According to the EPA, the air in your house is two to five times dirtier than outside. However, most homeowners are unaware of how dirty their home is or what contaminants inhabit the air. The solution to this problem is indoor air quality testing. Below, we look at five reasons to schedule an assessment with indoor air quality testing companies and how it benefits your home.

1. Find Out Which Pollutants Are in Your Home

It may surprise you that many of the contaminants in your home are chemicals, artificial products, and building materials. Some of the most toxic contaminants and materials include  
  • Asbestos
  • Paint products
  • Carbon monoxide
  • Carpets
  • Formaldehyde
  • Cigarette smoke
  • Dust mites
  • Lead
  • Bacteria and viruses
  Many of these contaminants cause various respiratory conditions and other long-term health problems. Indoor air quality testing reveals up to 100% of the contaminants in your home. If you can identify the indoor pollutants, you can install the right whole-house filtration system to combat them.

2. Clean Air Tests Are Accurate

One of the reasons homeowners do not schedule an indoor air quality test is that they are convinced that they either don’t work or are a scam designed to get more business for HVAC companies in Virginia. While this point of view is understood, it’s not realistic.  The reason for the misunderstanding is that homeowners often assume that technicians run just one type of test to identify indoor pollutants. However, a credible HVAC company performs various tests to discover different contaminants. It is especially true if you have health problems and suspect that dirty air is the cause.  When looking for a Virginia HVAC company, ask specific questions about testing procedures, such as the types of tests they perform and what contaminants these tests identify. You’ll quickly discover that the tests are accurate and vital to revealing what is in your house.

3. Tests Help You Develop a Clean Air Strategy

Once you know what is floating around in the air, you can develop a strategy for removing it. Fortunately, there is a wide range of solutions to cleaning the air in your house, including  
  • Whole-house filtration systems pull air through your house and into a series of filters that catch pollutants and airborne particles.
  • Humidifiers and dehumidifiers can purify the air at different levels, creating the right amount of moisture that is not suitable for some pollutants.
  • A high-efficiency air filter is a filter designed for your HVAC system. The filter can trap up to 99.97% of all contaminants that pass through the HVAC system.
  • HVAC UV Lights kill viruses and bacteria as they pass through the HVAC system, cleaning the air that exits through the vents.
  You don’t have to use all of these products simultaneously to achieve the desired results. The idea is to perform an indoor quality test to determine which filtration or purification system is best for your situation. You should also consider adding air duct cleaning to your strategy for the best results.

4. Find Out if You Are Allergic to Pets

You may suffer from the symptoms of an allergy to pets or other animals you didn’t know existed. A specific clean air test may reveal pet dander to other animal characteristics that trigger your allergies.  Pets can host all types of bacteria or allergies that most homeowners are unaware of. The spread of bacteria can lead to allergies or illnesses since it circulates through every room in the house. By performing a test, you may be able to trace a certain bacteria or another pollutant back to your pets or other animals living in the house.

You Can Prevent the Buildup of More Than 30 Known Contaminants

Testing indoor air quality is more than a reactive solution to a current problem. They can also prevent the accumulation of other contaminants, including metals, mold, algae, bacteria, viruses, fungi, and airborne chemicals.  A clean test can help you clean the air in your house and keep it clean, preventing potential health problems down the road. When the air is cleaner in your house, every living thing – humans, pets, and plants – feels better. 

Schedule an Indoor Air Quality Test in Sterling, Virginia

The first step in creating a cleaner home environment is to schedule a clean air test. If you need to assess your home’s air, contact Cardinal Plumbing, Heating & Air. We test indoor air quality in Sterling, Virginia. Fill out our contact form or call us to schedule a test.