticed here in Ohio is the quality of the air inside our homes and places of work.
Make no mistake about it: The air we breathe is the essence of life!
Because of this, Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ, is more important than ever; it has a silent yet significant influence on our health, comfort, and well-being. In the following, your local air care experts here at Five Star Home Services will begin peeling back the layers of this seemingly complex topic to unveil the importance of indoor air quality in Ohio.
We also aim to give you simple steps you can take and tips to breathe easier and optimize your indoor air quality. Throughout this series, nevertheless, we hope you remember one thing: When it comes to all your indoor air quality and indoor comfort needs in Greater Columbus, Greater Cincinnati, Greater Dayton and surrounding areas – Five Star Home Services has you covered.
Now, let’s delve into these concepts! First, we will help you understand Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ.
Understanding Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in Ohio
As the name suggests, Indoor Air Quality refers to the condition of air within our living and working spaces. Ideally, this air should be crisp, clean, and pure. It should be free of chemicals, allergens, gases, impurities and pollution. When this is the case, it benefits our health and well-being in ways we often take for granted. When there is an issue, however, it can be very costly in very unexpected ways.
The tragic truth in today’s world is that our indoor air can host a variety of pollutants, all of which usually go unnoticed until it’s too late. From dust mites and mold spores to chemical vapors and gases, our indoor air can easily become a cocktail of airborne hazards.
Without even realizing the cause, residents can suffer from symptoms such as headaches and eye irritation, particularly if the indoor air quality is poor. The term “Sick Building Syndrome,” as it’s often called, isn’t just discomforting; it can lead to long-term health issues like respiratory diseases, cognitive problems, and even cancer. This doesn’t even cover the complexities of respiratory issues such as asthma, allergies, or the discomfort and loss of wellness caused by poor air quality.
When you consider the host of factors, it becomes clear that Indoor Air Quality is a topic we cannot afford to overlook or neglect any longer. This is our health we’re talking about! Because of its importance, we will now explore the four pillars of optimal indoor air quality.
The Four Pillars of Optimal Indoor Air Quality
Experts say achieving optimal indoor air quality rests on four foundational principles. Knowing these principles (or pillars) is a great place to start when it comes to tackling indoor air quality. The four pillars include the following:
- Minimize (or eliminate) indoor emissions: To implement source control; one should use only eco-friendly furniture and high-quality building materials. Paints and finishes with low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) content should also be used. Hazardous chemicals should be avoided in the home. The air should be kept circulating, and air ducts should be kept clean. In short, this pillar rests on protecting your home from pollution that’s already inside.
- Protect against outdoor pollution: Next, this pillar says homeowners should utilize some of the air filtration and/or air purification technologies we offer at Five Star Home Services to prevent outdoor contaminants such as pollen, gas and smog from infiltrating living spaces. We will explore these products and technologies later in this blog series. For now, it’s important for you to know what’s coming in and keep that to a minimum. Keep in mind that things like radon and carbon monoxide are known to be silent killers. Let us know if you need your indoor air tested for anything lethal such as this.
- Keep it dry and manage humidity: Controlling your indoor humidity levels throughout the year is paramount. We will delve into this more in the next section. However, to prevent the growth of mold and mildew, you should keep your home from becoming too humid during the summer. During the winter, it is also beneficial to maintain a level of moisture because the air dries out tremendously, which affects IAQ.
- Ventilate well: Maintaining proper airflow helps to dilute and remove indoor pollutants. When it comes to indoor air quality, you’ll hear us say this time after time: airflow is paramount. This merely underscores the importance of ventilation! Ventilation helps remove or dilute indoor airborne pollutants coming from indoor sources. It reduces the level of contaminants and improves overall indoor air quality. Because of this, proper ventilation is a must!
As we begin to understand these pillars one thing becomes clear: For homeowners and business owners here in Ohio – where varying climates can make air quality concerns worse – these principles are even more important.
Remember we say: The air we breathe is the essence of life!
Next, we will next address seasonal IAQ concerns here in Ohio.
Seasonal Indoor Air Quality Concerns in Ohio
In accordance with the weather outside, indoor air quality fluctuates with the seasons here in Ohio.
Wintertime Concerns. During the wintertime, homes are buttoned up tight, trapping more pollutants inside. This is why IAQ is so important! A diligent approach to ventilation and air purification is essential.
Springtime Concerns. During the spring, people like to open windows and doors to let fresh air into their homes. However, this can also allow outdoor pollutants such as pollen and dust to enter. This makes HVAC filters and air purifiers indispensable allies for allergy sufferers, not to mention humidity control.
Recent data highlighted by IQAir shows us that while Ohio’s outdoor air quality varies, the insidious nature of indoor air pollution often goes unrecognized. Considering that individuals spend roughly 90% of their time indoors, and considering the staggering implications of poor IAQ, which is more common than you think – improving IAQ is essential.
In fact, improving indoor air quality helps to prevent the spread of disease, reducing asthma triggers, such as pollutants and other irritants, which leads to optimal health and wellbeing. In short, when it comes to your indoor air quality, you don’t know what you don’t know.
Because of this, it is essential to trust a professional like Five Star!
Why Choose Five Star Home Services?
As your local air quality experts in Central and Southwest Ohio, we at Five Star Home Services are your champions of Indoor Air Quality. We provide solutions designed to elevate IAQ at the most competitive prices. When you add these products onto purchasing new HVAC equipment, we often practically give them away.
At Five Star, we offer advanced solutions such as ionization, sophisticated air purification systems, HEPA filtration, humidity control, UV lights, electrostatic air cleaners, preventative maintenance, and air duct cleaning services—all of which align with our mission to create healthier, more breathable environments at competitive prices. We will explain these products in more detail as we move forward in this series. But for now, we’d like to leave you with a few closing thoughts.
Remember that escaping the invisible clutches of poor indoor air quality is all about making informed decisions and taking consistent action. For homeowners and business owners in Ohio, the commitment to cleaner indoor air can significantly enhance health, mental function, and overall quality of life. In short, it’s like we say: The air we breathe is the essence of life.
Because of this, we encourage you to control the air in your home! Doing so will also, by default, help you control your health and future—not to mention everyone else in the home!
In short, we’d like to close this first part of our series by saying: “Breathe deep, Ohio. Your guide to cleaner air is right here.” Your friends at Five Star Home Services have all your indoor air quality needs covered in one place!
Visit Five Star Home Services for more information on optimizing your indoor air quality.
This concludes the introduction to our seven-part comprehensive blog series on indoor air quality. In the next blog, we will begin exploring some of our Indoor Air Quality solutions.