People spend the majority of their day indoors at home or in the office. Because of this, the quality of the air you’re breathing indoors is even more important than the quality of air outside. If you think your home is in need of an improvement in air quality, there are a few simple steps you can take to make your breathing easier for longer.
What Causes Poor Air Quality
Air quality within your home is maintained by your HVAC system, so if your HVAC system isn’t up to par with quality filters or circulation, your air quality will suffer. The more pollutants that are outside your home will affect your home’s air quality as well. This means that if you leave your windows open for a long period of time, you’re more likely to have more particles floating through your airstream.
Benefits to Good Indoor Air Quality
If your home has higher indoor air quality, your overall health will benefit from it! Not only will you be able to breathe easier, but you’ll be less likely to suffer from respiratory problems because there will be fewer pollutants floating around in your air that can potentially irritate your lungs or eyes.
If there are fewer pollutants in your home’s air, your HVAC system is less likely to be working overtime to clean and filter your air to provide you a comfortable environment. You can help your system with this by having quality air filters installed throughout your home. This tradeoff will allow you to have a cheaper utility bill each month.
Change Your HVAC System’s Filters
The filters in your HVAC system should be changed every 2-3 months to ensure they are at their peak performance year-round. Your filters are the first line of defense against any pollutants that enter your home’s airstream, which means they need to stay at a high-performance level all the time. The longer your filter stays unchanged in your system, the less effective it will be at maintaining high-quality air for you to breathe.
Use Your Home’s Vents
The vents above your kitchen stove or the ones in your bathroom help provide a tunnel for air to go outside. Turning them on when you cook or shower will help circulate the air quicker, which allows for any pollutant in your home to be sent outside faster. This allows for improved circulation of air in your house and, in turn, better air quality because the air is being cycled through the rooms at a faster pace.
Regularly Vacuum and Dust
Pollutants in your home can stay around longer by hiding in your carpet! Your carpet acts as its own filter by trapping dirt and other particles within it, which means that it needs to be cleaned regularly – just like your HVAC system’s filters. The same goes for places in your home that collect a lot of dust frequently. The more frequently you dust and vacuum your home, the less likely you’ll have pollutants hanging around you for longer.
A way to prevent excessive buildup of dust and dirt in your carpets is to walk around your home without shoes on. Whatever dirt and pollutants were on your shoes outside is brought inside and then trapped in your carpet when you continue to walk around inside with them on.
Buy Indoor Plants
Plants are nature’s filters. By having a couple of plants throughout your home, you can improve your home’s quality of air. They are a simple addition to improve the air quality because they will add more oxygen into your home through photosynthesis. They take any excessive carbon or other molecules that make it harder for humans to breathe and exchange it for oxygen, allowing you to breathe cleaner air!
For more information on how you can improve your home’s air quality, contact Air Tech of Houston AC & Plumbing for easier breathing.
