Your homes air might be making you sick heres what to do about it

We all know about the effects of outdoor air pollution, but have you considered that indoor air quality can affect how you feel day to day? If your home smells dusty or musty, or even causes your allergies to flare up, your HVAC system could be part of the problem — or the problem itself.People don’t realize that an HVAC system does more than cool your home.It moves air through your space, and this means it can move whatever dust, dirt and debris your home has.“HVAC doesn’t just move air — it moves everything in the air,” says Joey Dooley, a general manager at ARS, one of the largest plumbing, heating and air conditioning services in the United States.

“It moves allergens, dust, volatile organic compounds, whatever is in the home.”Luckily, there are a few ways you can help prevent this and improve indoor air quality in your home.According to Steve Wade, senior director of operations and procurement at ARS, three basic types of contaminants can exist inside a home: particulates, biological contaminants and chemical contaminants.“There are particulates, and that’s dust and other items.There are biological contaminants and that’s anything that’s a living organism.

Then there are chemical contaminants, and that’s things like VOCs that you might bring into the home,” he adds.These can include dust, dirt, pollen and also pet dander.It could also include mold — yes, mold is airborne — or even bacteria.“You have new carpet installed, or paint, and there are VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, in the air,” Wade says.Of course, this doesn’t mean you should always panic every time you buy new furniture or repaint your living room — but it’s something to keep in mind.One common misconception? Newer homes don’t have to worry about contaminants.

In fact, newer homes can trap pollutants inside because they are built so tightly.“People assume that newer houses with tighter construction automatically have better air quality, but som...