How Does Cooking Pollute Your Indoor Air Quality | Triad

We're quite sure you'll agree that eating is an important part of life. Unless you plan on eating out every night, though, you've got to take the time to cook your meals at home. Though preparing food seems like an activity that's harmless enough, the surprising truth is that cooking can release pollutants into the air. Keep reading to see just how this happens and what you can do about it.

How Are Pollutants Released?
If you have a gas stove, you are most at risk for indoor pollution resulting from cooking. As a stove burns the natural gas or propane, it releases pollutants such as carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, among others, which can quickly lower the quality of your home's air.

When you think about it, this makes sense. After all, the gas furnaces installed by Triad Sheet Metal Heating & Cooling use flues to vent the byproducts of combustion out of your home. Most gas stoves, however, don't have a flue.

Even if they do have some type of venting apparatus, it is often not used during cooking. Rather than being released from the home, then, the pollutants simply stick around and foul up your indoor air.

Other pollutants, such as particulate matter, can be released simply through the process of cooking itself. Additionally, pollutants resulting from the heat applied to non-stick pans can cause poor indoor air quality even if you have an electric stove.

What Can Be Done?
The best way to protect your home's indoor air quality when cooking is to install and use some type of vent. The trusted technicians at Triad Sheet Metal Heating & Cooling recommend installing a vent, whether you have a gas or an electric stove. If you use the vent every time you cook, you can be confident that you aren't releasing as many pollutants into the air you breathe.

Another option is to perform more of your cooking outside on a grill or outdoor stove. This gives you a way to enjoy the outdoors, reduce the heat inside during the summer, and help improve your home's air quality.

At Triad Sheet Metal Heating & Cooling, we are obsessed with indoor air quality. That's why we provide air quality testing services alongside our heating and cooling services. Whether you need your air tested, a heater repaired, or a new air conditioner installed, we are ready and able to serve you.

For over 30 years, we have been serving the Greensboro community with a commitment to service and perfectionism that is evident in everything we do. Customers think of us highly, leaving us glowing reviews that make all the hard work worthwhile. If you have more questions about your home's air quality, give us a call today.