If you haven’t gotten to your yearly spring cleaning yet, don’t despair. There’s no time like the present. But make sure you don’t forget your indoor air quality this season when you’re getting your house in order for summer. The air in the typical home is up to five times dirtier than the air outdoors, and keeping it as clean as possible helps to reduce asthma and allergy symptoms and improves your overall health. Here are nine tips to help you whip your indoor air quality into shape this spring.
- Remove your shoes when you enter your home. The soles of your shoes pick up all manner of contaminants and allergens outside and distribute them throughout your home.
- Control mold growth in your home by completely drying water damage within 24 hours and using your bathroom fan when you shower.
- Check your HVAC air filter every month and replace it when it’s dirty. A clean air filter helps maintain indoor air quality and protects your system from dust buildup. Avoid inexpensive flat filters, opting instead for higher-quality pleated filters.
- Install UV lights in your HVAC system to kill biological contaminants such as pollen, mold spores, dust mites and bacteria.
- Vacuum and dust your home at least once a week. Dust first, using a microfiber cloth to pick up dust rather than simply moving it around. Turn the thermostat fan to “ON” while you vacuum and for 15 minutes afterward to help remove particles sent airborne by the vacuum exhaust and agitator.
- Wash your bedding in hot water every week, and vacuum your mattress to remove highly allergenic dust mite debris.
- Control clutter in your home to reduce the amount of dust and allergens in your air.
- Replace your kitchen sponges every week, or use washable cloths instead. Sponges may have as many as 100,000 bacteria per square inch.
- Reduce your use of household chemicals, including air fresheners, to reduce gaseous contaminants in your air.
For more expert advice on improving your indoor air quality this spring, please contact us at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electrical, serving the Yuma area with integrity since 1952.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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