Ask Angi: What Do I Need to Know About Indoor Air Quality?

For serious indoor air quality problems, you don’t want to rely on guesswork. You can purchase a DIY home air testing kit for around $100, but it won’t tell you as much as a professional test can. Serenethos/Dreamstime/TNS

By Angie Hicks From Ask Angi

You give plenty of thought to how your home looks, sounds and even smells. But beyond just odors, you need to give serious thought to what’s going on with the air in your home. Bad indoor air quality (IAQ) is about more than just smell, but health and allergies.

Many different tests detect different air quality issues, and your total expense depends on the collection of tests you do. However, you can usually expect to pay about $420 for an IAQ test that identifies mold, volatile organic compounds, carbon monoxide, pet dander and a number of common allergens.

Who Should I Hire for an IAQ Test?

For serious indoor air quality problems, you don’t want to rely on guesswork. You can purchase a DIY home air testing kit for around $100, but it won’t tell you as much as a professional test can. It also can’t diagnose the problem and suggest what to do next.

Many home inspectors and HVAC pros carry IAQ certification, and some testers do the work exclusively. Look for an experienced professional and ask about their qualifications. Most areas don’t license indoor air quality testers, so you need to make sure their experience and certifications demonstrate their ability. A number of industry organizations offer certification, as does the Environmental Protection Agency.

The test will probably take a few hours. You’ll get some of the findings immediately. Generally speaking, you’ll receive a complete report within 2 to 10 days.

What Can I Do About IAQ?

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are often generated by common household items such as paints, cleaning products and pesticides. They naturally evaporate into the air, so whenever working with cleaning products or painting, make sure you have adequate ventilation. Open windows and ceiling fans can clear out an area quickly.

HVAC upgrades can help quite a bit. Ultraviolet lights, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and filters all offer different ways to strip allergens and impurities from your air. These do come at a premium cost, so talk to an HVAC expert about what’s best for you. If you have an older HVAC system, you can improve air quality just by upgrading your equipment to a current energy-efficient model. (And if your system is older than 12 years or so, you’ll probably need to replace it soon anyway.)

Filters make a huge difference in IAQ as well; after all, nearly all the air in your home cycles through the HVAC system sooner or later. You can also remove particles from the air with other kinds of cleaners. Most air cleaning devices use one of two methods. Mechanical air filters capture particles on filter materials—at the most basic level, this is the filter you regularly replace in your HVAC system. Electronic (or electrostatic) air cleaners use ionization to draw air particles toward a metal plate.

Mechanical air filters are ideal for larger particles such as dust, pollen, mites, some mold and animal dander.

Tweet your home care questions with #AskingAngi and we’ll try to answer them in a future column. Copyright 2024 Ask Angi. Visit at angi.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Dear Readers: We would love to hear from you. What topics would you like to read about? Please send your feedback and tips to [email protected].