How to tell if your building is making you sick.

Cleaning and vacuuming the dust you see settled on furniture and carpets helps get it out of your home. However, the smallest particles, and the most dangerous, go airborne and can stay suspended in the air for days!

When it comes to air flow, most buildings in Massachusetts fall somewhere in the spectrum of too much air flow and too little air flow.

On one side, too much air flow brings in pollutants like dust and pollen from outside. Also, 98% of water vapor moves through buildings in the air, the EPA says, and moisture leads to mold. These drafts typically happen around windows, doors, HVAC vents, and poorly insulated exterior walls.

On the opposite side, too little air flow can make a building stuffy and trap smells and moisture inside. Common signs of stagnant air flow are odors hanging around, a mildew smell, and humidity.

Massachusetts homeowners can receive a free home energy audit from the MassSave. One of the many services includes a blower door test, which determines the airtightness of your home. It’s quick and simple, and the results may surprise homeowners with newer homes.

Advances in insulation technology makes gas furnaces, heat pumps, and other heating & cooling equipment more efficient. But, it’s also made some newer dwellings too air tight, which means the moisture becomes trapped inside without air flow.

Start with your filter.

For drafty buildings, your first project is to seal up the leaks. Here’s a good article for getting started on that task.

Once you limit the unregulated airflow, look into buying the best filter for your needs. Skip down below to read more on that.

You may think you have clean air flow because you have central air conditioning, but take a moment to check the filter. A clogged filter can restrict airflow in an otherwise well-functioning HVAC system. Most experts and manufacturers recommend checking your filter once a month. Many ductless mini-split systems come with washable filters.

Consider asking an HVAC technician to show you how to do it the first time or inquire about service contracts where the contractor changes the air filter.

The best air filter for your HVAC system will be produced by the manufacturer. Top-rated HVAC equipment manufacturers offer a broad range of affordable filters for to clean specific pollutants from:

• Office equipment
• Cleaning products
• Carpets and furnishings
• Perfumes
• Fungus, mold, and bacteria
• Pet dander
• Nature (pollen, insects, and rodents)
• Dampness
• Volatile organic compounds (VOC)

The most important detail to remember about a filter is to change or clean it every month.

28% of homes in the U.S. rated as unhealthy report problems with mold, mildew, and/or rot, according to the EPA.

Mold spores in the air can colonize and grow in 24–48 hours under these 5 conditions:

• Moisture
• Oxygen
• Warmth
• Darkness
• A food source, like wood, drywall, cotton, etc.

Obvious issues like leaks in a foundation or a failed plumbing system can cause a lot of moisture in a building and result in significant mold problems and other issues. More often, moisture builds up in more subtle ways to decrease air quality in major ways.

One of the most popular and cost-effective ways to control humidity is to buy a ductless mini-split system. These versatile and easy-to-install systems enable you to dehumidify, heat, air condition, and filter pollutants in individual rooms without ductwork. Since a single heat pump can handle multiple air handlers, it’s a low-cost, energy-efficient solution for homes that are too tight and need improved air quality.

Expanding an existing central air conditioning system is also a solution for some buildings. However, the project may require tearing into walls and ceilings to install and connect ductwork, which adds to the budget.