If you’re like most people in Huntsville, TX, and the surrounding areas, you spend about 90% of your time indoors. Most of that time is in your home. Unfortunately, the indoor air quality in most houses is two to five times worse than the outdoor air. Read on to find out which five common household products are releasing pollution into your residence.
1. Dry-Cleaned Clothing
If you’ve recently taken clothing to the dry cleaners and brought it back home, it could be releasing pollutants into your indoor air. Dry cleaning chemicals include perchloroethylene, a known human carcinogen.
2. Paint
You probably have a few partial cans of paint sitting around in a closet, the basement, or your garage. The paint releases volatile organic compounds while in storage. These compounds can affect your respiratory health and may also cause headaches, nausea, and fatigue.
3. Glue and Adhesives
Wood glue, super glue, and craft glues and adhesives contain many different chemicals. Depending on the type of glue, it may contain polyvinyl acetate, phenol-formaldehyde (PH), ethylene-vinyl acetate, or cyanoacrylate. These are known to be harmful to human health and are probable human carcinogens.
4. Sealed Upholstery
If you purchased upholstered furniture with a stain protection sealant, there’s a good chance that it’s off-gassing and polluting your home’s air. Depending on the type of sealant used, it may contain acetone, which is the active ingredient in nail polish remover, or alkylate petroleum naphtha, which is closely related to mothballs.
5. Carpeting
Carpets may contain formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, or toluene. Even carpets with a “green” rating may contain some of these chemicals. They’re known human carcinogens. At a low level of exposure, they cause a flu-like illness. Allow carpets to off-gas before installing them.
At Beckham and Jones Heating & Air Conditioning, our NATE-certified technicians provide reliable heating and air conditioning repairs, replacement, installation, and maintenance services. Homeowners and business owners in Huntsville also turn to us for duct services. To learn more about our indoor air quality solutions, call us today.
