Did you know that the air inside the house (where Americans spend 90% of their time) often has two to five times more pollutants than outdoor air?
When people think about air pollution, they focus on the outdoors. However, indoor air quality also needs a lot more scrutiny as it has a more significant impact on your health than you imagine.
Here’s a quick look at four vital ways you can improve the air quality in your home.
1. Ventilate the Space
Before you sink your teeth into more complicated solutions for improving air quality indoors, you need to tackle the basics.
Does your home have adequate air flowing to expel stagnant air?
If not, make it a habit to open your windows and doors as that boosts circulation and rejuvenates the air quality within your home.
But what of those who live in cities or other areas where the air is full of pollutants?
Well, one tip is to identify the time of day when there’s the least dust and other contaminants in the air for you to open your window and doors and promote air circulation.
2. Install Cooking Vents
Although it may come as a curious fact to many, the kitchen is the one area of your home through which air pollutants enter your house.
For example, when you use a gas stove, you’re releasing harmful contaminants such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Even if you switch to an electric over, you’ll still be producing these same pollutants only at a lower level.
Thus, you should be turning on your kitchen vent when you begin cooking to improve the air quality.
The cooking vent can be part of the door frame or window in your kitchen if you don’t plan on doing more work to fit it. Alternatively, the vent can also come as a stand-alone frame that you can retrofit at will.
3. Clean Your Carpet and Rugs Regularly
From the moment you install rugs or carpets in your home, they begin acting as their air filter. The rugs and carpets will trap particles and dust within their fibers over time.
The longer you go without cleaning your rugs and carpets, the more dust and particles that accumulate in them.
To avoid polluting your air in this manner, you should institute a weekly cleaning regimen for all rugs and carpets in your home.
4. Regularly Maintain Your HVAC Unit
Much like the carpet and rugs in your home, your HVAC unit works to trap dust and other pollutants in the air. That leads to building up of these pollutants in your system.
When you’re looking for the right HVAC maintenance plan, you need to zero on how regular it addresses air filters and ducts.
A good HVAC maintenance plan will ensure air filters are changed every 30 days (for fiberglass ones) or six months (for pleated filters).
Additionally, such a plan should factor in duct inspection every three to five years if you’re to avoid the build-up and circulation of contaminants.
Lift the Indoor Air Quality in Your Home
You spend more time indoors than outside, which makes the quality of indoor air around you a more critical issue. Make it a habit to allow for more air circulation within the home or office while also ensuring you regularly maintain the HVAC system for you to maintain high air quality indoors.
Ellsworth’s Heating & Cooling is a certified and multi-award-winning air conditioning company passionate about exceeding customer expectations. Talk to us today for air conditioning services that put your needs first.