When you want to take control of indoor air quality (IAQ) to improve health conditions and comfort in your home, learning about volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and how you can lower their concentrations will move you toward a healthier household. Reducing VOCs in your Twin Cities home can be accomplished with simple changes requiring low or no financial investments.
Modern products ranging from paints and glues to furnishing and building materials all release VOCs that can trigge
r physical symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, eye, nose, and/or throat irritation, as well as more severe effects such as liver and kidney damage and even cancer. This is why reducing VOCs in your home is critical when you wish to provide your family a healthy indoor environment.
Although removal of the sources of VOCs is always best to reduce the levels of these pollutants, this is often impractical except for removal of small items such as partially full paint and chemical containers. When you cannot eliminate VOCs at the source, mitigation and reduction can be accomplished with the following tips:
- Make sure to provide plenty of ventilation while using any VOC-containing product, and allow adequate time for the product to off-gas and/or dry before closing additional windows and doors that you may have opened.
- Never run a vehicle in an attached garage any longer than it takes to pull it in or out, as VOCs and carbon monoxide can enter your living space through cracks in the building. Do not store excess quantities of VOC-releasing products in your garage; purchasing smaller amounts will allow you to use up and properly dispose of any chemical containers in a prompt fashion.
- Keep select house plants near long-term sources of VOCs, such as furnishings or in your bathroom where personal-care products are frequently used. Certain houseplants have the ability to trap VOCs in their leaves and roots.
- Consider investing in an air cleaner designed to reduce VOCs in your home.
Since 1974, the professionals at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning have been helping homeowners in the Twin Cities area meet all of their home comfort needs. Contact us today for top quality HVAC service.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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