Did you know we spend 90% of our time indoors? According to a study conducted from Velux, 82% of people believe that they only spend 18% of their time indoors.
Think about it. We live, sleep, and eat in our homes. We spend at least 8 hours per day in our homes alone just to sleep.
We have to breathe in order to live, so all of the oxygen, pollutants, and microorganisms that live in our homes are inhaled day in and day out.
Think your air is clean? Indoor air can be up to 5 times more contaminated than outdoor air.
Why is this? Because it’s essentially a box that contains all air unless it has the proper ventilation system installed.
Though you might not have a single dust-speck in sight, pollutants and microorganisms hide in the strangest of places. These outlined tips are designed to clean out the air in your Harrisburg, Pennsylvania home to extract pollutants and prevent dangerous living conditions for you and your family.
Clean air makes a safe home.
1. Clean the Vents
Your vents are designed to distribute clean air in your home and extract dirty air. Think of your vents as the lungs of your home. The ventilation in your home relies on a few equipment pieces to clean your home’s air. When vents become dirty, this can prevent them from extracting dirty air from the home and can keep it circulating in the rooms.
Dust and other debris will settle and stick to your air duct filters. These are filters found at the entry-point of your air duct system. Clean or replace your vent filters several times per year and you’ll find your air quality drastically increases. For simple cleaning, use a vacuum to clean off the filters.
2. Purchase an Air Purifier
Air purifiers are much more efficient than they used to be. Some are so intelligent that they can recognize any pollutants in the room and will extract these pollutants to clean the air.
Not all air purifiers are extremely expensive like Dyson Pure, but you’ll want to place one in each room that has the most time spent in it. So your kitchen, bathrooms, living room, and bedrooms should all have an air purifier.
3. Install Carbon Monoxide Monitors
Most homes nowadays have carbon monoxide (CO) monitors, but not all. Monoxide can enter your home through various appliances, even your car. CO gas is the poison that can seep into your home’s air through fuel-based appliances that don’t burn fully.
Smoke detectors won’t be able to detect carbon monoxide. Install carbon monoxide monitors in your home to prevent toxic pollutants from crowding out your fresh air.
4. Install a Ductless HVAC System
A ductless mini-split system is used to control the heating and air in your home. It is the ultimate HVAC system that controls the air in a singular room or for the entire home. Your central air system must be up to date to provide your home with the safest and healthiest air quality.
Ductless systems are also very slim and offer homeowners a chance to remove their old clunky AC unit and replace it with a modern design. You will also save on your energy bills.
5. Clean All of Your Furniture
Furniture is prone to gather dust, microorganisms, and dirt. Your furniture should be cleaned on a regular basis to extract the pollutants in each room. Couches and carpets are notorious for hiding secret entities that affect the air quality in the home. Vacuum your fabric furniture and use soap and water to clean your smooth-surfaced items.
6. Remove Indoor Plants
While you might think your plants are providing extra oxygen in your home, the ecosystem might be detrimental to your health. There are some house plants that help the air quality in your home, like an aloe vera plant. Other plants tend to attract mites, mold, mildew, and other microorganisms. Be careful of which plants you choose to include in your home and move the risky ones outside.
7. Don’t Mask Smells
Masking a smell doesn’t remove the problem, it’s a bandaid to a much larger issue. If you smell gas, are you going to use Febreeze to extract the smell?
Instead of masking smells, remove them. By cleaning your ventilation systems, installing new AC units, and even opening up a window, you will extract the smell. Stay away from using chemicals as that will only increase your chance of illness.
8. Open Your Windows
Cracking open a window or a door to the outside world can help remove smells and unhealthy air. You are essentially allowing old air to be sucked out of your home and new air to replace it. You’ll want to be aware of the air quality outside before you open a window since fumes and gases can come into your home if they are lingering outside.
9. Hire a Harrisburg HVAC Professional
Bonus tip! Hire a Harrisburg, PA HVAC contractor who knows how to inspect your home for dangerous pollutants. At WM Buffington, our contractors spend their time understanding the structure of the home and how to improve the safety of your air quality.
Give us a call today to schedule an inspection so we can provide you with recommendations and installations of clean air systems you need.
