Information on Indoor Air Quality
If you assume that the quality of air in your new home is going to be clean, think again. According to the latest statistics released from the EPA, indoor air quality is three to five times worse than outdoor air quality.
Considering this, your home plans should make provisions to improve your in-home air quality and save you a great deal of time, frustration and money down the road.
To battle the air quality problem, you will have to arm your new home with filtration,
and plenty of it. While this will not cost a great deal of extra time or money, it will take some additional planning on your part and some effective communication with your homebuilder.
Homeowners concerned about the air quality circulating in their homes can rely on an arsenal of new, cost-effective tools designed
at enhancing cleanliness while serving to eliminate household allergy agents such as dust mites and small dust particles, even moisture build-ups and molds.
Start your crusade to keep your home filled with healthy air with a HEPA filtration system. These filtration systems, which help alleviate pet dander, dust, airborne
mold spores, smoke and gas - all of which contribute to allergies and have been fingered as culprits of compromised in-home air quality, are available locally or can be obtained over the Internet.
The next step to take is to purchase a vacuum cleaner with a similarly effective system. And, if you’re building your
home, you may even want to incorporate a central vacuum cleaning system into your new home plan. The newer central vacuum cleaner systems, which are actually built-in the walls of each room, automatically introduce clean air into your home while cutting down on the dirt and dust circulated in the air from vacuuming the carpet, furniture, drapes, etc. (For more information on central vacuum cleaning systems, log onto http://www.beamvac.com/home.htm or www.broan-nutonegroup.com. Keep in mind, your homebuilder may
know of local companies that offer various central cleaning systems. Aside from offering clean air, the central vacuum systems offer unparalleled convenience and make vacuuming a mush easier task.
These tools are further supported by inexpensive gas detection systems, indoor air quality monitors, carbon dioxide detection
monitors, leak detectors, oxygen deficiency detectors, even automatic scraper-strainers, all of which are available at local home and hardware stores.
If you’re serious about keeping the air inside your home clean, you should also consider tackling moisture build-up, a problem that can be costly and troublesome. Recently,
a panel has emerged that is designed for interior use and has proven to be both moisture- and mold-resistant and can help prevent the growth of mold. The panels are easily installed and finished in a traditional manner without the need for skim coating or other steps that require additional labor, according to the manufacturer, United States Gypsum Corporation.
While the use of moisture-resistant gypsum panels can help minimize the chances for mold to grow, they are just one part of controlling the problem. The most effective and economical strategy is to protect building materials and equipment from exposure to moisture during storage, construction and after completion of the building envelope, according to United States Gypsum Corp. This should be discussed in detail
with your builder to ensure that sound design, installation, inspection, and maintenance practices are followed throughout the home building process.
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