Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality. Health is at the forefront of the minds of many individuals and families. We all benefit from improving the air quality where we spend the majority of our time: indoors in our homes, schools, and places of employment. Some, like those who suffer from seasonal allergies and asthma, are constantly thinking of the quality of the air they breathe. However, indoor air quality affects all of us. Follow the seven ways to improve indoor air quality below.
1. Keep Your Filter Clean
Air filters must be changed regularly. As time goes on, the pollutants that are carried in the air build up and saturate the filter, and eventually, the filter is no longer effective in stopping the pollutants from entering the air throughout your home.
If your system uses a traditional, disposable air filter, replace it with a clean one often and check its state periodically. For systems with a reusable filter, check the filter frequently and follow instructions on the proper way to clean the permanent filter. While you have your HVAC filters in mind, it doesn't hurt to clean or replace other filters around the house like the one that you might have in your vacuum cleaner.
2. Clean Your Air Ducts
In a home with a traditional duct-style HVAC system, air travels through a system of ducts. These ducts allow heated or cooled air to be dispersed evenly in your home. The ducts are enclosed, high-traffic areas for air travel, and it is natural that contaminants deposit and build up in the ducts over time. To avoid the potential for unwelcome pollutants like dirt, allergens, and dust to spread throughout your home and become a pervasive problem, schedule a maintenance visit to have a professional technician thoroughly clean your vents.
3. Control Humidity Levels
It's intuitive to think that improving air quality would include things like changing filters and cleaning ducts, which attempt to remove existing pollutants and prevent them from spreading in the air. Did you know that humidity has an effect on indoor air quality as well?
Humid and moist conditions are favorable to mold and mildew growth. The damp summer weather can be conducive to the formation of mold, which is an irritant that can affect your health when you breathe it in. Purchase and install a humidity control product, such as a whole-home humidifier, to control and maintain a consistent, healthy humidity level between 30 to 60% in your home.
4. Use the Exhaust Fan and Ventilation
The exhaust fan in your bathroom works to manage the mold and mildew caused by the running water you use in the bathroom which often lead to humid conditions. Over time, as with other air exchanges, the exhaust fan can get clogged with dust buildup and begin performing below standard, so be sure to have a professional Weis Comfort Systems technician come to inspect and clean the exhaust fan, replacing it with a new, better model when the time comes.
Other exhausts and vents need attention as well. When cooking or using the kitchen, be sure to use the kitchen vents and range hoods, which remove harmful contaminants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide, a byproduct of kitchen appliances like ovens and stoves when they run. Keeping these vents clean and open when the kitchen is in use helps keep the air in your home fresh and free of harmful chemicals.
5. Keep Your Home Clean
Many particulates actually come to rest and build up on floors, surfaces, and elsewhere within your home before they get sucked up and travel into the ventilation system. Address the problem proactively by collecting the particles before they have a chance to circulate through the air you and your family breathe. Fibrous items like carpets, rugs, upholstery, and blankets act as natural air filters, trapping dust, dander, allergens, and other large particles. Vacuum regularly as part of your weekly cleaning routine.
6. Use Windows
Windows are an excellent natural source of indoor air quality improvement when used correctly. Opening a window is a cheap, easy, and quick fix that can immediately help to improve the quality of the air inside your home. Fresh, clean outdoor air can be introduced inside the house. If you are sensitive to seasonal allergens, check the forecasted levels before possibly allowing them to enter your home freely.
7. Install an Air Purifier
An air purification system is specifically designed to improve the quality of air within a building. Other air quality improvement measures are supplemental; air purifier products are the heavy hitters that remove a large percentage of pollutants from the air. Choose from a wide range of products and consult with a Wies Comfort Systems professional who understands your clean air needs, your lifestyle, and how your new air purification system works. Our flexible schedule makes installing your new air purifier a breeze.
Improve Indoor Air Quality with Professional Services | Weis Comfort Systems
For powerful, protective indoor air quality improvements in your home, turn to the professionals. Weis Comfort Systems is a longstanding member of the Greater St. Louis community and has helped individuals and families in Missouri and Illinois breathe healthy, clean air in their homes and offices for fifty years. For more ways to improve your indoor air quality and for professional cleaning, maintenance, repair, and installation of filters, air purifiers, and humidifiers, contact us today.
