Indoor air quality plays a significant role in ensuring your home is comfortable. Unfortunately, indoor pollution, uncontrolled moisture levels, and poor airflow compromise the air quality in most homes. If you want to improve air quality in your home, the best place to start is with your HVAC system.
Learn five ways to improve air quality in your home below.
1. Replace Your HVAC’s Air Filters
Your HVAC works to cool and heat your home all year long. As your HVAC cycles the air in your home, its filters trap dust, hair, pet fur, and other contaminants to supply you with clean air. With time, pollutants accumulate in your filters, preventing them from doing their job.
The pollutants in indoor air may be two to five times higher than in outdoor air. Because people spend a significant amount of time indoors, indoor air pollution poses a serious health risk. Indoor air pollution especially affects people with respiratory problems, asthma, and allergies.
Also, clogged AC filters cannot decontaminate your home. Therefore, change your HVAC filters at least every three months to prevent indoor air pollution.
Sometimes, contaminants accumulate on HVAC filters sooner than three months. So, inspect your filters monthly and replace them if they have accumulated dust and debris. Alternatively, get an HVAC service plan from your contractor that covers filter replacements.
2. Control Humidity Levels in Your Home
High humidity levels encourage mold growth in the home, which triggers asthma and allergic symptoms like skin rashes. Install a dehumidifier in your home to reduce moisture levels in your home and curb mold growth. A dehumidifier also helps you stay comfortable in your home during highly humid months.
Alternatively, a humidifier is an effective solution if humidity levels in your home are too low. You need a humidifier if you feel the air in your home is too dry.
3. Open Your Windows
A tightly sealed home keeps the cold and heat out. However, it compromises airflow in the house since it limits your access to fresh air. When the temperatures are not extreme, open a window to let in the fresh air.
It may seem counterproductive to open your windows after all your efforts to keep your home dust-free, but opening your windows is an excellent way to improve the ventilation in your home.
Besides letting fresh air into your home, opening your windows lets out pollutants, instantly improving indoor air quality.
4. Buy an Air Purifier
You likely could never clean your home enough to eliminate all the airborne particles in it. But, with an air purifier, you can come close to perfection. An air purifier traps the airborne pollutants in your home that your vacuum may miss, significantly improving your air quality.
The best thing about air purifiers is that they can even trap airborne viruses, thus reducing the potential for the transmission of airborne infections. Air purifiers are especially useful in instances where you cannot open your windows due to unconducive weather or temperatures.
5. Clean Your Vents and Air Ducts
Vent and duct cleaning removes pollutants in your HVAC system, helping you maintain fresh and clean indoor air. When cleaning your vents and air ducts, your HVAC technician removes all the dust and debris clogging up your vents and air ducts. They also remove any mold in your ductwork and vents.
Besides your workplace, you spend a lot of time in your home. Maintaining indoor air quality ensures you are comfortable every time you go home. You can breathe more easily and avoid endangering your health by breathing in polluted indoor air.
While you can take steps like opening your windows yourself, you usually need a professional for ductwork cleaning, air purifier installation, and HVAC servicing. Dial 1 Johnson is the indoor air quality expert in Cedar Hill and beyond. Contact us today to schedule our indoor air quality services.
Author Bio:
Sherrie Johnson-Hartsock
Dial One Johnson Plumbing, Cooling & Heating is now owned and operated by Sherrie Johnson-Hartsock, with his grandson, Daniel Johnson, a third-generation plumber who is also the Service Manager.