Why You Should Care About Indoor Air Quality in Albuquerque
Indoor air quality in Albuquerque is something many of us don’t think about. Often, there’s a lot more focus on what is outside, like air pollution and allergens. But did you know the air inside your home is 10X more toxic than the air outside? Astonishing, right?
You might be wondering where all of these toxins come from. We will cover that in this blog post. Plus, we will talk about what you can do about it and share a list of special tips for pet owners regarding indoor air quality.
What You Eat, What You Drink, What You Breathe
Do you ever look around and wonder why there seem to be more diseases than you remember when you were younger? Autoimmune diseases are on the rise, and over 600,000 die each year from cancer in the US alone. While some of these things may have just gone undiagnosed in decades past, we believe a large contributing factor to diseases are the toxins you take in through what you eat, what you drink, and what you breathe.
And while we don’t have any say in what you eat or drink, we can contribute to making sure what you breathe is as healthy as possible. In this COVID era, people are indeed thinking about indoor air quality more than ever. Bosque Heating, Cooling, and Plumbing has indoor air quality solutions for both businesses and homes.
Where Do the Toxins Originate?
Toxins come from all kinds of sources, but the most common things in a home are new carpet, paint, new furniture, and anything else that includes components like stains, glues, and silicones. Of course, in a new home, when everything is new, and nothing has had a chance to air out, we recommend air purification systems.
But it isn’t just new homeowners that need to think about indoor air quality. Any time you bring new furniture into your home, paint the walls, or stain the cabinets, there could be toxins entering your home. We’re not saying never to paint your walls or buy new furniture. We are saying that there are things in your air that you can’t see, including toxins, viruses, and allergens, and air purification systems and filters can help.
Indoor Air Quality Recommendations
We partner with SolaceAir for indoor air quality products and carry and install almost all of their products. SolaceAir provides three lines of defense, protecting against particles and allergens, germs and infectious agents, and chemical gases and odors. SolaceAir is also a proud partner of the COPD Foundation, which is dedicated to education, awareness, and innovation when it comes to COPD.
One product we recommend is their electrostatic filter for HVAC systems. These filters remove 96% of particles that could be going into your HVAC system. The traditional air filters you can pick up at the hardware store remove only a shocking 6% of dust, and the fibers from the paper end up clogging up your HVAC system as well.
In the past, one primary objection to electrostatic filters is that they crackle and pop. But the new generation of electrostatic filters is improved, and you won’t notice them. And while they are more expensive than paper filters, you don’t need to replace them very often because you can clean and reuse them.
Another thing we install for clients are Ozonators that put a safe percentage of ozone into the air to pull toxins, viruses, and bacteria from the air. And, for commercial settings, we can set up a UV light systems to help with air purification. If you want to learn more about any of these services, please contact us and we’d love to share more information with you.
Special Air Quality Tips for Pet Owners
People with pets have some additional obstacles with their indoor air quality. But it’s nothing that can’t be helped. So we’ve compiled a list of things pet owners can do to make sure the air quality in their home is as good as it can be.
- Regularly change your air filter. While this is a tip for any homeowner, for pet owners, it is even more important because pet hair can build up on the filter, causing it to be less effective. Also, outdoor pets bring environmental allergens inside the home, and pet dander can be an allergen as well. So keeping a clean air filter in your furnace is even more of a priority for pet owners.
- Schedule regular grooming for pets. As we mentioned, pets bring in allergens from outside, and they themselves carry allergens. Having your pets regularly groomed cuts down on the allergens that stick around in your home and removes excess fur, which your furnace will thank you for.
- Consider an air-purifying system. This is something we encourage for any homeowner, but again, even more important for pet owners. Pets add hair, allergens, and smells to a home that could be filtered out for cleaner air.
- Dust, sweep, and vacuum regularly. Pet fur and dander accumulate on the floor and on surfaces, which doesn’t help with air quality. Keeping your home clean will make it easier for your HVAC system to do its job.
Breathe Easy
Many things remain to be seen when it comes to the effects of specific toxins on the human body. But if you have it in your power to reduce the risk of health concerns with some relatively simple steps regarding indoor air quality, why wouldn’t you?
If you have questions about our specific indoor air quality products, or you’re wondering how we can duplicate it on a larger scale for a business or commercial building, we’d love to chat. Perhaps COVID brought up the conversation of indoor air quality for some, but it’s a concern that has been needing to be addressed for a long time. Let’s get you breathing easy!