Is The Outdoor Air Affecting Your Indoor Air?

The Hidden Impact of Indoor Air Quality on Your Family's Health

When we think of pollution, we often think of smog filled skies or traffic fumes outdoors. What we don't normally think about is the air in our homes! The truth is the air inside of our homes directly effects the health and comfort of our families. Air Is A Thing & It Has A Lot Of Things In It!

The Stack Effect: How Outside Air Becomes Inside Air

About 50% of the air inside of our homes comes from outside, this is because of the Stack Effect. We all know that warm air rises, well that warm air rises and escapes through the tops of our homes. While this warm air is rising and escaping through the roof it is simultaneously pulling in replacement air from the lowest levels of our homes - basements, crawl spaces, and other entry points. Unfortunately, that air does not come in clean. That air is filled with contaminants like pollen, dust, mold spores, allergens, moisture, and other pollutants that eventually end up circulating throughout your entire living space.

Your Homes Largest Filters Are Already Clogged

Once that outside air moves in, it doesn't just vanish. Instead the pollutants that it is carry gets trapped in our soft surfaces in the living areas of our homes - things like our carpets, area rugs, upholstery, even our mattresses, and other soft goods. Over time, these materials become clogged with outdoor contaminants. Then we have to think about our forced-air heating and cooling systems. These systems are circulating the dirty air throughout the home and if it has been a while since you cleaned your duct system the likely hood is that organic matter and debris are trapped in your ducts and holding onto some of those air pollutants. This makes is nearly impossible to escape exposure!

The result? A hidden cycle of pollutants that your family breathes day after day, often leading to allergies, respiratory irritation, fatigue and other health concerns.

A Whole-Home Approach to the Cleanest, Healthiest, Most Comfortable Homes

At Professional Cleaning & Restoration Systems of Connecticut, we understand that you home is not just a structure - it is actually an interconnected ecosystem that can affect the quality of life that we have in our homes. This is why we look beyond surface cleaning and isolated issues to address the root causes of indoor air quality issues.

The basic fact is, Air Is A Thing & Has A Lot Of Things In It - What's Downstairs Is Upstairs! The thing is, air does not stay in one place. It is constantly circulating throughout our homes. So when you have an issue in one area of  your home, like a mold or water loss - that loss is going to affect the quality of the rest of your indoor environment. The same holds true if it has been some time since your have cleaned your carpets, upholstery, area rugs, and even duct work.  It is all interconnected and it all affects the quality of the air in our homes.

A Story From The Field

Just this week, Co-Owner Curtis Bloxam, was schedule to do an inspection at a property in Shelton, Connecticut where the wife has been experiencing respiratory issues, headaches, fatigue and a general feeling of unwellness inside of the home. When she goes outside her symptoms go away! As soon as Curtis arrived onsite and greeted the client, he took out his particulate meter and turned it on. The particulate meter gives us a snap shot of what is in the air.  Things like particulates, PM2.5, PM10, CO2, moisture, among other measures. Well almost immediately, the particulate meter was showing dangerous levels of particulates and PM2.5. So, to prove to the client that the meter was giving an accurate snapshot of the air quality of the home, Curtis and the Homeowner went  outside and the meter rapidly went down to healthy levels. They then went back inside and to a different area of the home.  Result - the meter went nuts again! The levels of unhealthy air in this home is what is making this homeowner feel terrible in a place were she should feel comfortable and safe. That's our job at Professional Cleaning & Restoration Systems of Connecticut - to make it so that our clients have The Cleanest, Healthiest, Most Comfortable Homes Possible! We have the solutions to make this happen for you and your family.

With a free Indoor Air Quality Assessment, we will evaluate your home from bottom to top:

• Identifying problem areas where pollutants enter and accumulate.
• Assessing the condition of your carpets, upholster, and air handling systems.
• Recommending targeted solutions to create a cleaner, healthier, more comfortable environment.

Our goal is simple: to help you and your family enjoy the Cleanest, Healthiest, Most Comfortable Home Possible!