What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality? Part 2
What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality? – Part 1
Poor indoor air quality doesn’t always have a single cause. Conditions inside a home can be influenced by dust and particles, moisture, pets, household products, cooking, ventilation, outdoor pollution, construction, and other sources, sometimes several at the same time.
In Part 2 of our Indoor Air Quality Guide, we’ll look at where these pollutants and conditions can originate and how everyday activities and property conditions can influence the indoor environment.
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INDOOR AIR QUALITY GUIDE · PART 2 OF 7
← Part 1: Indoor Air Quality Basics | Start at Part 1 | Part 3: Common Indoor Air Pollutants →
Poor indoor air quality can develop from one significant source or from several smaller sources operating together.
EPA identifies factors ranging from human activities and consumer products to humidity, outdoor air, building materials, furnishings, HVAC systems, plumbing, and the characteristics of the building itself.
Some major categories deserve particular attention.
Dust and airborne particles
Household dust isn’t necessarily just dirt.
Indoor dust can contain a mixture of materials, including particles brought indoors from outside and biological material such as pollen, pet dander, mold spores, dust-mite material, pest debris, and human skin cells.
Particles can also originate from cooking, combustion, smoke, candles, fireplaces, certain cleaning activities, printers, and chemical reactions occurring indoors.
And settled dust doesn’t necessarily remain settled.
Walking, sweeping, dusting, and vacuuming can temporarily stir some accumulated particles back into the air.
Related guide: Why Is My House So Dusty Even After Cleaning? [Internal link]
Mold, mildew, and excess moisture
Moisture is one of the most important indoor environmental conditions to manage.
Leaks, condensation, flooding, damp materials, high humidity, and poorly ventilated areas can create conditions that support mold and other biological contaminants.
A recurring moisture problem therefore shouldn’t simply be treated as a surface-cleaning problem. The source of the moisture also needs to be identified and addressed.
Explore: Mold & Mildew
Pets and biological allergens
Pets can contribute dander and other biological material to the indoor environment. Pollen, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, molds, and pest-related material are additional examples of biological contaminants that may occur indoors.
These materials may be present in the air, but they can also accumulate in household dust and on surfaces, fabrics, bedding, carpets, and furniture.
Related: Pet Dander & Allergens
Household products and VOCs
Many common products can release chemicals into indoor air.
Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are chemicals that can evaporate at room temperature. Sources can include certain paints, finishes, building materials, household products, adhesives, and other products used or stored indoors.
This doesn’t mean every household product creates the same level of concern. VOCs comprise many different chemicals with different properties.
Following product labels, storing products properly, and providing appropriate ventilation when using products that release VOCs are important precautions. And household chemicals should never be mixed unless the product directions specifically say to do so.
Related guide: Can Cleaning Products Affect Indoor Air Quality?
Cooking and combustion
Cooking can generate indoor particulate matter. Fuel-burning appliances and combustion sources can introduce additional pollutants.
This is one reason kitchen exhaust ventilation that vents outdoors can be useful.
Other combustion-related sources can include fireplaces, furnaces, unvented heaters, tobacco smoke, and other burning activities.
Poor ventilation
Pollutants produced indoors can accumulate when there isn’t enough appropriate ventilation to dilute or remove them.
Opening windows and doors can sometimes increase outdoor-air exchange, while properly vented kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans can remove contaminants near their source. Mechanical ventilation systems may provide another means of bringing outdoor air inside.
But more outdoor air isn’t automatically better in every situation.
If outdoor air contains wildfire smoke, heavy pollen, vehicle exhaust, or another significant pollutant, opening windows may introduce more of that pollutant indoors.
Outdoor pollution entering your home
Indoor and outdoor air aren’t completely separate environments.
Outdoor particulate matter can enter through open doors and windows as well as cracks and other openings in a building. Vehicle exhaust, smoke, road dust, pollen, and some industrial emissions can all contribute outdoor particles.
Weather and season therefore matter when thinking about indoor air.
Construction and remodeling
Renovation can introduce dust, particles, paints, adhesives, finishes, and other materials into the indoor environment. Remodeling may also disturb materials already present in a building.
Older properties deserve particular caution because projects may encounter materials involving lead or asbestos, which require appropriate procedures and should not be treated as ordinary construction dust.
Related guides: How Does Remodeling Affect Indoor Air Quality? and Drywall & Construction Dust
Keeping Up With What Accumulates Indoors
Not every source of poor indoor air quality is a cleaning problem. But dust, pet hair, tracked-in material, and other everyday residue can accumulate throughout a home. Sweep N Glow helps Connecticut homeowners stay on top of the cleaning side of maintaining their indoor spaces.
Explore Sweep N Glow Home Cleaning Services For Connecticut →
Continue the Indoor Air Quality Guide
We’ve looked at where indoor air-quality problems can originate. Next, let’s look more closely at the pollutants themselves, including particulate matter, mold, VOCs, carbon monoxide, radon, smoke, and other concerns.
Next: Part 3 – What Are the Most Common Indoor Air Pollutants? →