3 Tips For Improving Indoor Air Quality So Your Home Has Cleaner And Fresher Air
Your home should support your family's health and provide them a place to retreat from pollen, air pollution, dust, and germs. However, your family, and even your pet, can carry in contaminants from the outdoors. Plus, if you like to leave your windows open, air pollution can waft in on the breeze. If you're concerned about the air quality in your house, you can take steps to improve it. Here are three tips for improving your home's indoor air quality.
1. Keep Dust To A Minimum
If you're busy, the last thing you want to do every day is dust. However, when you dust, mop, or vacuum often, you'll remove dust, dust mites, and pollen from your living space. If it seems like your home is always dusty, check your AC filter to make sure it's clean. You may also want to check the AC registers and ducts. If they are full of dust, you might want them cleaned so dust isn't blown in your home every time the HVAC kicks on.
You may even want an upgraded filter on your HVAC. An indoor air quality professional can install a filter or air cleaner in your ducts that pulls more dust, allergens, and particulates out of your indoor air than a basic HVAC filter can. Plus, some of these have UV lights that also sanitize the air as it passes by.
2. Control Mold And Mildew
Mold is a common allergy irritant, and mold is a common household problem. Mold thrives where there is moisture or high humidity. Be sure to use your vents when cooking or when taking a shower so humidity is pulled out of your house. Also, repair leaks and drips so your home stays dry.
Humidity attracts roaches, which can also trigger allergy symptoms. Dust mites also love high humidity, so keeping humidity under control can help your indoor air quality in a number of ways. Your AC acts as a dehumidifier when it runs, but when your AC isn't running in the spring or fall, indoor humidity might be a problem.
Consider talking to your HVAC company about installing a dehumidifier on your HVAC equipment. This is more convenient than having a separate dehumidifier in your home, and a whole-house dehumidifier can keep your entire house in the desirable humidity range even if you're not running the air conditioner.
3. Improve Ventilation
If you have a newer home, it may be that you don't get much fresh air in it. Your indoor air quality could be worse than the pollution outdoors in some cases if you don't use air cleaners to pull pollutants from your indoor air. It may also help if you improve ventilation through exhaust fans and by adding mechanical ventilation to your HVAC.
An indoor air quality or HVAC professional can assess whether improved ventilation would improve your home's air quality by taking several factors into account such as the type of HVAC and ducts you have, how well your home is sealed, and your climate.