An attached garage undoubtedly has many benefits: your car is protected, you have more storage space, and you can easily access it from your home. However, many homeowners with attached garages don’t realize that their air quality could be suffering due to their garage.
An attached garage may not feel like it is part of your home, but if the right measures aren’t taken in construction, it is essentially just another room and the air can easily seep into your main spaces.
Think about it, what are the common items stored in garages?
- Chemical cleaners
- Gardening supplies
- Automotive equipment
- Paint
All of these things can be contributing factors to poor air quality and worst of all, to poor health within your family.
Why Does This Happen?
One cause is due to unfinished floors.
These floors are made of concrete, which is porous and becomes homes to all of the foreign objects that are brought into the garage. Every single particle of dirt that comes in from a shoe or tire is just trapped inside the floor.
Other causes of poor air quality are due to improperly sealed walls. Have a professional seal the wall between the garage and your house to get rid of any cracks or holes.
Bonus: this can also help with energy loss!
If you’re concerned about your garage, follow these tips to make sure your home, and your loved ones, aren’t in danger!
What You Can Do
1. Ventilate the garage:
By installing an exhaust fan, you can lower pressure in the garage and prevent carbon monoxide from entering the house.
2. Never run your car inside:
Never ever warm up your car inside the garage, even just a few minutes can raise the carbon monoxide to dangerous levels.
3. Ditch the chemicals:
For certain chemicals like paints and automotive oils, you should store them in a sealed container.
As for harsher chemicals like some insecticides and herbicides, consider getting rid of them as they use organophosphates, which have been linked with cancer and fertility issues.
However, you should get in touch with your local waste management to dispose of them responsibly.
Look for more organic ways to get rid of pests and weeds, for the health of your yard and your family.
4. Finish walls and ceilings:
We already talked about how unfinished floors can trap harmful bacteria; the same goes for your walls and ceilings. If not already done, make sure to cover them in drywall, properly sealing the joints, and prime and paint all the surfaces. This way, they are less likely to leak.
5. Close the door:
Even if you’re just carrying in a few groceries you should keep your door shut. Installing a self-closing door can help a lot with keeping nasty fumes out!
Having an attached garage can have many benefits, but you must be conscientious and take the proper measures to make it a safe space.
We Can Help
If you think your home could benefit from an air quality inspection, give us a call or schedule your inspection with our easy online tool.
