How to Test the Air Quality in Your Home

The bad news is Phoenix’s air quality is bad. The American Lung Association gave the Valley’s air a failing grade – F – in its 2015 air quality index.

The good news is, for 2016 our air improved a bit, says the ALA. Yet under either grading system, most homes’ indoor air quality (IAQ) is far worse than the outside air! This leaves many Phoenicians wondering how to test indoor air quality and improve the air they breathe in their homes.

Indoor Air Quality Testing

Professional air testing is ideal, but can sometimes be pricier than many homeowners feel comfortable paying. This means trying to tackle this complex testing on your own, using not one, but multiple methods. You see, indoor air is a complex mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, some other natural gases, plus a lot of pollutants, says Green Home Guide:

1. 1. Radon

Though naturally occurring, radon is radioactive;

1. 1. Carbon monoxide

A product of incomplete fossil fuel combustion, CO is invisible, tasteless, odorless and deadly;

1. 1. Insect parts

Insect droppings and exoskeletons are often ground up by our shoes and become airborne;

1. 1. Pet dander

Dead skin from pets (from humans, too!) and pet fur can easily become airborne;

1. 1. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

Mold spores, pollen, tobacco smoke, formaldehyde and other chemicals waft through your air.

What You Need to Test Indoor Air

Testing for all of these calls for multiple kits. One indoor air quality testing kit can test for VOCs, a different one for carbon monoxide and yet another for radon. These individual test kits are not cheap, and buying several of them will quickly add up. Just about the only issues you can inspect for visually and by smell are mold and mildew. A kit does little to tell you anything new if you spot black mold or smell mildew.

Professional Indoor Air Quality Testing with Howard Air

Turn to the trusted professionals at Howard Air to have your Phoenix home’s air tested for a wide range of problems. Once we test the air, we can recommend efficient ways to clean and purify your home’s air, removing allergens, dander, VOCs and more.

Testing, of course, is a snapshot. Measurable levels of typical Phoenix-area pollutants can fluctuate by season, or even day to day. Having a built-in air cleaning and purifying system (either as part of your HVAC system or separate) can safeguard your family year-round.

Contact Howard Air today at (623) 201-5153 to set up an appointment and learn how our trained technicians can not only test, but also improve, your indoor air quality.