What should I know about indoor air quality?

Most Americans spend 90% of their time indoors, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Think about the air quality in your home. If it’s polluted, it could put you and those you love at risk for all kinds of health problems from mild to serious.

What affects the quality of the air you breathe indoors? The culprit is the emission levels of specific volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

  • VOCs are released from certain solids and liquids.
  • VOCs include many chemicals.
  • VOCs are found mainly indoors.

Urban Surfaces contributes to healthier indoor air quality, starting with our products receiving the FloorScore® seal. FloorScore® IAQ certification means that a flooring product is independently certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) to comply with the volatile organic compound emissions criteria of the California Section 01350 Program. (California Standard Method for the Testing and Evaluation of Volatile Organic Chemical Emissions from Indoor Sources Using Environmental Chambers, Version 1.2) Any product that meets these tough standards will contribute to healthier, cleaner indoor air quality.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in a building depends on many factors, including:

  • Cleaning of rooms (how well and how often)
  • Maintenance of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems and filters (how well and how often)
  • People, activities, and furnishing inside
  • Outdoor environment
  • Surfaces and finishes throughout

Here’s What You Can Do To Improve Indoor Air Quality:

  1. Let fresh air in when the outdoor air quality is good.
  2. Schedule annual HVAC maintenance.
  3. Change HVAC filters regularly as recommended by the manufacturer.
  4. Schedule maintenance or remodeling with minimum impact.
  5. Control sources of VOCs.