How to Detect Bad Air Quality

Author: Bess Ruff / Source: wikiHow

1 Use an air quality monitor to test for test for indoor pollutants. Indoor air quality is judged by the amount of particle matter, VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds, such as chemical pollutants), temperature, and humidity (which can lead to mold) in the air. Look online and in home hardware stores for air quality monitors that check all of these pollutants.
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- Monitors typically cost between $150-250, and 1 device should work well for a medium-sized home.
- The monitor will inform you when it detects a risky level of pollutants and what you should do about it. It can come paired with an app that provides even more information, and can send you alerts about changes in the air quality even when you aren’t in your home.
2 Look for signs of mold. Check your home for a musty, unpleasant odor that persists even when you clean, and look for visible signs like black spots, water spots, or damp areas. You might also start experiencing health symptoms, such as watering eyes, congestion, or listlessness.^[2]
- You can verify with a professional mold inspection, then get rid of the mold with a removal service.
3 Install carbon monoxide detectors throughout the building. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and tasteless, but can be deadly if it’s inhaled. Installing carbon monoxide detectors on every floor of your home or workplace can alert you if dangerous levels of the chemical are ever present.^[3]
- Place the detectors close to areas that you frequent, such as a bedroom or a busy office, so you’re more likely to hear them.
- Change the batteries every 6 months or so.
- Carbon monoxide can be released by household appliances like stoves, fireplaces, furnaces, grills, and hot water heaters. Place detectors in the same room as these appliances, or as close as possible.
4 Do an at-home test to check for radon. To check for radon, a radioactive gas that can be found in soil, well water, and in homes, you can purchase an at-home test from a home improvement store. You’ll likely need to leave the sensor material in your home, then collect it after a certain amount of time. Then, you’ll mail the material to a lab for analysis. Check twice a year to make sure your building stays safe.^[4]

1 Check verified Air Quality Index reports online. You can easily check your area’s Air Quality Index (AQI) by logging onto a verified website. From there, you’ll enter in a city or postal code, or allow the site to look at your GPS information to tell you the AQI in your area. Scores are color-coded and typically separated by pollutant. They’re available throughout the US and globally as well. Use websites such as:^[6]
2 Look out for AQI scores of 100 or higher, which mean the air is unhealthy. The Air Quality Index (AQI) provides daily reports on air quality all over the world. It consists of a numerical value paired with a verbal level and a color. You can read the AQI with the following key:
- Good air quality: AQI within 0-50; green color. Air quality at this level is satisfactory and doesn’t pose any health risks.
- Moderate: AQI within 51-100; yellow color. The air quality is acceptable, but could be a moderate health risk for people sensitive to ozone or particle pollution.
- Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups: AQI within 101-150; orange color. Most of the population shouldn’t be affected, but people with heart or lung disease, children, and older adults are at risk.
- Unhealthy: AQI within 151-200; red color. Everyone might start to experience adverse health effects, with sensitive groups experiencing them more strongly.
- Very unhealthy: AQI between 201-300; purple color. This is a health alert, which means that everyone might start to experience strong health effects.
- Hazardous: AQI above 300; maroon color. This is considered an emergency condition, where the whole population is…