5 HVAC Solutions to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Everyone wants to keep their family safe by ensuring they breathe the best air possible. You can ensure your family gets clean breathable air by improving the indoor air quality within your house. Indoor air pollution according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has become a leading source of environmental pollution. It is in fact ranked among the top 5 environmental dangers. You may think your home is clean, but is your air?

These are a few simple solutions for ensuring your house gets more fresh air for reducing pesky household contaminants.

1. Change Air Filters

The air filter in any HVAC system is the first line of defense for maintaining indoor air quality. Typical heating and cooling systems circulate close to 1,000 cubic feet per minute of air. The entire volume of air in your Bay Area house passes through the filter several times in a day.

Clean filters are effective in removing airborne particles, such as dust and invisible microscopic particles. Dirty air filters tend to make IAQ worse by acting as a reservoir for dust, dirt, and other airborne contaminants.

You should change the air filters multiple times during heating and cooling season. Choose quality pleated fabric filters over cheap fiberglass panel filters.

2. Clean Ventilation System

You can replace stale indoor air by simply opening doors and windows. You need to replace unhealthy and stagnant air with equal amounts of filtered, fresh air for restoring healthy air quality. Without adequate ventilation or poor upkeep of the ventilation system, you and your family can suffer from lung cancer, infections, and chronic lung diseases, such as asthma.

3. Use Dehumidifiers for Reducing Mold and Humidity

Humidity tends to accumulate in tightly-sealed environment because of bathing, cooking and other activities. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor humidity levels should be between 30 – 60%. High indoor humidity levels are a breeding ground for toxic bacteria and mold.

Your home IAQ will suffer if there are high humidity levels. You should consider using a dehumidifier for managing the quality of air within the home. This can prevent health issues in you and your family. Your personal preferences, level of physical activity and clothing determine the optimum level of humidity in your home.

4. Monitoring Carbon Monoxide Levels

Carbon monoxide is quite possibly the most toxic substance you can come in contact with. It is an odorless and colorless gas that tends to go undetected. You should consider installing a carbon monoxide alarm as your defense against this deadly toxin. Many people ignore carbon monoxide levels when thinking of the indoor air quality as a whole.

Ventilating a space can help in reducing the buildup of carbon monoxide. You should vacate the house immediately if the carbon monoxide alarm rings.

5. Regular Vacuuming for Reducing Dust Mites and Dirt

Regular vacuuming and dusting can reduce harmful allergens, mites, and dust to a great degree. Experts recommend daily dusting and once a week vacuuming for ensuring these pollutants don’t reduce the indoor air quality in your home. You can use special vacuum cleaners that are fitted with HEPA filters. These can come in highly beneficial if you suffer from asthma and other forms of allergies.