According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, where pollutants are often two to five times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. Poor indoor air quality can severely impact your health, but by conducting a home air allergen test, you can take the necessary steps to ensure you and your family are breathing clean air.
Signs You Need to Perform a Home Air Allergen Test
Homeowners should test for air allergens every three to five years. If you’ve lived in your home for longer and have not done so already, this alone is a sign that it’s time for a home air allergen test. In addition, several telltale signs signal a need for a thorough air allergen inspection.
Health Symptoms
Headaches, nasal congestion, itchy or sore throat, and shortness of breath are all ways our bodies attempt to alert us of harmful particles in the air. It can be confusing to judge the need for a home air allergen test during allergy season since many symptoms can be dismissed as seasonal illnesses. If you exhibit any of these symptoms, observe your health for about a week or two to gauge if there is a particular time of day or area of the home wherein you experience these symptoms.
Poor Ventilation
If you take a walk around your home, can you spot areas of poor ventilation? This includes spots or rooms that smell musty, walls with mold on them, and windows or walls with condensation buildup. If these signs are present in your home, this likely indicates a more significant air quality problem.
Strange Odors
If, after a period of absence from your home, you return to an odd or unrecognizable odor, it could be a sign of air pollutants that are detrimental to your health.
Older Homes
As technology has improved, construction methods have been refined, improved, and enhanced for resident safety. Outdated construction methods can emit harmful Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and pollutants.
How to Test Indoor Air Quality for Allergens
If you’re like most people, your indoor air quality is important to you, and you want to ensure the air you breathe is clean and free of allergens. But how do you spot them? You can detect allergens in your home using a few methods.
Purchase an Indoor Air Quality Monitor
An indoor air quality monitor detects harmful odorless gasses in the air and airborne particle matter. When purchasing, make sure the monitor you choose can detect humidity, temperature, VOCs, levels of particulate matter, and the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Install a Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Carbon monoxide is known as the “silent killer” because it’s colorless, tasteless, and odorless—yet it can kill anyone who is exposed to it for long periods. This poisonous gas is a byproduct of fuel combustion, stemming from gas burner stoves, gas dryers, and gas furnaces.
Conduct a Radon Test
Another important odorless and tasteless gas to watch out for is radon, which radiates from rocks, soil, and water and can cause irreversible health damage. According to the American Cancer Society, radon causes 21,000 lung cancer deaths annually and is the second leading cause of lung cancer. While there are various DIY methods for conducting a radon test, hiring a professional is best to ensure detection accuracy.
Test for Mold in the Air
The one thing that indoor air quality monitors can’t track is mold, which can cause asthma and other breathing problems. Airborne mold spores can pollute your indoor air and slowly impact your health.
While there are at-home mold tests you can purchase, we recommend you do not use them. Unfortunately, there is mold in the air everywhere, and these tests are notorious for stating the obvious. What you should be concerned about is the concentration of mold in your environment and whether it will be detrimental to your health. When it comes to mold testing and remediation, it’s best to hire a professional for a home inspection.
Call an Air Quality Professional
There’s no more effective way to conduct a home allergen test than by hiring a professional. Pure Breathing Solutions is a licensed, bonded company specializing in air quality improvements and mold remediation. Visit our website to get more information about our process, and visit our blog to learn about clean indoor air, mold remediation, and more.