Your indoor air in a rental will affect your overall well-being, comfort, and investment. It could also cause allergic reactions, worsen odors, and indicate water damage somewhere in your home. This article will provide an overview of how good indoor air quality affects you, and what you can do, whether you are renting or owning a house.
Importance of Good Air Quality in Rentals
Fresh air in your rental should be viewed as a necessity rather than a luxury. The potential health risks and structural damage of overlooking how you breathe every day can be significant.
As such, understanding the five most important reasons air quality is a joint concern will allow you both to take action together.
Protects Respiratory Health
Bad air quality can negatively affect people with asthma, allergies, and other breathing problems, including those you or your renter(s) may experience. Allergen spores, such as dust mites, pollen, etc., are circulated through your ductwork, where they trigger symptoms for those who suffer from them. Maintaining good air quality removes many of these allergens, allowing all of you to breathe easier and enjoy better overall health at home.
Prevents Mold and Moisture Damage
The stale, humid air trapped inside your rental creates ideal conditions for mold growth. Mold is not only bad-smelling; it eats through drywall and wood if left unchecked long enough. Keeping your air circulating and the moisture level low prevents mold growth. If you do develop mold, you’ll save yourself the cost of extensive remediation.
Eliminates Lingering Odors
In homes with poor ventilation, cooking smells, pet dander, mildew, and other unwanted odors become embedded in your carpets and vents. These lingering smells attract pests and deter visitors from returning. Regular cleaning and using a HEPA filter removes odor-causing airborne particulates, leaving your rental smelling clean and fresh.
Boosts HVAC Efficiency
Dirty filters and dirty airways force your heating and cooling systems to work much harder. In turn, this increases your energy costs and causes wear and tear on the units, reducing their useful life.
You can also boost HVAC efficiency with draft stop doors, which prevent unwanted airflow into certain areas. All these are to maximize clean air, which in turn allows your HVAC units to operate at maximum efficiency, reducing both your operating and maintenance costs and the risk of premature failure.
Increases Tenant Happiness
Renters today want a healthy place to live. Bad air will drive off good renters faster than anything else. Renters who perceive their rental property as unhealthy will have shorter tenancies. Shorter tenancies equate to fewer turnovers and thus lower marketing costs as well as fewer maintenance or repair calls to make for you.
How to Improve Air Quality in a Rental Home
Improving your rental property’s air quality does not require renovating the entire house. Regularly taking small actions consistently makes a large impact. Whether you rent or own, here are some ways to improve your breathing quality:
Swap Your HVAC Filters on Schedule
When the filter is clogged, it cannot hold dust, pollen, or odor. You need to replace standard filters every ninety (90) days, but if you have pets or allergies, you may want to do so every thirty (30) days. Regularly replace your filters to stop smells from coming through the vents. It also keeps the heating and cooling systems working at their best.
Let Fresh Air Flow Daily
Air becomes stale when it remains stationary for too long, trapping pollution and moisture. Open windows for at least ten minutes daily, even when it’s cold. While showering and cooking, use your bathroom and kitchen fans to draw moisture and pollutant-laden air out of the home. By allowing cross-ventilation, you’ll prevent condensation, which promotes mold growth, and naturally circulate air throughout your entire home.
Control Humidity Levels Steadily
Dust mites and mold thrive when the humidity level exceeds 50%. During periods of high humidity, consider using a dehumidifier in areas prone to moisture, such as damp basements. Conversely, during periods of low humidity, consider using a humidifier to reduce irritation from sinus problems. The optimal indoor humidity range is between 30% and 50%. A low-cost hygrometer can help monitor your indoor humidity level, preventing biological contaminants from multiplying.
Clean Surfaces and Soft Fabrics Often
Pet dander, pollen, and dust all settle onto carpet, drapes/curtains, and upholstered furniture. Vacuum your floors weekly with a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner, and wash your bedding in hot water once a week. Instead of dry dusting your hard-surface items, wet-dust them first; this method helps contain debris that would otherwise become airborne.
Book Professional HVAC Servicing
Landlord’s duties include scheduling regular inspections of all HVAC equipment to guarantee compliance with local health regulations. If tenants experience poor ventilation or excessive dust, they should contact management to arrange a maintenance appointment. Reach out to an experienced property manager in Washington DC to ensure your HVAC is compliant with local housing health standards.
Add Air-Purifying Houseplants
There are some houseplants that naturally purify pollutants. Although no plant can replace the effectiveness of a HEPA-filtered vacuum cleaner, a couple of houseplants may enhance your efforts by creating a fresher environment. However, be careful not to water these plants too much since soggy soil creates mold. Planting a few in strategic locations around the home can make your rental feel cleaner and more welcoming.
Use Extractor Fans Every Time
Your kitchen’s range hood exhausts cooking odors, smoke, and grease into the outside air. To eliminate cooking fumes and prevent them from recirculating throughout your home via your heating/cooling systems, turn on your range hood every time you cook. The same applies to your bathroom. Use the bathroom fan for at least 20 minutes after each bath or shower to remove all of the moisture from the air.
Conclusion
Good air quality in your rental is simple to create. Your tenant will appreciate you taking care of their health by regularly cleaning or replacing filters, controlling indoor humidity levels, and hiring a service person for yearly HVAC maintenance.
When all three of these are done on an ongoing basis, they help to protect your tenant’s health, preserve the property value, and keep them happy for longer.