Steps You Can Take to Improve Air Quality in Your Home

When we think about air pollution, we imagine huge industrial factories with smoke billowing out from them, or gridlocked traffic with clouds of exhaust fumes. But air pollution can be closer to home too. In fact, it can be inside your home. You’ve maybe never spent a minute to consider the quality of the air in your home, and the scary truth is that it can often be quite bad. And given the amount of time you spend in your home, you can understand why it’s an important topic. But it doesn’t really get the amount of attention it deserves.

But what you’ll probably be happier to hear is that there are lots of steps you can take to improve the air quality inside your home, and we’re going to talk about five of the easier ones to implement below.

As HVAC cleaning and sanitization specialists, our job has as much to do with indoor air quality as it does with ensuring your HVAC system operates as efficiently as it should, as you’ll find out in a minute.

The following is a checklist we provide our customers in and around Arvada with, and are steps we’d advise you to follow too.

Air Ducts Need to Be Kept Clean

You might think that your air ducts are these hidden canals interwoven into the framework of your house whose only purpose is to distribute hot and cold air around the property, but the truth is that they can also be a major factor in deteriorating indoor air quality.

They’ll distribute contaminants to all corners of your home just as efficiently as they deliver air, and as time passes dust and dander can build up inside them. If there’s any dampness inside them, mold may also grow, and that can have very bad consequences for the health of anyone in the house.

To combat this it’s advisable to schedule air duct cleaning every two years or so to be sure that they’re only circulating clean air.

Filters Need to Be Changed

There are numerous appliances in your home that likely come fitted with an air filter, the main one being your air conditioning unit. This filter acts as a barrier to dirt and dust, filtering it out and only allowing clean air to pass through. But over time, as it filters more and more of this dust/dirt, it will start to become less and less effective. For this reason, the condition of these filters needs to be monitored, and they need to be changed on a regular basis. If your unit has a fiberglass filter (older systems use these), you'll need to swap the filter every 30 days or so, while pleated filters can remain efficient for up to 3 months, although it’s recommended you check on their condition after 45 days.

Other appliances in your home that have filters that will need changing regularly include your clothes dryer, your vacuum cleaner and kitchen extractor fan. Don't forget and let dirt build-up, as this will impact air quality.

Ventilate Your Kitchen When Cooking

We all need to eat, right?! But cooking is an activity that can have a big impact on indoor air quality if you’re not careful. This is because every time you use a gas stove, harmful contaminants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide are produced as byproducts. Electric alternatives are better, but still produce these same contaminants, albeit in much lower amounts. For this reason, it's really important to ensure your kitchen is really well ventilated when you're cooking. Make use of extractor fans and open the window.

Clean Carpets are Key to Air Quality

Carpets and warm and homely, but they can also be a haven for things like dust, dander and dirt. All things that worsen the air quality in your home. It’s actually quite gross when you think about it. You may often sprawl out on a carpet or rug that is absolutely teeming with these contaminants. The solution? You could potentially replace all/most of your carpets with wooden floors (I have friends that got dogs and did just that). But if you don't want to or can't undergo such a major project right now, you'll want to schedule a professional carpet cleaning at least once per year. This is right up there with air duct cleaning in terms of importance, and the commercial-grade equipment a professional firm will use will pull all of those contaminants right out of your carpet. Most importantly, it’ll lead to better air quality in your home.

Use Dehumidifiers If Necessary

Is your home prone to issues with dampness and humidity? If so, you need to get yourself a dehumidifier for one reason; mold. Damp conditions provide the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew, which are known to have a big impact on air quality and can be potentially lethal for people with respiratory conditions such as asthma.

By placing dehumidifier units strategically throughout your home, the moisture will be pulled out of the air and mold will not be able to thrive.

Need More Advice? Talk to Our Arvada HVAC Cleaning Pros

We completely understand that modern life is a struggle and important tasks can often get left undone. If you need assistance with air duct cleaning, furnace cleaning or dryer vent cleaning, call our experienced team on (720) 419-7792 today to arrange an appointment.