How to Improve Indoor Air Quality: 5 Important Things You Can Do
If there is one thing we’ve all learned recently, it’s that indoor air quality is easy to take for granted. It’s extremely important to have fresh, clean air in your home and place of work. Unfortunately, that is sometimes easier said than done.
If you want better air quality, you have to work for it. You have to actively push back against the incursion of contaminating particles that can trigger allergies, spread disease, or otherwise cause discomfort.
The good news is that you have a lot of power over your own environment. When you know the right tricks, you can clean your indoor air and have a better quality of life all around.
Here are some tips on how to improve indoor air quality, so you can breathe easy.
Change Your Air Filter
This is one of the easiest ways to improve air quality. Your HVAC system already has effective air filtration. It removes all kinds of things that you don’t want to breathe on a regular basis. But over time, the filters get dirty and need to be replaced. If you stay on top of that schedule, your air quality will improve.
On average, HVAC filters should be replaced once a month. Some systems only need replacement two to four times a year. It depends on the volume of air handled by the system and how much stuff it has to filter.
Get an Air Purifier
If your fresh air filter isn’t doing enough, then you can help your intrinsic HVAC filtration with additional dedicated filtration. Air purifiers work quite well. They can remove dust, hair, dander, pollen, mold, and just about anything else unpleasant from the air.
The best way to use an air purifier is to pay close attention to its specifications. Any purifier will be rated for a certain volume of air. If you have a large space, you might need multiple filters.
You can also supplement your air filter with a dehumidifier. Getting indoor humidity levels below 50% will prevent heavy growth of molds, mildews, and other fungi. That reduces the burden on your air purifiers and makes everything easier.
Scrub the Interior
If you leave a surface alone long enough, it will collect dust. It might also grow mold or display some other form of unpleasantness. The stuff on these surfaces can easily get back into the air. Then it has to settle out of the air all over again.
A deep cleaning is your best friend. Scrub every surface. Carpet cleaning helps a lot, especially shampooing. Get rid of contaminants before they are launched into the air. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as the saying goes. Upholstery cleaning might also be a good idea.
If scrubbing seems daunting, you can always hire a cleaning service. You get quality scrubbing, and you don’t have to devote your own time to doing the work.
Clean the Air Ducts
If cleaning carpets can help with air quality, imagine the power of cleaning your air ducts. Despite the filtration system in your HVAC, the ducts will collect dust and other contaminants over time. It’s inevitable.
Duct cleaning services are available, and they will get in there and truly scrub your air ducts. That removes the primary source of contaminating particles that get into your air. The building will smell better. Breaths will feel fresher. Ducting cleaning at least once a year makes a world of difference.
Ditch Air Fresheners
This last tip surprises a lot of people. Air fresheners are used to make the air feel stimulating and smell nice. Are they really a problem?
Typically, air fresheners are just well-designed perfumes. They use organic compounds and push them through oil membranes in order to aerosol the designed scent. Ultimately, this means you’re dumping compounds, particles, allergens, and contaminants into the air every time you use an air freshener.
If unpleasant odors are a problem, cleaning the place is worth much more than air fresheners. If you have a mold issue that you can’t seem to beat, mold removal and dehumidifiers will get rid of the source of the problem. Air fresheners are just covering contamination with additional bothersome particles.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality for Better Health
Some of these tips are easy to follow. Others require manpower and work-intense intervention. For those remedies, professional help is a great asset. You can get professional cleaning services for your interior and ductwork pretty easily. Just give us a call at Zeppelin Cleaning Services today. We’ll schedule a time to come and scrub your location and boost the quality of your indoor air.