Don’t Let What’s In Your Attached Garage Affect Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality

Winter has a way of putting our sense of smell on high alert. After all, with our doors and windows closed more often than they’re open, we’re more apt to be sensitive to those irritants that affect our home’s indoor air quality, especially those emanating from the garage.

The door leading from your garage to your home doesn’t have to be open for long before you smell vehicle emissions—the number one way that your indoor air quality may be less than desirable this winter.

An exhaust fan that filters air straight through an exterior wall will help immeasurably. Some fans run on timers, but it’s smart to run a garage exhaust fan continuously, as the benefits far outweigh the modest operating cost. An adept do-it-yourselfer may be able to handle the installation, but the wiring should be left to an expert, who can also help you choose a fan’s that’s the right size for your garage.

Take a good look around your garage for other sources of emissions, too, especially gas-powered appliances, such as snow blowers and chain saws. Power them up outdoors and as far away from your home’s entry door as possible. And don’t overlook pesticides and herbicides. They may look harmless sitting on a shelf, but they emit odors, and so are best stored far away from your home’s entry door.
Your home should be protected against some of these emissions by one layer of drywall between your home and the garage, and a thick layer of insulation. But no home is a steel trap. Polluted air can seep through small cracks and holes in the walls between your home and the garage and through the garage ceiling.

To improve your home’s indoor air quality, look carefully for these cracks or holes and seal them with caulk. And inspect your garage drywall, verifying that it is finished with compound and two coats of paint.

For more ways to reduce pollutants that impact indoor air quality, call Simpson Air. As air-quality experts, we can make your home and your garage airtight this winter so that everyone can breathe a little easier.

Garage image via Shutterstock.