Is Your Home’s Air Making You Sick? The Ultimate Guide to Indoor Air Quality in Texas Heat

Breathe easy

You know that feeling when you walk into your house after being outside in 105-degree Austin heat, and instead of relief, you get hit with stuffy, stale air that makes you feel even more miserable? Yeah, that’s not normal. And if you’ve been dealing with mysterious headaches, scratchy throats, or feeling tired all the time during our brutal Texas summers, your home’s air quality might be the culprit.

Here’s the thing that might surprise you: indoor air can be up to five times more polluted than outdoor air. When you combine that with Texas heat that pushes outdoor pollution levels through the roof, your home can become a real health hazard without you even knowing it.

Why Texas Heat Makes Everything Worse

Living in Central Texas means dealing with some serious weather extremes. When temperatures hit triple digits (which, let’s be honest, happens way too often), it sets off a chain reaction that trashes your indoor air quality.

First, all that outdoor heat creates more pollution. During those scorching August days when it’s 106°F outside, the sun basically cooks up a toxic cocktail of ozone and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. Even the trees around Austin start pumping out more natural pollutants when they’re stressed from the heat.

exterior of home

Then there’s the energy crunch. When everyone cranks up their AC to survive, power plants work overtime to keep up with demand, creating even more outdoor pollution that finds its way into your home through windows, doors, and your HVAC system.

Your poor air conditioning system is working so hard to keep you cool that it might not be doing its other job – cleaning your air – as effectively as it should. When your system is maxed out, air filtration often takes a backseat to cooling.

The Usual Suspects: What’s Polluting Your Air

Dust and Allergens
Central Texas is basically dust heaven. Between our dry climate, construction everywhere, and all the cedar pollen (thanks, Hill Country), dust and allergens build up fast indoors. When your windows stay closed all summer and air circulation gets limited, these particles just keep accumulating.

Humidity and Mold
This one’s tricky in Texas because we get hit from both sides. Sometimes it’s bone dry, other times (hello, Gulf Coast moisture) it’s swampy humid. When humidity gets above 50% indoors and stays there, mold starts partying in places like your bathroom, kitchen, and even inside your air ducts.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
These are chemicals that evaporate into your air from everyday stuff like cleaning products, furniture, carpets, and paint. Heat makes them worse – those chemical smells you notice more in summer aren’t just annoying; they’re actually harmful compounds floating around your breathing space.

VOCs

Pet Dander and Other Biological Stuff
If you have pets (and who doesn’t love their fur babies?), their dander gets stirred up constantly by your HVAC system. Add in dust mites, which absolutely love warm, humid conditions, and you’ve got a biological soup that can trigger allergies and asthma.

Warning Signs Your Air Is Making You Sick

Your body’s pretty good at telling you when something’s wrong – you just have to listen. Here are the red flags that your indoor air quality needs attention:

The Immediate Stuff:

  • Scratchy or sore throat, especially when you first wake up
  • Eyes that feel dry, itchy, or irritated for no reason
  • Headaches that seem to happen more often at home
  • Feeling stuffy or congested indoors but better outside
  • Fatigue that doesn’t match your activity level

The More Serious Signs:

  • Asthma attacks or breathing problems getting worse
  • Allergies acting up year-round instead of just during pollen season
  • Getting sick more often than usual
  • Sleep problems or feeling restless at night

If you or your family members are dealing with any of these symptoms regularly, especially during the hot months when you’re spending more time indoors, poor air quality could be the root cause.

Practical Ways to Clean Up Your Air

Start with the Basics: Air Filters
This is the easiest win. Check your HVAC filter monthly during summer (yes, monthly!) and replace it when it’s dirty. Don’t go for the cheapest option – invest in a MERV 8-11 filter that can actually catch the small particles that make you sick. Higher MERV ratings are even better if your system can handle them. You can read more about whole house filters here.

Standard filters should be changed every 4 weeks

Control the Humidity
Keep indoor humidity between 40-50%. If it’s too high, mold grows. Too low, and dust particles stay airborne longer. A good programmable thermostat can help manage this, but you might also need a dehumidifier during our humid spells. Read more about portable dehumidifiers here.

UV Light Systems
UV lights installed in your HVAC system can kill bacteria, viruses, and mold before they circulate through your home. They’re especially effective in our climate where biological contaminants love to multiply. Learn more about UV light systems here.

Regular HVAC Maintenance
This isn’t just about keeping your system running – it’s about keeping your air clean. Dirty coils, clogged drains, and dusty ductwork all contribute to poor air quality. Professional maintenance twice a year (before summer and winter) keeps everything working right.

Smart Ventilation
Even when it’s hot outside, your home needs fresh air. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens and consider a whole-house ventilation system if you have a particularly tight, energy-efficient home.

fresh air ventilation

Air Purifiers as Backup
For extra protection, especially in bedrooms or if someone in your family has allergies or asthma, portable air purifiers with HEPA filters can make a real difference.

When to Call in the Pros

Some air quality problems are DIY-friendly, but others need professional help. Here’s when you should call Accu-Temp:

  • Your HVAC system is over 10 years old and hasn’t been properly maintained
  • You’re replacing filters constantly and they’re getting dirty fast
  • Family members have persistent health issues that might be air quality related
  • You’ve noticed musty smells or visible mold anywhere in your home
  • Your energy bills have spiked but your usage habits haven’t changed
  • You want to install UV lights, upgrade your filtration system, or add ventilation

Improve air quality in your home

We’ve seen it all in Central Texas homes, from minor filter issues to major ductwork problems that were making entire families sick. The good news is that most air quality issues are totally fixable once you know what you’re dealing with.

The Bottom Line

Your home should be your refuge from Texas heat, not another source of health problems. Poor indoor air quality isn’t just uncomfortable – it can seriously impact your health and quality of life.

The combination of extreme heat, high energy demands, and increased time spent indoors makes summer the perfect storm for air quality issues. But with the right approach – regular maintenance, proper filtration, humidity control, and professional help when needed – you can create a healthy indoor environment that actually makes you feel better.

Don’t ignore those mysterious symptoms or assume that feeling crummy at home is just part of Texas summer life. Clean, healthy air is something everyone deserves, especially when we’re all spending more time indoors trying to escape the heat.

If you’re ready to take control of your home’s air quality, give Accu-Temp a call. We’ll help you figure out what’s going on and create a plan to get your indoor air back to being the clean, healthy environment it should be.