High-tech machinery takes interior air quality to new level

Until it smells, people usually don't notice the air in their homes.

While news shows have brought mold to popular attention, air quality is also affected by smoke, pollen, dust, pet dander and other pollutants.

Air quality didn't used to be something to consider, but now there are names for poor air quality. It's "tight building or sick building syndrome," Brenda Stewart of LCS Kleen-Aire said. She related it to the "advancement of central air and heating in homes and office buildings."

Diane Careaga, owner of Sunshine Air Purification, said in the last 20 years, people have super-insulated homes.

"While that's good for saving energy, it's bad for air quality. Indoor pollution is three to five times worse than outdoor pollution according to the EPA," Careaga said.

Remodeling

The remodeling process poses its own hazards to air quality.

"Recently remodeled houses may reek. Odor is like pain is to the body; it tells you there is something wrong," said Careaga.

She said products used in renovating often have volatile organic compounds. Fumes from them can be damaging to lungs.

It's best to have an entire house cleaned immediately after it has been remodeled, Stewart said.

"Think about the last time you were in a new construction or remodeling when they have sanded the floors, dry walled, laid down new carpet," Stewart said. "Have you ever noticed that sunbeam coming through your window that looked like part of a snow globe? That is going into your lungs."

There's a variety of solutions.

"Our equipment replicates outdoor air inside your home," Careaga said.

Careaga mentioned machines that use ionization, activated oxygen, and/or ultraviolet-light to sanitize air. "We use God's method of cleaning the great outdoors and bring it inside," she said.

UV light treatment

Filtering is important in air quality, Stewart said.

"We offer UV-light filtering. For over 30 years, hospitals and food processing plants have used UV-light," Stewart said. "A few years ago it was made safe enough to be utilized in the home. There is no better germicide. Medical studies using ultra-violet air disinfection have proven effective in reducing the spread of tuberculosis, measles, influenza, smallpox and more."

Paul Pearson, owner of Spring Mountain Air, said that UV-lights "kill all the bacteria, spores and molds. The air filter collects the rest of it."

Typical cost of UV-lights varies from $400 to $750, depending on size and location, according to Pearson.

Duct work

One of the first steps to having clean air is having clean air ducts.

"Duct work plays an important part towards having good health," Stewart said. "The air handling system is like the respiratory system of our homes. It circulates our oxygen and any viruses, germs or debris that is in the air. Air handling systems are the perfect breeding ground they are dark, moist. Mold and bacteria thrive in this environment."

LCS' air-duct cleaning includes the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, and the cost begins at $260, Stewart said.

Mold remediation

"The dirty sock syndrome' (smell) is often a result of mold,'" Stewart said. Besides the obvious causes like floods, she said mold can also occur in ventilation systems.

LCS doesn't automatically include mold sanitizing in bids.

"We feel strongly about introducing a strong chemical into the home environment without prior knowledge that there is a need," Stewart said.

But people can't always follow their noses to mold.

"Not all molds have an odor. The most dangerous kinds usually don't smell," Careaga said. "You can take one of our machines and put it in the bathroom for an hour on high. It kills visible and airborne mold."