You might not realize it, but your indoor air quality may not be as great as it could be. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to improve it. Here are our tips to improve the air quality in your home and keep you breathing easy.
Keep Your Floors Clean
One way to improve the air quality in your home is to make sure your floors are kept clean. It sounds simple, and that’s because it is! When you regularly vacuum and mop your floors, studies show it significantly reduces the harmful allergens, dust, and mites that pollute your home. These are pollutants that can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, and cause headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
Try and vacuum your floors at least once a week, and mop your floors to pick up dust left behind by vacuuming. If you want to minimize dirt and dust tracked into your home, consider asking visitors (and other family members) to remove their shoes when they enter.
Replace Air Filters Regularly
Remembering to replace your air filter every three months is the best thing you can do to trap indoor air pollutants and keep the air in your home clean and breathable. The air filter in your HVAC system is in the front line of defense against poor indoor air quality. A clean filter effectively removes dust, dander, and other pollutants. A dirty filter can make indoor air quality worse by acting as a reservoir for dirt, dust, and other airborne contaminants that are continuously circulated back into your home’s air. Not only that, but if your air filter is dirty and clogged, you can risk doing damage to your HVAC system.
Make sure you’re changing your air filter regularly so you’re not doing more damage to your indoor air quality.
Avoid Products That Pollute Your Air
Unfortunately, some everyday household items could be doing more harm than good to your home’s air quality. Items like:
- Cleaning Products – It should be no surprise that cleaning products contain chemicals, but especially ones that are scented release harmful airborne particles. 95% of chemicals used in synthetic fragrances are derived from petroleum and include benzene derivatives, aldehydes, toluene, and many other known toxic chemicals. When buying cleaning products, try looking for natural options.
- Paint – If you’ve recently painted your walls, it’s probably best to open the windows to let your room air out and dispose of the empty cans immediately. Paint can give off volatile organic compound gases in your garage or home and negatively impact breathing.
- Candles and air fresheners – While these items help to make your air smell better, they’re probably only making your indoor air quality worse. Some of these air freshening items contain chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene, which can be hazardous to health by irritating your nose and throat as well as causing headaches. It might be hard, but try and avoid these items for better air quality.
Groom Your Pets More Frequently
If you have pets, you know a fact of life is they shed. But when they shed, their fur can become airborne and clog your filters. This can hinder your system’s efficiency and cause it to break down. It can also cause you to suffer more allergies related to pet hair and dander. To keep everything running smoothly, and to keep your air cleaner, give your pet a brush down regularly.
Consider Cleaning Your Air Ducts
Since the air in your home will make its way through your duct system eventually, it’s a good idea to get it cleaned every once in a while. This will help keep down the amount of dust and dirt your home’s air runs into (and subsequently carries with it).
A good rule of thumb is to schedule an air duct cleaning every 5 to 7 years. But if you move somewhere new, you might not know the last time a duct cleaning was performed. To tell if you need a duct cleaning, take a peek inside your air ducts. Unscrew one of the vents or registers, and take a quick flash picture with your phone. If you’re seeing lots of dust bunnies, it’s time to get an expert in to clean it for you.
If you’re unsure who to rely on for your HVAC system check, call up Comfort World Air Conditioning & Heating!
Have Your HVAC System Checked Annually
Doing an annual HVAC check by a professional is a great way to keep the quality of your home’s air in good standing. They will look over your system and make sure everything is running as it should. If something needs repairing or cleaning, they’ll be able to help you out.
If you’re unsure who to rely on for your HVAC system check, call up Comfort World Air Conditioning & Heating! We are here to help you with your HVAC system maintenance, repair, and replacements. We’ve been bringing comfort to the valley for over 30 years, so you can count on us to get the job done right. Our highly trained technicians in Scottsdale, Arizona, want to bring a little more comfort to your world!
