The Importance of Your Air Quality

Air pollution exists in more places than we think. We tend to think that air pollution is prevalent in the outside environment, however, it can often affect us within our own homes. The air inside your home may actually be more polluted than the air outside. A mixture of dust, chemicals from fragrances and cleaners, pet dander, paint odors, and mold can plague your home. People with allergies and asthma may be more sensitive to these pollutants than others. As our homes become tighter, it becomes harder for the irritant air to escape. Blower door tests can help determine the tightness of your home and see what effective solutions there may be to maintain a healthy indoor environment.

Simple Steps to Maintain Clean Air in Your Home

In addition to the pollutants that may already exist in your home, you can bring in outside pollutants like pollen. Living in North Florida, we know pollen plagues nearly everyone we know. Before you begin your day and leave the comfort of your home, you can check to see pollen levels in your area and how best to prepare.

So, what are some steps to reduce the amount of pollutants in your home?

Steps to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Keep your home clean

Easier said than done; we know. Household dust can accumulate on top of furniture, light fixtures, fans and almost anywhere that you can think of. Vacuuming and dusting can rid your home of lead concentrations in dust and remove pollen, pet dander, and dust mites. Make sure to vacuum between 2-3 times per week to keep down allergen levels.

Mopping can also pick up any dust or dirt left behind by vacuums and brooms. Having mats at every exterior door makes sure that any chemicals or allergens brought through the bottom of your shoes are left outside.

Keep healthy levels of humidity

Humidity can be a breeding ground for different bacteria. For example, it is commonly known that dust mites and mold thrive in high humidity environments. This indoor humidity calculator can help you determine if your home is too humid.

As a Premier Lennox Dealer, we can install (link) efficient systems that can help control the levels of humidity. Other ways to correct levels of humidity are venting bathrooms during use and kitchens during cooking.

Open windows

This may seem counter intuitive, but opening windows and creating drafts will circulate air from the inside of your home to the outside. This also lets fresh air from the outside come in.

Change your air filter

Changing your air filter may be one of the more important things you can do to improve your indoor air quality. It also makes sure that your air conditioning system is running as efficiently as possible. Dust, dander, hair and dirt can accumulate on your filter and prevent the flow of air into your system.

Groom pets and smoke outside

By grooming pets you can reduce the amount of pet dander and hair that can spread around your house. This can also prevent the accumulation of pet hair and dander in your HVAC’s filter.

For our homeowners that do smoke, we would advise smoking outside. Nicotine and other chemicals can greatly affect the quality of the air in your home.

Install a Home Air Purifier

Home Air Purifiers purify the air inside your home. Unlike most single area purifiers, our Lennox PureAir Air Purification System cleans and removes pollutants throughout your home. It is the single solution to guarantee fresher air inside your home.

If you have tried these techniques and not seen the success you have wanted in cleaner air quality, give us a call. We would be happy to help!