Attached garages can be convenient and they're pretty popular here in the Cincinnati area. Homeowners should be aware, however, that with this convenience comes some risk to your home's indoor air quality and your family's health.

Garages can be a source of toxic gases and chemical emissions that can be dangerous, if they get into the air supply of your home:

• As you might imagine, a number of these noxious emissions come from your vehicle. Automobiles give off toxic gases like benzene and carbon dioxide.
• Besides your car, other sources of lung-irritating, unhealthy emissions in your attached garage include tools like lawn-mowing and -care equipment and chemical pesticides, which you may use or store in the building.
• Paint and solvents used in home-improvement projects or hobbies are also guilty of emitting dangerous fumes and airborne particles.

To be certain you've done all you can to make your garage safe and preserve your indoor air quality, try these solutions:

• Whole-house air purification -- Consider installing a whole-house air cleaner and highly effective air filter in your home-comfort system.
• Exhaust fans -- The same type of fans used in kitchen and bath areas to clear the air of cooking smells, smoke and humidity work wonders to clear toxins from the air in your garage and vent it outdoors, before it has the chance to be pulled into your home's the air supply. Keep fan(s) running constantly if you use your garage to enter/exit your home often or if you store older vehicles with less-effective emission controls there.
• Air sealing -- Your local HVAC professional can help detect air leaks with specialized equipment and an experienced eye. Leaks should be sealed with appropriate material such as caulk or weather stripping. You may need to temporarily remove drywall to properly seal leaks.
• Carbon-monoxide (CO) detectors -- Make sure your home is equipped with CO alarms to protect your family in case of leaks from the garage or in-home sources, like combustion-fueled appliances, cooking stoves, etc.

Questions about indoor air quality? Contact the professionals serving Greater Cincinnati homeowners at  JonLe Heating & Cooling. Visit our website to learn more or give us a call.  

Attached Garage image via Shutterstock.