The outside temperature drops, the leaves are beginning to change, and you feel the chill in the air. You say goodbye to the summer breeze, close your windows, and hear your furnace turn on. Suddenly, the air inside your home matters a lot more than you may think!
When you start spending more time indoors, you can also start stirring up things you don’t want to circulate around your home, especially as kids start school. Think dust, pollen, fine particles, and household chemicals, plus any excess humidity that can contribute to mold growth.
As summer transitions into fall, windows that have been open for months start closing, and air conditioning gives way to heating. Children and pets spend more time indoors, and the home becomes a more closed environment.
With this changing of the seasons, fall is an ideal time to start paying closer attention to indoor air quality (IAQ).
Your Home’s Air Can Change Without You Noticing
Indoor air quality isn't always something you can see, smell, or feel, which makes managing it tricky. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that indoor air can contain pollutants from sources including household products, furniture, building materials, moisture, and everyday activities.
Once windows are closed for the season, there may be less natural ventilation to help dilute some of those pollutants. It’s even true that indoor levels of some pollutants can be several times higher than outdoor levels.
Think about a typical school-day evening. Backpacks hit the floor, shoes and clothes track in outdoor particles, all while dinner is cooking. Someone may take a shower, throw some laundry in the machine, or light a candle, all while the HVAC system is circulating air.
None of these things necessarily means you have an indoor air quality problem, but collectively, they are part of your home's indoor environment. Knowing what’s going on in your home is the first step in knowing whether your indoor air is healthy.
Why Indoor Humidity Deserves Your Attention
When thinking about indoor air quality, humidity deserves the starring role. Too much moisture does more than make a home feel muggy. Elevated humidity can contribute to conditions that support mold growth. The EPA recommends keeping indoor relative humidity below 60%, with 30% to 50% generally considered an ideal range for homes.
While they play a big part in comfort, indoor humidity levels can be an early indicator that your home environment needs attention.
For example, if humidity starts climbing, you might:
- Run a dehumidifier
- Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans
- Look for condensation around windows
- Check for leaks or damp areas
- Make sure wet materials are dried promptly
- Evaluate whether your HVAC system is adequately managing moisture
The importance of monitoring temperature and humidity in maintaining a healthier home environment cannot be overstated. Take action if indoor humidity levels get too high to properly prevent mold and mildew in your home. Remember, don’t wait until you see mold to start paying attention to moisture.
What About Indoor Dust, Pollen, and Fine Particles?
Fall, along with its spooky movies, pumpkin-spiced everything, and cooler weather, can bring a new set of indoor air challenges. Seasonal allergens can enter your home through open doors, on clothing, via pets, or through HVAC systems. Once inside, particles can settle on surfaces or become airborne again as people move around, clean, vacuum, or simply go about their day.
The EPA identifies particulate matter, pollen, house dust, and other biological contaminants as factors that can affect indoor air quality, a concern especially relevant for families trying to create a cleaner, more comfortable home environment.
A few simple habits can help create a clean indoor home airspace:
- Vacuum regularly — A vacuum with appropriate filtration can help reduce dust buildup.
- Wash bedding routinely — Bedding can collect dust and other particles over time.
- Keep moisture under control — Damp environments are breeding grounds for mold and dust mites.
- Clean HVAC filters as recommended — Your home's heating and cooling system plays an important role in circulating air.
- Ventilate when conditions allow — Opening windows can help bring in outdoor air, but consider outdoor air quality, weather, and individual sensitivities before doing so.
- Pay attention to patterns — If your indoor environment changes at certain times of day or during specific activities, that information can help you decide where to focus your efforts.
According to the EPA, source control, ventilation, and filtration are the three fundamental strategies for improving indoor air quality. Respectfully, there's one thing missing: data.
Understanding Your Indoor Air
Before cleaning your indoor air, it’s vital to understand it. An IAQ monitor can become an incredibly useful tool for a health-conscious household.
The AcuRite 8-in-1 Smart Indoor Air Quality Monitor with Wi-Fi gives you a much more complete picture of what's happening inside your home. Instead of simply relying on how the room feels, you can get real-time insight into multiple aspects of your indoor environment in one place (or on your smartphone!).
The AcuRite 8-in-1 Smart IAQ Monitor measures:
- Carbon dioxide (CO₂)
- Particulate matter PM1.0
- Particulate matter PM2.5
- Particulate matter PM10
- Formaldehyde (HCHO)
- Total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs)
- Indoor temperature
- Indoor humidity
It also provides an easy-to-read green, orange, or red overall air quality indicator, so you can quickly check on conditions and easily see when they change. Plus, the internal rechargeable battery enables multi-room temporary monitoring wherever the sensor is placed.
The device’s built-in Wi-Fi connectivity works with the AcuRite NOW app so you can view indoor air quality data on your mobile device, receive alerts, and review historical data from anywhere!
Looking Beyond Numbers for IAQ Patterns
The historical data provided by the IAQ monitor can be particularly valuable. Maybe you notice particulate levels increase in the evenings after the time you usually cook dinner or that humidity rises in the morning after showers.
Once you identify a pattern, you can take a practical next step, such as turning on ventilation, running an air purifier, adjusting your dehumidifier, or changing a filter. Don’t forget about potentially the easiest actionable step one could take: opening a window!
While the AcuRite IAQ Monitor doesn't clean your air, it does give you the proper information to take the necessary steps and ensure proper ventilation, filtration, moisture control, or decide on professional evaluation when needed.
A Healthier Home Starts With IAQ Awareness
For parents (pet parents, too!), creating a comfortable home is more than keeping the thermostat at the right temperature. Attention must be paid to the environment where your family sleeps, eats, studies, relaxes, and spends much of its time.
Fall’s return is Mother Nature’s reminder to reset your home's indoor environment by changing the HVAC filter if it's due, giving living spaces a thorough cleaning, keeping moisture levels in check, and starting to measure IAQ conditions.
The AcuRite 8-in-1 Smart IAQ Monitor helps you see the invisible factors impacting your indoor environment. Even though you can’t physically see them, airborne particles are worth watching, and they’re viewable with the help of the AcuRite Smart Home IAQ Monitor.