Knowing what hurts indoor air quality, can help you improve it. There are several ways to minimize indoor air pollution, but each has limitations. To determine what works best in your situation, it helps to organize pollutants into three categories: Pollutants originating outside the living space, pollutants released by "things" inside the living space, and pollutants resulting from human and animal metabolism, bodies, and activities.

To avoid common air quality problems within the home, follow these ten simple steps.

P \eople are increasingly concerned about mold, radon , carbon monoxide, and toxic chemicals commonly found in homes. In fact, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies show that levels of air pollution inside the home are often two to five times higher than outdoor levels. And poor indoor air quality is associated with a host of health problems, including eye irritation, headaches, allergies, and respiratory problems such as asthma.

Pollutants originating outside the living space include airborne mold spores and pollen, radon in the soil, automobile exhaust, lawn chemicals, outgassing and particulates from insulation , etc. The best way to prevent these pollutants from contaminating the living space is to build a tight structure; to separate them completely from the living space.

Whether at home, work or play, our time is increasingly spent inside buildings. Since we always need air to breathe, we should make every effort to protect the quality of that air.

Leaks cause makeup air to flow into your home and can bring in gases like radon and even pesticides from below the soil. We sealed the duct leaks and the smell went away. (And we didn’t use duct tape, which does not effectively seal ducts . The product to use for sealing ducts is latex, water-based mastic that meets UL 181 specifications.) No leaks, no suction, no smell.