8 Tips for Improving Your Pittsburgh Home's Indoor Air Quality

You spend 90% of winter indoors, breathing the same recycled air. But here's what most Pittsburgh homeowners don't realize: indoor air is often 2-5 times more polluted than outdoor air, even with our industrial heritage. At Meyers Plumbing & HVAC, we've been helping local families breathe easier for generations. Here are essential tips for cleaner, healthier indoor air.

1. Understand What You're Really Breathing

Pittsburgh homes face unique air quality challenges. Our older housing stock often contains lead paint dust and asbestos fibers. Basement moisture issues create mold problems. Radon seeps through foundations—Allegheny County has some of Pennsylvania's highest radon levels. Add in dust mites, pet dander, cooking fumes, and chemicals from cleaning products, and you're breathing a complex cocktail of pollutants. Common symptoms of poor indoor air include morning headaches, persistent fatigue, increased allergies, frequent respiratory infections, and difficulty concentrating. If you feel better when away from home, your indoor air likely needs attention. We offer comprehensive air quality testing that identifies exactly what's in your air and how to fix it.

2. Control Humidity to Prevent Mold and Mites

Pittsburgh's humid summers and wet basements create perfect conditions for mold growth and dust mites. Both trigger allergies and asthma, especially in children. Maintain 30-50% humidity year-round—too dry enables virus transmission, too humid encourages biological growth. Use these strategies: run exhaust fans during and 20 minutes after showers, fix plumbing leaks immediately, ensure your dryer vents outside, not into the basement or attic, use a dehumidifier in damp basements, and add a whole-house humidifier for dry winter air. Check windows for condensation—it signals excessive humidity. Mold starts growing within 48 hours on damp surfaces. That musty basement smell isn't normal—it's mold spores you're breathing. Professional waterproofing and dehumidification solve the root cause, not just the symptoms.

3. Upgrade Your Filtration Beyond Basic Filters

Those cheap fiberglass filters protect your furnace, not your lungs. They catch only 10% of airborne particles. For real air cleaning, upgrade to MERV 11-13 pleated filters that capture pollen, mold spores, and fine dust. Change them every 60 days, monthly during high-pollen season or if you have pets. Consider adding air purifiers with HEPA filters in bedrooms (where you spend 8 hours breathing deeply), UV lights in your HVAC system to kill mold and bacteria, or whole-house air cleaners that catch particles filters miss. Don't fall for ozone generators marketed as air purifiers—ozone irritates lungs and worsens asthma. We install hospital-grade whole-house purification systems that remove 99% of airborne particles, including viruses.

4. Ventilate Properly Without Wasting Energy

"Build tight, ventilate right" is the modern approach. Newer Pittsburgh homes are well-sealed for efficiency but trap pollutants inside. Older homes leak air but often in the wrong places, pulling in basement radon or attic dust. Proper ventilation means controlled air exchange. Install exhaust fans that actually work (many builder-grade fans move almost no air), use kitchen range hoods that vent outside, not recirculating models, open windows briefly on mild days for fresh air exchange, and consider a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) for continuous fresh air without energy loss. Never use unvented gas heaters or run gas ovens for heat—carbon monoxide kills. We install HRV systems that bring in fresh, filtered air while recovering 80% of heating/cooling energy. They're especially valuable in tight, efficient homes.

5. Address Your Ductwork Contamination

Your ductwork is the highway for everything you breathe. Over years, ducts accumulate dust, mold, pet hair, construction debris, and even rodent droppings. Every time your furnace runs, it redistributes these contaminants. Professional duct cleaning makes sense if you've never had it done in a home over 10 years old, after renovations that created dust, if you see mold growth or smell mustiness from vents, when moving into a previously owned home, or if family members have unexplained allergies. Avoid "$99 whole house" duct cleaning scams. We use HEPA-filtered equipment and sanitize after cleaning. Many customers report immediate allergy relief and reduced dust accumulation.

6. Test for the Invisible Killers

Two odorless, invisible gases threaten Pittsburgh homes: radon and carbon monoxide. Radon, the second-leading cause of lung cancer, seeps through foundations. Western Pennsylvania's geology makes radon testing essential. Test kits cost $20 at hardware stores. If levels exceed 4.0 pCi/L, install a mitigation system. Carbon monoxide from faulty furnaces, water heaters, or blocked chimneys causes 500 deaths annually. Install CO detectors on every level, especially near bedrooms. Replace batteries twice yearly. Never ignore a CO alarm—evacuate and call 911. We install radon mitigation systems and perform combustion safety testing on all heating equipment. These invisible threats are completely preventable with proper testing and equipment.

7. Choose Cleaning Products and Materials Wisely

Many cleaning products and home materials release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that irritate airways and trigger headaches. Common culprits include air fresheners (use baking soda or essential oils instead), harsh chemical cleaners (switch to vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap), new carpeting and furniture (air out before bringing inside), and scented candles and incense (use soy or beeswax candles). When painting or renovating, choose low-VOC or zero-VOC products. Open windows and run fans during and after projects. Store chemicals in garages or sheds, not basements where fumes rise into living spaces. That "clean" smell from products is often harmful chemicals. True clean air has no smell.

8. Maintain Your HVAC System as an Air Quality System

Your heating and cooling system is also your air filtration system—but only if properly maintained. Beyond changing filters, ensure your system promotes healthy air by scheduling annual professional cleaning and tune-ups, sealing ductwork leaks that pull in attic or crawl space air, keeping air returns unblocked by furniture or drapes, cleaning air returns and vents regularly, and having your system sized correctly (oversized systems don't run long enough to filter air). Consider upgrading to a variable-speed furnace that runs longer at lower speeds, providing continuous air filtration. Add a UV light to kill biological growth on the indoor coil. These improvements turn your HVAC system into a whole-house air purification system.

Breathe Easier Starting Today

Poor indoor air quality affects your family's health, comfort, and quality of life. While you can't control Pittsburgh's outdoor air, you have complete control over what you breathe at home. Start with simple steps like changing filters and controlling humidity, then consider professional solutions for persistent problems.

Ready for a comprehensive indoor air quality assessment? Call Meyers Plumbing & HVAC to schedule your air quality consultation. We'll test your air, inspect your systems, and provide customized solutions to help your family breathe easier. Because clean air isn't a luxury—it's essential for your family's health and well-being.