Watery eyes, a runny nose and an itchy throat are all too common for those with seasonal allergies, but even those without allergies often suffer from these symptoms. The Environmental Protection Association points out that the air in a typical home is one of the top five environmental hazards, thanks to indoor air pollution like dust mites, mold and pollutants from cleaning products and appliances. Here are some ways to improve your indoor air quality this fall.
Control Pollutants at the Source
Source control is the best way to keep allergens out of your home in the first place.
- Remove your shoes at the door to avoid tracking in contaminants that hitch a ride indoors on your shoes.
- Replace your household chemical cleansers with non-toxic cleaning products.
- Have your gas furnace tuned up every year and tune up your water heater every two years to ensure emissions are at appropriate levels.
Ventilate
Adequate ventilation sends stale indoor air outside your home and brings in fresh outdoor air to improve your overall indoor air quality.
- Use the exhaust fan in the kitchen while you cook, and turn on the ventilation fan in the bathroom while you shower to remove moisture, gases and particles.
- Open your windows on nice days.
- Install a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) or energy recovery ventilator (ERV) to mechanically exchange the air in your home while transferring heat and humidity from the outgoing air to the incoming air to help you save on energy costs.
Clean the Air
Air cleaners help remove harmful particles from your home’s indoor air.
- Inspect your HVAC filter every month and be sure to replace it when you can’t see the filter material behind the dust.
- Invest in portable air cleaners that use electrostatic attraction to trap particles from your dirtiest rooms.
- Consider a whole-house air cleaner, which is comprised of a filter in your ductwork that traps particles as air moves through.
For more helpful tips on improving your indoor air quality this fall, please contact us at Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing, proudly serving the Indianapolis area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Zurijeta/Shutterstock”
