Many people don’t believe that they have an indoor air problem in their homes. Yet, despite the fact that they go outside to have a cigarette and the animals aren’t allowed in the house, some of the most polluted air you can breathe is in your home.

Since the energy crisis of the 1970’s, we have struggled to seal up every hole and crack in our walls, doors and windows to save money. Insulation and weather stripping have improved to the point where no opening has been left untouched.

That’s where all the trouble started.

In our effort to reduce high energy costs, we have sealed all the pollutants of everyday life inside our homes. Chemical cleaners, aerosol sprays, cooking odors, outgassing of carpets and even chemicals from dry-cleaned clothing have combined to produce an invisible cloud of irritants that can’t escape. Add to this poorly-ventilated fireplaces and improperly-maintained heating and cooling systems and the problem gets even worse.

In the natural process known as infiltration, outdoor air flows into the house through openings, joints, and cracks in walls, floors, and ceilings, and around windows and doors. Because we have cut down on the ability for this process to take place, we are left with only two other alternatives, natural ventilation and mechanical ventilation.

Natural ventilation is just what you think it is. Open the doors and windows and let the air flow through your house. That works for some climates but for most of us it’s out of the question. So that brings us to mechanical ventilation. Most air handling systems in private homes are designed to re-circulate the air that’s already in the house. That generally doesn’t allow fresh, outside air into the heating and cooling system. There are exceptions of course, but most systems are designed that way.

Having a whole house air purifier may be the answer. Several manufacturers offer air purification systems that clean and purify indoor air by re-creating the processes used by Mother Nature. One of these systems may be the best solution to your indoor air problem.

Jeff Van Leuvan is a trained indoor air quality specialist. Get the scoop on every aspect of your indoor air by visiting his no-nonsense air purification web site, http://www.cleanairsecrets.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Van_Leuvan

This entry was posted on Monday, March 17th, 2008 at 11:40 am and is filed under Allergies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.