As you perfect your home’s livability, it’s important to be aware of the dangers of VOCs. Let’s discuss how you can keep your Buffalo Grove, Illinois, home’s air healthy by not introducing VOCs into your environment.
What Are VOCs?
Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, come from chemicals in household products. They’re found in cleaning supplies, paint, furniture made with composite wood products, cigarette smoke, and other chemical-laden materials. VOCs can linger in your home’s air for as long as it takes you to remove them from your home. There are many places VOCs may come from, but they all work toward the same goal: diminishing your home’s indoor air quality and causing health problems for your family.
What Problems Can VOCs Cause?
Breathing in VOCs can cause a slew of health problems, depending on how long they’re in your home’s air. If the VOC is in the air for hours or days, they can cause irritation in the eyes, nose, or throat, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. They can also worsen asthma symptoms.
It’s important to keep the level of VOCs in your home down to ensure your family has a safe, healthy place to live in. Some air purifiers can help reduce your exposure to VOCs, but the best method is to avoid introducing VOCs into your home altogether. Here are a few ways you can reduce your home’s VOC levels.
Look at Your Cleaning Products
Cleaning your home regularly is an important part of making a healthy home, especially if members of your family experience asthma or allergy symptoms. But if you’re using cleaning supplies with VOCs in them, you might just be replacing one detriment for another. As you shop for cleaning supplies, read the labels to see if they advertise low to no VOCs in them. If you’re using air fresheners, opt for organic, all-natural products. There are also a few cleaning product companies that specialize in non-toxic offerings.
Buy Used or Low-Toxic Furniture
When new manufactured furniture enters your home, it can take years for the chemicals used to create it to wear off. These chemicals can come from processed wood materials, flame-retardant chemicals, and more. If you buy brand-new, factory-made furniture, the only place for those gasses and chemicals to go is into your home’s air. Consider doing a little research to find new furniture that is made with zero-VOC products.
Choose Paints Accordingly
When you decide to paint your home, furniture, etc., make sure to read the paints’ labels. Some of them advertise how much VOCs they have in them. Opt for one that has low or no VOCs. If you’re undertaking a large painting project, try to ventilate your home as you do so by opening windows and doors, and do it when the house is vacant if you can.
Safe Storage
Sometimes your home projects may call for VOC-emitting chemicals. When you use them, make sure you open a window to let your home breathe. After you’re done, store those chemicals in a safe, air-tight container away from your home. If you have a shed or unattached garage, you can keep toxic materials there without contaminating your home. It’s a smart idea to only buy as much VOC-emitting product as you need for a particular project or task, as these products can unleash VOCs into the air even when you’re not using them.
Ventilate and Air-Condition Your Home
The more successful we are in sealing our homes from the outdoors, the more we trap stale air and VOCs. Try to let your home breathe by letting fresh air in and stale air out. Try to keep your home’s air from becoming too hot and humid, as these are the environments that allow the materials in your home to emit more gas and VOCs.
If you want to make your indoor air quality the healthiest it can be, give our team at Ireland Heating & Air Conditioning Co. a call at 847-388-0108. We have a variety of products that will help clean your indoor air. Let us help you make the happiest, healthiest home for you and your family.
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