How Candles Affect Indoor Air Quality

Candles are exquisite interior decor elements that enhance the atmosphere of a room and even highlight certain focal points. Before you light that candle for your romantic dinner, though, it’s important to note that they can change the air quality in your home – and not in a good way!

How Candles Affect Indoor Air Quality

Here Stone Heating and Air, your local HVAC repair expert, shares how candles can affect the indoor air quality of your home.

 

The Dangers of Scented Candles

 

Those fancy scented candles may not be as harmless as you might think. According to an EPA report from 2001, certain scented candles produce chemical reactions when they burn. These reactions release things such as formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide and acrolein, just to name a few. 

 

Paraffin candles, in particular, may emit benzene and toluene – both of which are toxic and can cause respiratory issues like asthma. This inherent risk is one of the reasons why many HVAC replacement companies recommend researching the candles you’re planning to purchase.

 

Candles and Air Quality

 

Invisible airborne chemicals aren’t the only things candles emit. Lighting candles can also cause soot formation and black smoke that can stain walls and fabrics and accumulate in the ducts of your HVAC system. Cheaper candles are especially notorious for producing large amounts of soot, which may lead to the proliferation of ultrafine particles that can diminish your home’s indoor air quality. As their name suggests, these particles are all but invisible, but their lasting effects on your indoor air and comfort may persist for a long time.

 

Fortunately, you can minimize the negative effects of lighting candles by investing in an air purifier. These can get rid of the majority of the invisible pollutants in your home and make things easier for your HVAC system.

 

Stone Heating and Air is ready to assist you with your upcoming heating and air conditioning repair. Call us at (541) 855-5521 to learn more about our services. We’re your HVAC repair experts in Central Point, OR.

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