Fall has fallen, and with it comes some chilly temperatures that will have us spending more and more time indoors. Speaking of spending more time indoors, have you given any thought to the quality of the air in your home? The fact is, it can be more polluted than the air outside. New Albany Heating and Cooling has some more tips to help you improve your home’s air quality so that you can relax and enjoy the Fall/Winter seasons:
11. Make Sure Your Home is Well-Ventilated
Keeping out the cold air is important, but it is also important to make sure that fresh, clean air gets into your home on a regular basis. When the air in your home is stale, it is a breeding ground for bacteria and germs of all kinds. Open a window or door when the weather permits and allow the fresh air from outside to circulate throughout your home. Set the vent control on your A/C unit to “Open” and leave it on for an hour or so. You will notice the difference in your home after it’s been infused with crisp, clean air.
12. Add Plants to Improve the Air in Your Home
Plants act as natural filters inside your home, just as they do outside in nature. Certain plants draw in polluted air, filter it, then release fresh air back into the atmosphere. This is a perfect way to keep the air in your home clean and healthy. Plants such as Bamboo Palm, Chinese Evergreen, Pot Mum, and Spider Plants are all excellent choices. You can find a list of more air-purifying house plants at https://www.hgtv.com/remodel/interior-remodel/10-best-plants-for-cleaning-indoor-air-pictures.
13. Make Your Home a No-Smoking Area
Nothing is more harmful than breathing in cigarette smoke all the time. Studies have shown that even secondhand smoke, the smoke from someone else’s cigarettes, is just as detrimental to our health as if we were smoking cigarettes ourselves. If you or any of your family members are smokers, it would be in everyone’s best interest for you to take any steps necessary to quit smoking. Otherwise, set a rule that there will be absolutely no smoking inside your home. Anyone who wants to smoke will have to go outside and away from the house. Cigarette smoke releases toxins into the air that are well known to cause cancer.
14. Give Your Furniture a Thorough Cleaning
Considering that everyone who enters your home sits on your furniture and leaves a little something of themselves behind, you can imagine the amount of debris and germs that are just waiting for someone to come along and send them swirling Into the air for one an all to breathe in. Vacuum your furniture on a regular basis, and once a month use a mild detergent and warm water to wipe down your sofa, loveseat, recliner, etc. and allow them to dry completely. In between washings, frequently spray your furniture with a disinfectant such as Lysol.
15. Shampoo Your Carpets Monthly
Along with vacuuming several times a week, shampoo your carpets once a month. The amount of dirt, grime, germs, and other unmentionables that are carried into your home on the shoes of everyone who enters is the stuff nightmares are made of. Vacuuming helps, but a good deal of the mess can become ground into your carpet, remaining even after a thorough vacuuming. Choose a nice day when you can open doors and windows to help carpets dry completely and use soap specifically formulated to deodorize and disinfect carpets.
16. Keep Curtains, Blinds, and Other Window Treatments Clean
Your curtains, panels, blinds, etc., are like magnets for airborne pollutants. Use a vacuum attachment, a handheld mini vac, or a steam cleaner to clean curtains weekly. Check the cleaning instructions and clean curtains, valances, tiebacks, and panels at least once during the season. Some fabrics may require dry cleaning. Keep blinds clean with a good quality duster that will hold onto the dirt rather than just pushing it off onto the floor. At the same time, you clean your window treatments, wipe down window ledges and sills with a disinfectant cleaner and warm, soapy water.
17. Use Air-to-Air Heat Exchangers in Remote Areas of Your Home
If your home has areas that are particularly dusty but which are not frequently used, such as an attic or basement, you may want to consider installing an air-to-air heat exchanger. They are a popular alternative to conventional filtered fans. They do not use filters thanks to their closed-loop design, and they are low-maintenance, meaning that they can be placed in a seldom-used area for an extended period of time without having to be monitored frequently. Air-to-air heat exchangers can be adapted to fit electrical enclosures as well.
18. Treat your Home to an Updated HVAC System
If you have an older model HVAC system in your home, it may be time to consider upgrading to one of the more modern, more efficient models. Newer HVAC systems are able to filter air better than ever before, meaning that the air that is circulated through your home has been cleaned and purified completely before it ever gets into your home. Not only are the latest HVAC models more efficient at cleaning the air – they are also designed to conserve energy, and that means savings on your utility bills.
19. Use Humidifiers for Healthy Air in Every Room
Humidifiers add a healthy amount of moisture to the air, keeping it from becoming dry and laden with bacteria and debris that can cause respiratory issues in even the healthiest person. By keeping healthy moisture in the air, humidifiers prevent pollutants from being carried through the air in your home. Studies have shown that when humidifiers are placed in bedrooms, individuals report getting a more restful night’s sleep and waking up being able to breathe freely.
20. Paint Your Home with Eco-Friendly Paint
Many homes, especially older ones, have interior paint that is still giving off toxic fumes several years after being painted. These fumes can cause a number of health issues. Today there are many home-interior paints on the market that are safe to use and contain natural ingredients.
New Albany Heating and Cooling can answer any questions you have regarding improving the air in your home. Our professional HVAC technicians are standing by. Give us a call today at 614-636-5002 or visit our website at https://newalbanyheatingcooling.comschedule-now/ to schedule an inspection and cleaning of your HVAC system just in time for cold weather.
