Tips For Improving Your Home's Air Quality

There are few factors that can play a more important role in determining your overall comfort and health than the quality of the air in your home. This is particularly true for those that suffer from a variety of respiratory issues. When it comes to improving the air quality in your home, there are several key points that you should keep in mind.

Keep Your HVAC System As Clean Possible

The cleanliness of your system will be among the most important factors in determining the quality of the air in your home. When the HVAC system is allowed to become dirty and dusty, it can send these particles airborne. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to effectively clean the ducting and other components of your system. As a result, you may find that retaining a professional HVAC contractor can be among the most effective options for cleaning your system. Ideally, this work should be done every couple of years, but those with particularly sensitive respiratory systems may benefit from having it done more frequently.

Consider Upgrades To Your System

There are a number of upgrades that you can make to your system that will help to improve its air quality. For example, it is possible to install air purifiers, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, like Aprilaire products. These attachments will be installed in the system itself so that they can filter the air as it moves from the central unit to the ducting. Unfortunately, not every system can accommodate these attachments and installing them can be rather tricky. As a result, you should retain a professional contractor to inspect your system to verify that it can support these attachments and to install them.

Change The Air Filter On A Set Schedule

The primary air filter has the responsibility of removing the particulate matter from the air before it enters the system. Unfortunately, some homeowners will not change their air filter frequently enough. This can allow sizable amounts of dust and debris to get on it. When this occurs, the air filter may actually start to degrade the air quality by allowing some of this particulate matter to enter the system. For most homes, the air filter should be changed at least every month. Also, you may find that opting for a hypoallergenic air filter can greatly improve the results that you get as these filters are designed to capture the extremely small particles that may be able to get through a traditional filter. While these higher quality air filters will cost more, the advantages that they provide can be invaluable for those with breathing issues.