How to Measure Indoor Air Quality
Multiple air quality monitors are available at your local home improvement store, as well as many online.
Its important to check multiple locations in your house and in each room. An airflow pattern may develop when you run a central air conditioning system, which can cause one spot to exceed national standards for temperature and humidity. You want to make sure that no area of your home is consistently too hot or cold so your family feels comfortable wherever they spend time.
Pick one monitor per room or area of your home.
Its easy enough to set up monitoring equipment in a few rooms or areas of your house, but its much harder to have everything in one place if you dont know where each piece is going to be. When choosing a testing kit, think about what your goal is at least somewhat related to evaluating your air quality. That may include looking for a test to help determine what kinds of chemicals are present in your household, or it could mean finding a device that will show you how many dust mites are causing you problems with allergies.
Consider installing more than one air quality monitor if youre trying to track a specific health concern or if you have multiple kids who need to be monitored for allergies or asthma.
One of the best ways to check your indoor air quality is to install more than one air sensor in your home. If you want to know how clean your house is from an allergy standpoint, then you should consider having extra sensors so that you can better track what things cause your allergic reactions.
Make sure youre using the right sensors.
To measure air quality, youll need some sort of sensor or monitor. There are many options when it comes to indoor air quality monitors, so think about what you want and look for features like sensitivity and accuracy before choosing your device.
Take note of changes in temperature and humidity.
If your house is mostly cool air, for example, that can make it harder for an odor to stick around. A room full of warm air feels more like homeand youre more likely to stay inside if the weather stays cold. That means when you walk into your living area, the scent of fall will probably draw you indoors rather than waiting to be lured outside.
Look into older childrens cameras.
If youre looking for a device that can take multiple measurements of air quality in different parts of your home, consider purchasing an adult or larger sized camera with a built-in measuring unit. These devices can be found at most stores (even discount shops) and will help ensure accurate data when you start tracking how many steps or hours youve spent breathing toxic indoor air.
Keep an eye on your familys activities.
You may not notice that your kids are breathing trouble until you find them huddled in the bathroom, wheezing and coughing. Thats because symptoms of poor air quality dont show up right awaythe sooner you see them, the worse it is. And while we havent found any studies reporting adverse effects from excessive exposure to microorganisms, we do know that children under five years old and those with asthma are especially sensitive to environmental irritants.
