Decorating Materials that Compromise Indoor Air Quality

Even though you will want to decorate this holiday season, you also need to be mindful of your home’s air quality. If you’re concerned about allergies or other respiratory illnesses, you might want to skip the following decorations this year:

Artificial Trees

Real Christmas trees are a lot of work, but they are better than artificial trees when it comes down to the state of your indoor air quality. If you have an artificial tree that’s been in storage for 11 months out of the year, setting it up could release dust and chemicals from the degrading plastic into the air.

Candles

Not surprisingly, scented candles aren’t always great for your home’s air quality. Many of them contain paraffin, which can release carcinogens when it’s burned. If you’re going to burn scented candles, make sure that they have cotton wicks and that use essential oils for their scents. No matter what type of candles you use, make sure to burn them sparingly. Never leave them lit if you’re not in the room, and never let them burn for longer than four hours at a time.

Old Decorations

If you have decorations or ornaments that you put up every year, be sure to dust them off before you do anything with them. Like artificial trees that stay in storage for most of the year, they’ve collected enough dust to negatively affect your home’s air quality. We know how much sentimental value a lot of these ornaments can have, and we’re not telling you to skip them this year; we’re only telling you all to clean them thoroughly, so you don’t release any dust or mold into the air. When you put them away again for the year, try to store them in plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes to keep them safe! This will reduce the chances of mold growth.

For your indoor air quality restoration services, contact Lancaster Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electrical at (717) 207-8198! We are here to help make sure your holidays are a safe one!