How to test air quality in your home

The quality of the air you breathe can contribute to health problems like asthma and allergies. And it’s not just outdoor air quality that exposes us to pollutants. The World Health Organization (WHO) says 9 out of 10 people worldwide regularly breathe polluted air. And as many as 93% of children under 18 are living in environments with pollution concentrations that exceed WHO safe air quality guidelines.

You can't always control outdoor air quality, but you can ensure better health for your family by improving indoor air quality. That starts by identifying levels of indoor contaminants and finding ways to restore good air.

If you're experiencing symptoms you suspect are related to indoor air quality, getting an air quality monitor is an inexpensive way to pinpoint the problem. By monitoring levels of indoor air pollution, you can take steps to get fresh air back into your home, and hopefully, a little peace of mind with it.

Which contaminants or pollutants should an air quality monitor measure?

Look for air quality sensors that provide the following air quality measurements.

• Humidity: Indicates potential for mould growth.
• Temperature
• TVOCs (Total Volatile Organic Compounds): These are chemical pollutants identified by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water as potential sources of indoor air quality problems and come from building materials, cleaning products, etc.
• Levels of particulate matter (PM 2.5): This is the level of dust mites and other allergens present in the air.

Some air quality monitors provide additional information like outdoor air quality and levels of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. However, the above factors are the most critical measurements for an air quality monitoring station to capture.

Once you’ve gotten a readout on your baseline air quality, it may be helpful to track health symptoms for a few weeks. Try to see if you can align them to a particular area or a specific time of day. For instance, if you experience congestion and a headache only while at the office, your home air quality may not be the culprit.

The kinds of symptoms you’re experiencing may also provide clues about the source of the problem. Nausea and confusion track more closely to symptoms of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide in the home. A scratchy throat or watery eyes are more often signs of an allergic reaction to potential pollutants.

You'll also need to do a little bit of air purifier maintenance to keep your air quality in tip-top shape. Be ready to swap out the air filter once it gets clogged. Some models also come with a washable pre-filter that traps larger debris (like pet fur) and helps the other filter stay clean for a longer period.

If you notice indoor air quality problems, you may scurry to do a few common sense things like air conditioning duct cleaning and installing carbon monoxide detectors. But some indoor air quality problems, like the presence of mould spores, can be more elusive and require professional help.

If you’ve recently renovated, opened up walls to repair plumbing, or discovered mould growing in your home, your indoor air quality may be suffering. Here are some of the most common complaints associated with indoor air quality problems:

• Eyes, nose, or throat irritation
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue

Asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and humidifier fever are also related to long-term exposure to indoor air pollutants. If you’ve experienced any of these symptoms, you should seek medical attention and consider professional indoor air quality testing to identify potential sources of indoor air pollution.