Biological Pollutants: Best Practices For Controlling Them

While most people associate air pollution with factories and traffic smog, the air in your home can be host to more pollutants than the air found outside. Since most people spend the majority of their time inside, this should be a source of great concern. A major source of poor indoor air quality comes from biological pollutants. These include bacteria, viruses, mold, dust mites, pet dander, and various forms of residue and leavings from cockroaches, rodents and other pests.

Poor indoor air quality can be the source of many illnesses and worsen the effects of many others. Biological pollutants are particularly prone to causing or worsening allergies and asthma. Some molds can cause diseases by releasing toxins. People with pre-existing allergies or breathing problems as well as children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to airborne biological contaminants.

Luckily, there are many steps you can take to minimize the biological pollutants present in your home:

• Keep the humidity in your home at 60 percent or less. This will help deter the growth of mold as well as dust mites and cockroaches. Use a whole-house dehumidifier if necessary.
• Ventilate areas prone to moisture buildup. This would include putting ventilation fans in kitchens and bathrooms, as well as venting clothes dryers outside. In addition to keeping humidity down, this will remove any vaporized biological contaminants. Also, in the humid climate of the Coastal Bend, it can be important to ventilate your attic and crawl space to prevent condensation from forming.
• Keep your home clean. Regular cleaning can remove a significant amount of biological pollutants. It’s especially helpful to use hot water when doing laundry and cleaning any upholstery.
• Check your Vacuum Cleaner:  Using an old or inefficient Vacuum cleaner can just redistribute the dirt instead of removing it.  A bad connection to the bag can leak the dirt back into the air.

If you have any further questions about biological pollutants or are looking for ways to improve your home’s air quality and comfort, please contact us at CCAC, Inc. We’ve been providing reliable HVAC service in Corpus Christi and the Coastal Bend for more than 35 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about Biological Pollutants and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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