Outdoor Pollution Can Affect Indoor Air Quality

 The air pollution in the Toronto and GTHA in the last few weeks, in fact this summer, has been absolutely terrible! We had a terrible spring for seasonal allergy sufferer with some of the highest pollen counts to date. Now with summer in full swing we are having to contend with Northern Ontario forest fires affecting our outdoor air.

Unfortunately, outdoor pollution will find its way in to our homes and condos and will affect the air we breathe in our homes.  Outdoor air pollution will affect the indoor air quality of the air you breathe indoors.

Pollen, mould, bacteria, viruses, smoke, etc that is airborne outdoors will find its way indoor through natural and mechanical ventilation as well as cracks and crevices in the building envelope, windows and doors. In other words, what you breathe outdoors you will be breathing indoors.

With COVID still in full swing and with Fall just around the corner (yikes time flies) it is extremely important that your home an condo apartment have proper furnace filtration and air purification. There are newer technologies these days where furnace filters now not only capture allergens and pathogens but will also kill them.

However, your first step, before buying any equipment or air purifiers, is to know what is the status of your indoor air quality. Do you have a ventilation problem? Do you have a chemical or VOC problem? Do you have an airborne dust and particle problem? All of these questions can only be answered with an indoor air quality assessment or air quality test. Knowing your indoor IAQ issues will then determine what air purification system is right for you situation.

At the very least, your home or condominium should have the following.  

Top 5 Indoor Air Purification Needs:

  1. Electronic furnace filter system
  2. Central or in some cases portable HEPA air purifiers
  3. Mechanical ventilation system such as an HRV or ERV
  4. HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner
  5. Natural cleaning products

Your home should be a safe haven for airborne allergens and pathogens. Outdoor and indoor sources for poor indoor air quality can accumulate and negatively affect your indoor air quality and the air that you breathe. Proper ventilation systems and air purification systems can significantly reduce the airborne air quality threat to your health.

Start with a professional air quality assessment of your home or condominium. We can show you the air quality challenges that you have to a healthy home. We will make specific recommendations to improve the air you breath and help you achieve a healthier home for you and your family.

Call us for an indoor air quality test today.

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