Keeping your indoor air clean – especially if you have a HVAC system – is essential to your good health and wellbeing. You may not often think of all the potential irritants and pollutants that can pervade indoor spaces, but they are the reason for the aggravation of common allergies, asthma and even serious diseases like chronic bronchitis.
Air purification is essential because you cannot avoid bringing in the following pollutants from the outside and inside world:
- Polyurethane (from mattresses)
- Irritants and pollutants brought inside on your shoes, clothing, etc.
- Mildew and mold, which gravitate towards moist, dark environments – such as the bathroom after a shower
- Your HVAC or commercial AC system if the air filter is poor or hasn’t been cleaned in awhile
- Pets bring in even more dirt than humans
- Poor overall ventilation in the home
Eliminate Sources of Air Pollutants
There are some pollutants that you shouldn’t ever allow in the home in the first place because they are detrimental to the health of you, your family and coworkers. Sources of carbon monoxide are actually dangerous and so should never make it inside. To facilitate the discovery of this potentially deadly gas, many homeowners and office managers install carbon monoxide detectors. Cigarette smoke should also be relegated to the outside, a sizable distance from the front door.
It doesn’t stop there; some everyday products you use can also be sources of air pollutants, and limiting them (or eliminating them outright, when feasible) is a relatively easy step towards cleaner air. An often overlooked cause of bad air is cleaning products; the ones with high levels of chemicals only compound the air problem.
If the climate you live in is amenable, a dehumidifier can make a major difference in how easily you breathe inside your home or business. An air purifier is another option, and a commercial AC system also helps keep pollens and irritants outside.
Taking Care of your HVAC
Although an HVAC system might seem like a formidable appliance at first glance, any homeowner or office manager can easily ensure that the system isn’t contributing to the bad indoor air quality. In fact, a properly-functioning cooling system helps remove the pollutants. The air filter is the most important aspect with regards to this; if you change it regularly, you ensure that it is capable of keeping particles away from the indoor environment and improving the quality of your inside air.
An important note: air filters need to be changed more frequently if your HVAC system undergoes heavy use. It not only keeps your indoor air cleaner, it also means the system doesn’t have to work as hard to produce the expected comfort levels. Additionally, taking care of the filter confers benefits to the system as a whole – HVACs last longer when they don’t have to work as hard. The standard period of use for an air filter is about three months for moderate use.
