Some holidays raise more IAQ concerns (indoor air quality) especially Christmas and New Years. Even though it’s not as widely celebrated, Valentine’s Day is another celebration that can degrade IAQ as well.Between the gifts and the décor, this holiday could introduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your air that might be mildly irritating or cause serious reactions. VOCs are gases that come from anything made from a hydrocarbon.Found in household cleaning products, air fresheners, candles, makeup and hair sprays, a Valentine’s Day celebration could leave behind respiratory irritants and chemicals that could have a serious long-term impact.
Limiting IAQ Concerns
Instead of lighting paraffin candles made from wax, choose those made from beeswax or soy. If you want scented candles, choose those scented with essential oils rather than manufactured perfumes. The labels should indicate if they’re natural.
Skip the aerosol air fresheners or those that plug into the walls. They’re usually loaded with VOCs. Weather permitting, open a window to pull in fresh air or freshen the air naturally.
Look around your home. Sometimes odors indicate pet or kitchen odors that deep cleaning will remove. Use natural products like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide to clean rather than the perfumed commercial cleaners.
Since Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love, show yours to your family and friends by giving up the use of artificial fragrances in your home as much as possible. Many people associate scented products with freshness and cleanliness, but in fact, public health experts have plenty of IAQ concerns regarding them. Some cause respiratory irritations while others are responsible for more serious organ damage and even cancer. Young and old people are most at risk for VOC exposure from artificial scents. You can find unscented products throughout grocery store aisles. You can also use your HVAC system to address IAQ concerns year-round by adding air cleaners and UV (ultraviolet) lights.
To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.