How to Improve Indoor Air Quality
If your home has a musty smell you can’t quite tame, or if you seem to have a slight cough or some congestion every day when you first wake up, it may be time to work on improving the air quality in your home. Fortunately, there are a number of different actions you can take and devices you can install to solve these problems—and many of them come with the added bonus of greater energy efficiency. Below, learn more about five ways you can improve the air quality in your home or business.
Duct Cleaning
Duct cleaning removes dirt, debris, and dust from your HVAC system’s air ducts, eliminating these particles for good and ensuring that they won’t continue circulating through your home. This process should be a regular part of maintaining your HVAC system, and is especially vital for anyone with allergies, asthma, or any other respiratory issues. At AC Warehouse, we recommend that homeowners clean their air ducts at least once every five to 10 years, with pet owners and those in high-dust or high-smog areas scheduling these cleanings even more frequently.
Duct Aeroseal
Often, high humidity or a musty smell can be caused by tiny pinpoint leaks in your home’s ductwork that allow moisture to seep in. An Aeroseal treatment can help plug these leaks and make your system far more energy-efficient. Aeroseal can be installed in just a day and should be able to reduce your energy bills for years to come.
Air Purifiers
As the name implies, an air purifier cleans and scrubs the air as it circulates through your HVAC system. These purifiers can include a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter that is designed to remove even the smallest particles (including viruses and bacteria) from the air as it passes through your vents, leaving only fresh, clean air behind. For those with allergies or asthma, an air purifier can be all but a necessity, especially in the winter months when there may be many pathogens circling around.
Whole House Dehumidifier
High humidity in a home can prompt mold and mildew growth, compromising the quality of air in your home. Although air purifiers and filters can remove this mold and mildew when it passes through the air, it’s only by attacking the source—moisture—that you can truly eliminate them. A whole-house dehumidifier takes moist air and removes the water from it, routing this excess water outside. By keeping your home at a constant, safe humidity level, you’ll improve air quality and reduce the wear and tear on your fixtures, flooring, and drywall.
UV Lights
Another way to clean and deodorize the air in your home is through the use of UV lights in your vents. Whether these lights remain a permanent part of your HVAC system (where air passes through the lights on its way out through the vents) or remain temporary (where the UV light is inserted into the duct where it “zaps” any germs in the vicinity), they can go a long way toward improving the air quality in your home without requiring any major expense or installation.
