Your HVAC system manages a lot: constantly circulating air, warming air against the cold, cooling air against the heat, maintaining a comfortable and even climate throughout your home.
But, there’s only so much your HVAC system can do when it comes to the quality of air that is being pushed throughout your home. A professional, proper HVAC installation will combat against the infiltration of mold and bacteria, and UV light installation will even actively clean your moving air.
But there’s another variable to account for when assessing the quality of air in your home: YOU. Your day-to-day life contributes to the air quality that your HVAC system works so hard to clean and circulate. Have you ever stopped to wonder how you contribute to the air quality of your home? What you put in the air is spread throughout your home, meaning the residue of your life lingers for longer and it lingers everywhere.
Help your HVAC system out: follow these handy tips to improve the indoor air quality of your home. When you improve the air quality of your home, you improve your life and the life of your HVAC system.
1) Don’t Smoke Indoors
Cigarettes contains thousands of pollutants and harmful chemicals at high concentrations. Protect your family members from second-hand smoke, and protect your home from unnecessary, premature decay caused by smoke and tar.
2) Clean, Clean, Clean
Reduce the dust and dirt covering your home. Dust your surfaces regularly and wash your bedsheets often—don’t forget lampshades and baseboards where forgotten dust is often accrued en masse. Keep dirty shoes on designated mats that trap the dirt. Don’t neglect your floors: be sure to mop and vacuum too!
3) Control that Humidity
When you limit the humidity within your home to the ideal range of 30-50%, you limit the growth of bacteria and mold. Molds thrive in overly humid climates, and they release allergens that can cause respiratory complications. Combat dust mites, and mold, and bacteria, by keeping your home in humidity harmony.
4) Opt for Natural Fragrances & Fresheners
Chemical air fresheners and aerosols contain Volatile Organic Compounds, also called VOCs. These chemicals can irritate the skin and are dangerous to inhale. When these “fresheners” are sprayed in your home, they chemicals do not dissipate: they have nowhere to go but through your HVAC system to be spread throughout your house. Popular alternatives to chemical fresheners are freshly sliced fruits!
5) Welcome Plants into Your Home
Living plants eliminated toxic agents, reducing your exposure to Volatile Organic Compounds. Plants clean and refresh the air. Plus, they’re pretty and will brighten the interior of any home!
6) Know Your Cleaning Products
Much like the aforementioned “fresheners,” popular chemical cleaners contain harmful chemicals and airborne agents that can be dangerous to inhale, and are sometimes especially harmful to children. Know your cleaning products. Read their labels and minimize your use of harsh cleaners.
7) When You Can, Open the Windows
When weather and humidity-levels permit, open those windows! Let the fresh air of the outdoor world into your home!
8) Test for Radon and Detect for Carbon Monoxide
Using a carbon monoxide detector and testing for radon can save your life, and the lives of your family members. It is good to be precautionary. These tests can protect you from unnecessary health complications, or even death.