If you feel better when you’re away from home than when you’re in it, your house might be part of the problem. You’re not imagining it; many homes in Northern Virginia, DC, and Metro Maryland are quietly making their owners feel worse, not better.
Stuffy noses, headaches, constant fatigue, and allergy-like symptoms that flare up indoors are often tied to what’s happening behind the walls, in the attic, and under the floors. In older homes, especially, poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can become the source of discomfort and even illness.
Signs Your Home is Affecting Your Health
If these symptoms sound familiar, it’s worth looking into your home’s IAQ:
- Stuffy nose, sneezing, or itchy, watery eyes that get worse indoors
- Dry throat, coughing, or shortness of breath when you’re at home
- Frequent headaches, brain fog, or feeling unusually tired at home
- Symptoms that improve when you’re out of the house
What Causes Poor Indoor Air Quality in a Home?
Poor indoor air quality isn’t usually one single problem; it’s a combination of how your home is built, how it’s sealed, and what’s happening in hidden spaces. These issues can be especially common in older homes, where comfort and health were not always the top priority in the original construction.
Common causes can include:
- Air leaks and drafts: Uncontrolled air movement brings in outdoor pollen, dust, and moisture, especially through attics, rim joists, and around plumbing and wiring.
- Damp basements and crawl spaces: Moisture under your home encourages mold growth, mildew, and pests. Thanks to the “stack effect,” that damp, musty air can be pulled up into your living spaces.
- Old or damaged insulation: If your insulation isn’t in good condition, it could be causing more harm than good and can contribute to a stuffy, uncomfortable home.
- Poor ventilation: Without proper fresh air exchange, pollutants from cooking, cleaning, and off‑gassing materials build up, causing IAQ problems.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Your Home
Luckily, most IAQ problems can be fixed with targeted, building‑science‑based improvements. At The Fifth Fuel, we focus on three core services that work together to make homes healthier, more comfortable, and more efficient. When these services are combined as part of a whole‑home approach, the result is a home that feels cleaner, more comfortable, and healthier.
Air sealing
We use blower door testing to find exactly where your home is losing air, then seal leaks in attics, rim joists, around ducts, and other key areas. This reduces drafts, keeps outdoor pollutants out, and even helps your HVAC system run more efficiently.
Insulation Upgrades
Proper insulation keeps a home warmer in winter and cooler in summer, reducing condensation and mold risk. This is especially true in areas of your home that are vulnerable to temperature fluctuations, like attics. Our team uses a variety of high-performance insulation materials, like cellulose and spray foam.
Crawlspace Encapsulation
Sealing your crawl space from the outside elements helps stop musty odors, reduce mold, and improve comfort in the rooms above. When encapsulating a crawl space at The Fifth Fuel, we seal vents, install a heavy‑duty vapor barrier, insulate crawl space walls or band joists, and control moisture with drainage and, when needed, a dehumidifier.
The Fifth Fuel: Your Local Home Performance Experts
We’re a locally-owned insulation and home performance contractor with over 30 years of experience serving local homeowners. Our team relies on building science to solve comfort, health, and efficiency issues in homes across Arlington, Bethesda, Fairfax, and surrounding communities. If your home just doesn’t feel right, we can help you get to the root of the problem with an in-depth energy audit. Not only will we help identify what’s causing IAQ issues in your home, but we’ll also provide detailed recommendations on how to improve them.
