According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air contains 2 to 5 times higher concentration of pollutants than outside air. When you consider how much time your family spends indoors, air quality in your home is incredibly important.
While most homeowners will address the high traffic areas like the living room, the kitchen, and the bedrooms, most will forget about the basement. In today’s blog, we’ll look at four alarming facts about air quality and why basement ventilation matters.
Basement Ventilation Fact #1: Basements and Crawl Spaces Are Easily Polluted
When you consider the earlier statistics, the hidden places like basements and crawl spaces are considered even more concentrated with pollutants. Why? The simple answer: we don’t use them as often. Many homeowners use their basements and crawl spaces like storage areas for grandma’s collectibles and Christmas decorations. When a basement or crawl space goes unused, it’s easy for pollutants to multiply:
- Dust
- Stale, Smelly Air
- Mold Spores
Fact #2: The Things We Store Might Be Making it Worse
As we talked about earlier, basements are often used as storage areas in our homes. It’s important to take a look at what is being stored on a regular basis. Some items may appear to be harmless clutter, but they are decreasing the air quality in your home. Look for the following items:
- Paint Cans
- Pesticides
- Cleaning Supplies
You should also take a look at any appliances installed in the basement area. A loose or degraded dryer vent could be adding extra moisture that breeds mold or other fungi. In any case, take a good hard look at how you are using your basement and look to remove dangerous items to start improving air quality.
Basement Ventilation Fact #3: How Your Basement Was Built Might Need Touching Up
On a larger level, it’s a good idea to take a look at how your basement was constructed. Some building materials used in older homes are especially prone to decreasing air quality. If you have an unfinished basement, there is likely a large accumulation of dirt, dust, and debris that can lead to dust mites. Spending a little time touching up problem areas of your basement and crawl space can pay huge dividends in improving your air quality.
Basement Ventilation Fact #4: Improving Air Quality is Possible…But You’re Not Alone!
If you’ve taken the steps above into consideration, chances are that your home is cleaner and contains fewer contaminants. But there’s an easier way.
It’s a good idea to have indoor air quality testing completed by a certified home ventilation company–like HS Restoration. Our team will take a careful look at the overall air quality in your home and design a custom plan to fit your needs. Don’t delay–contact us today!