Best Humidifier

Pollution from power plants, cars, and other transportation is a well-known contributor to outdoor air pollution, but our indoor air quality is often worse; it can be up to 10 times worse for you than the air outside. Microbial pollutants like mold, pet dander and plant pollen can combine with chemicals like radon and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to create a pretty toxic environment in your home; since we spend an average of 90% of our time indoors and 65% of our time inside our homes, according to theNational Safety Council, that can aggravate allergies, asthma and worse.

Everything that comes in to our homes has the potential to be harmful to our health; this includes things from the building materials and elements that hold our homes together to the furniture we sit on and the paint that goes on the walls. Indoor air pollution can be bad, but it doesn't have to be.

What causes poor indoor air quality?
Indoor air pollution can be easy to manage once you understand where it comes from. Looking at the image above gives you some idea of the more common sources for poor indoor air quality. In many cases, it comes from chemicals that are part of the things that you bring into your home; the polyurethane common in mattresses, formaldehyde and organic chemicals like dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) andpolybrominated biphenyl (PBB) used in lots of furniture and other interior elements are all harmful to us humans. Drapes, carpets and other absorbent fabrics can help trap these nasties, along with dust, mites and other allergens, and our modern, mostly airtight homes keep them inside. Remember this: if there are chemicals and VOCs in a product, there are chemicals and VOCs that could come out, and they won't be good for you if they do.

Poor indoor air can be improved through ventilation. Bringing in fresh outdoor air and/or exhausting stale air will improve your overall indoor air quality. Aprilaire offers systems that can do both.