Springtime usually means allergies for lots of people. However, many of your allergies and illnesses can be prevented by taking measures to improve your home’s indoor air quality. It’s not surprising that the United States EPA also ranks indoor air pollution in their top five environmental risks to public health. By being able to breathe better air, you’ll start feeling a lot better too.
Duct Cleaning
Did you know that in a typical six-room house, up to 40 pounds of dust is created annually through everyday living? Gross. You might not be able to see it, but it’s definitely there. There’s a good chance that most of it may be hiding inside your air ducts. If you’re regularly replacing the air filter for your HVAC system, that’s great! Unfortunately, it’s just not possible for an air filter to “catch” all of the contaminants in the air that may be floating around inside your home.
If you have pets or live with smokers, that’s just going to add more fuel to the fire. Even something like a recent home renovation or home improvement project can contribute to indoor air pollution. Think about it, if walls are being torn up and your floor tiles are being replaced, a lot of things are being moved around. This can kick up a lot of dust and microscopic debris within your home that will eventually settle and then make its way into your lungs.
With duct cleaning, all of the dust, debris, and contaminants that make their way past the air filter gets sucked out of your home. You may think that because it’s out of sight, there’s nothing to worry about. Whenever you start up your HVAC system, air is getting passed through your ducts. All that dust that’s hiding inside your air ducts is just coming right back out into your home.
Replace Your Air Freshener
Ah, doesn’t the smell of an air freshener after you clean your home just makes you feel great? Well, you might not feel it, but most of your conventional air fresheners contain a harmful chemical called phthalates. When you’re pressing down on the nozzle of your air freshener, these phthalates are being released into the air where you might inhale them or land on your skin and be absorbed into your body.
So what’s so bad about these phthalates?
Once these phthalates enter your bloodstream, they can alter hormone levels and cause other health problems like interfering with the production of testosterone and other reproductive issues.
It’s recommended that you use either natural air fresheners like houseplants, or just open up a window and let the air circulate throughout your home.
Control Your Humidity
Do you know those dust bunnies that you see hiding underneath your living room couch? They’re just a breeding ground for dust mites. Just a speck of dust can hold as many as 40,000 dust mites. You just can’t see them because they’re even smaller than the size of a period used at the end of a sentence. If you’re sensitive to dust, these dust mites can cause allergic reactions and even asthma attacks.
How can we combat these little buggers? With humidity of course!
If you can maintain a humidity level of your home that is less than 50% over an extended period of time, these microscopic dust mites won’t survive. It’s known that dust mites will thrive when humidity levels start to increase. Consider getting a dehumidifier if the humidity of your home is too high for comfort.
Less dust means fewer allergies and better breathing.
Air You Ready for Cleaner Air?
Contact Air Group today for all of your dehumidification needs!