Americans typically spend up to 90% of their lives indoors, making indoor air quality equipment and indoor air quality measurement extremely important. Studies indicate that, even in the largest, most industrialized cites, indoor air contains more pollutants than outdoor air.

The immediate effects of exposure to these pollutants include itchy or irritated eyes, nose and throat, headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Long-term exposure can cause respiratory and heart diseases and even cancer.

Equipment for indoor air quality is available everywhere and, for many, is an effective solution to their indoor pollution worries. Ranging from tabletop models to expensive whole-house systems, indoor air purifiers collect pollutants from indoor air by drawing it through a cleaning/filtering element, but cannot remove everything, most importantly harmful gases. Indoor air systems aren’t your only option; by simply controlling the source of pollution and increasing ventilation, you can drastically increase your home or office indoor air quality.

Indoor air quality equipment combats pollutants found in:

1. Dirty ventilation systems.

2. Allergens and chemicals in building materials, carpets, furnishings, fragrances and disinfectants.

3. Paints, wall coverings and adhesives.

4. Water-damaged walls, ceilings and carpets.

5. Central heating and cooling systems.

6. Pesticides.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Control the source

Usually the most effective and cost-efficient way to improve indoor air quality is to eliminate or reduce individual sources of pollution. Remove, seal or enclose asbestos sources. Adjust sources such as gas appliances to decrease emissions amounts.

I recommend: Detect these hazards in your home with indoor air quality measurement equipment from companies like Gold Health and Safety Consulting or First Alert which sells indoor air testing equipment for carbon monoxide.

Improve indoor air ventilation

Even in the winter, increasing indoor air ventilation by bringing more outdoor air indoors helps to dilute emissions and carry pollutants out of the home. Standard heating and cooling systems typically don't bring fresh air in from the outdoors, but rather re-circulate contaminated indoor air. As weather permits, opening windows and doors, using fans, or running a window air conditioner that draws air from outside will increase your ventilation rate.

I recommend: The U.S. Dept. of Energy provides more information on ventilation and indoor air equipment and technology. Clean Air Systems Inc. has provided equipment for indoor air quality since 1972 and carries a full line of ventilators, filters and air cleaning systems.

Cleanse the air with indoor air quality equipment

When choosing a portable air cleaner, make sure your device has a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA)-grade home air filter, which will remove at least 99.97% of 0.3-micron particles from the air that passes through it. Also, locate the 'Clean Air Delivery Rate' (CADR) on the appliance's box. You'll want a CADR equal to the square footage of the room that you want to clean; CADRs too high will be noisy, too low will not clean the area effectively.

I recommend: Clairion offers air-cleaning ceiling fans along with other indoor air quality technology. Bionaire provides a high-quality line of air cleaner, dehumidifiers and other air quality products, as does Edenpurestore.com.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Portable home air purifiers are an excellent choice for cleaning small areas, however if you need to cover a larger area, an indoor air cleaning system may be in order, but be aware that these require a central heating or cooling system.
• •  Be aware that ionic or electronic home air purifiers can produce measurable amounts of ozone (roughly a couple of parts per billion), a pollutant that has been shown to be harmful to health.
• •  Portable indoor air equipment without fans typically cannot clean enough air to improve your air quality significantly. Don't waste your money.