We all love our homes; however, there is one danger within a home that you can’t see – Indoor air pollution. This can be a serious concern in homes, but thankfully this is something that is completely manageable. When looking at indoor air quality, remember these tips.
1. Ventilation
The best way to improve your indoor air quality is to have proper ventilation in your home. This isn’t just about opening windows, which can be a good solution. However, if you live near a busy road, you could be inviting in pollutants. It also isn’t a perfect solution in the winter when the temperature is below freezing. Your kitchen and bathroom should have fans that can be run to improve air quality, and many bathroom fans are now whisper quiet so you will never notice they are on.
2. Proper Air Flow
Keep your furniture away from the outside walls so that the air can flow around the furniture, keeping it from becoming stagnant in areas. You also want to keep your heating vents and baseboards clear of furniture.
3. Install A Filtration System
Another excellent solution is to have an HVAC system in the home that has a proper filtration system built into the duct work. This takes the hassle of dealing with indoor air pollution out of your hands and into the hands of a reliable system. All you need to remember is to replace and clean the filters based on the instructions from the manufacturer.
4. Change Your Filters
Changing an air filter in your air conditioning in the summer, and the furnace in the winter, is important. If a filter becomes clogged, it is not only going to impact your air quality, but it will also raise your energy bill as the machines have to work harder to do their job through the clogged air filter. If you leave the filter in for too long, you may be paying for repairs on your systems.
Other air filters to remember to replace are your vacuum filter, your dryer filter and your vent filters in the kitchen and bathroom. Keeping these clean can go a long way to ensuring your air is clean inside your house.
5. Watch That Humidity
Something often forgotten about when dealing with indoor air pollution is humidity. If you live in a humid environment, the moist conditions can cause mold and mildew to spread. If that happens, respiratory issues can worsen. Most common in the summer, if you reduce the moisture inside your home, you can prevent severe health problems down the road. Humidifiers, or a system that removes humidity from the environment, will make your indoor air quality far better, and safer.
6. Bring In Greenery
Along with a proper HVAC system and ventilation in your home, plants are very impressive in how they can clean the air. Indoor plants not only make your home look better, but they also improve your air. Various plants do a better job at this, but ferns and small palm trees are very effective.
7. Air Purifiers
One of the most effective ways to keep your air clean is by having air purifiers within your home. De-humidifiers get rid of the moist air, vents get rid of old air and cycle in new air, plants do the same, but air purifiers take the air, clean it, and put it back into the environment. Air purifiers can come in the form of a simple table-top model, or a whole-house system. The whole-house system is far more effective in keeping your air clean throughout your home. Depending on the size of your home, a whole-house system may be the best option. Dust, spores, allergens, all can be filtered out by air purifiers to keep your air clean.
Having clean air in the home will improve your quality of life. Stagnant and dirty air in the home can impact your cognitive abilities and your overall happiness. For anyone who suffers from allergies or asthma, dirty air can be life-threatening. By taking the steps to ensure your air is clean, you will feel better, happier and the overall health of your family will improve.
Currently, American Comfort Experts is offering a special on our Indoor Air Quality packages. For more information about how you can protect the air within your home, contact us today.
