Ways to Have Healthy & Clean Air
At Apollo Heating & Air Conditioning, our focus is making sure your HVAC system is providing your home or office building with comfortable, clean, and healthy air. As spring is the time for rebirth and renewal, it is the perfect occasion to look at ways to improve your indoor air quality, or IAQ.
Having clean air in your home is critical when you think about how much of our lives we spend indoors. In fact, we are indoors approximately 90 percent of the time, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That is why having poor IAQ could lead to serious health issues.
You might be surprised to learn that the air in your home is typically more polluted than the outdoor air. The EPA reports that indoor levels of pollutants may be two to five times, and occasionally 100 times, higher than outdoors. So, it is vital that we do everything we can to ensure healthy air in our homes and offices.
Spring is a time of year when it can be more challenging to maintain clean indoor air. It is in the spring season when there are environmental shifts and changes that we make in our homes and living habits.
7 Ways to Promote Healthy & Clean Air
Prevent Allergens from Entering Your Home
You will find seasonal allergies to be in full bloom during the springtime. People who suffer most are those with asthma and allergies. Increased outdoor contaminants from grass growing, flowers blooming, and plants spawning can lower the IAQ.
The goal of maintaining clean air is to keep allergens and air pollutants from coming into your home. You’re advised to keep windows and doors closed during peak times of allergens and pollen swirling in the air outside. You might also consider taking off shoes and outer jackets before coming into your home.
Clean the A/C Unit
It is best to clean the outdoor A/C unit prior to using it regularly as summer arrives. This is especially important as your air conditioner has been dormant for many months. Clear the A/C unit of debris and leaves. This will help to ensure your indoor air stays clean when you operate your air conditioner. You might also think about seasonal or regular preventative HVAC maintenance, which will help to extend the lifespan of your HVAC system.
Change the Air Filters
Spring is the ideal time of year for changing your air filters. You will make a huge step toward ensuring you have healthy air in your home by inspecting and changing your air filters. Healthy, clean, unclogged filters make for an easy way to promote clean indoor air.
There are many types of air filters, and the filter quality or rating affects how often they should be replaced. For example, cheaper filters, which are the lower-rated filters, need to be changed monthly. Higher-rated filters, like the MERV-13, should last three to six months before being replaced. Keep in mind that upgrading your air filters is one way to maintain clean and healthy air in your home.
Clean Your Air Ducts
Neglecting your air ducts could negatively impact your IAQ. Why? Over time – usually many months – airborne allergens are drawn into your HVAC system and settle onto the air ducts. When you turn on your HVAC unit, the allergens and contaminants are transported into your living spaces. As you breathe in these pollutants, your run the risk of affecting your respiratory system, causing health problems.
This is where having professional air duct cleaning will improve your indoor air. It is recommended that you have your air ducts cleaned by a technician at least every five years.
Use an Air Purifier
Do you want clean and healthy air in your home? Then one quick way to accomplish this is by using an air purifier. It is a perfect IAQ solution. Purification decreases harmful and hazardous indoor air pollutants.
If you are an allergy or asthma sufferer, you stand to benefit the most from a whole-home air purification system. An air purifier in your home can help to counteract the increase in indoor pollutant levels that can occur during spring cleaning.
Run HVAC Fan After Cleaning
Following a major spring cleaning, it is helpful to operate your HVAC fan right afterwards. While cleaning removes contaminants, it can also circulate dust and particles. By running the HVAC fan, you provide an opportunity for dust and pollutants to run through the system air filters before settling back on surfaces.
Fill Your Home with Plants
Bringing plants into your home is a natural way of eliminating toxins from the air. In addition to being visually uplifting, plants work to filter out air contaminants. Plants play a powerful role in creating clean and healthy air in your home. According to NASA’s Clean Air Study, entitled, Interior Landscape Plants for Indoor Air Pollution Abatement, you can achieve significant air purification simply by putting greenery every 100 square feet within any given space.
You can also utilize plants in apartments and offices to achieve the same effect. Houseplants are beautiful to look at and are effective air purifiers.
Look to Apollo Heating and Air Conditioning for Expert Maintenance of Your HVAC
Look to the HVAC experts at Apollo Heating and Air Conditioning to ensure your energy system is in excellent condition and operating at optimal efficiency so you will be cool and comfortable this coming summer. Our experienced team of highly trained technicians will work with you and exceed your expectations during HVAC repairs and A/C unit replacements.
Apollo field technicians will work closely with you in deciding what HVAC system is the best, and tailor it to fit your unique needs and preferences! We are committed to delivering premium quality HVAC service, maintenance, products, and documentation in Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and beyond!
Learn more by contacting Apollo Heating and Air Conditioning!
